A long life can take its toil.

Take, for example, the fictional community of Lynx River -- actually, a collection of tiny buildings nestled in the woods nearby Bragg Creek, that have been the set of North of 60 since the drama's debut 10 years ago.

It's in desperate need of a facelift.

"The town was never meant to last this long," laughs Tom Cox, executive producer of the fourth North of 60 movie, Another Country, currently filming.

"We've had to shore up the floors and do repairs to the structures ... so that the crew doesn't go through the floor."

"There are a lot of memories. A lot of personal stuff happened here," reflects Dakota House, who plays Teevee Tenia.

It's the kind of problem most TV producers would kill for, of course -- and one that delights and baffles its stars.

"The audience has grown," says Tina Keeper, who returns to her Gemini-award-winning role of Michelle Kenidi, Lynx River's Native RCMP corporal.

"It's become of the fabric of Canada."

And Keeper, who says she gets recognized in places as mainstream as Earl's restaurants, says North of 60's appeal has bridged the gulf between Native and non-Native popular culture, and helped set the stage for Native-centric projects such as the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Budgeted at $3 million and due to air in the fall on CBC, Another Country sees Keeper and House return for a suspense thriller that jettisons the mysticism of the last North of 60 movie, Dream Storm.

Scheduling conflicts forced Tom Jackson to drop out of the project, although Cox assures Jackson will be central to the next one, currently being written and set to film in summer 2003.

But Jackson's absence isn't the only departure for the North of 60 team. Most of Another Country takes place, not in Lynx River, but downtown Calgary.

"It's never as efficient from a production standpoint because here you are in a contained environment as opposed to the roaring Calgary streets," Cox says of the challenges of filming in a city.

Teevee, House explains, is in Calgary for a conference when he's framed for murder and thrown into jail to cope with a justice system completely foreign to him.

It's up to Keeper's Michelle to solve the crime and clear her friend.

"We wanted to show an urban environment from the point of view of a northerner," Cox says.

For House, it's a chance to take Teevee, who has grown into the role of family man and chief, and return him to his roots as a "a tough guy gangster" scrapping for his life behind bars.

"Teevee was a punk and a rebel without a clue," House laughs.

Teevee's growth over the past decade has paralleled his own, says House, who landed the role at the age of 18 and spent the next several years making headlines, not because of his acting, but because of his run-ins with the law.

Now living in Edmonton, House says he has settled down, working as, not just an actor, but as a filmmaker with his production company, Clear Sky.

And he's now finally comfortable with the responsibility of being a role model in the aboriginal community.

"I'm like anyone else -- I don't act like a star, but I'm taking it on."

Keeper, who's active in First Nations causes, is also mindful of what real-life roles she plays, explaining she doesn't act as a spokesperson on issues.

"I'll leave that to the politicians. I'll be in a video or be an MC, but I don't speak on political issues."