EAST BAY, N.S. — “Just when you think the world is funny, wait three hours and it just changes again.”
East Bay native Billy MacLellan may live in Toronto now but like the rest of us, he’s been spending a lot of time at home these days, watching a little too much TV.
“I can’t stop watching the damned CP 24-hour ticker tape for all the news,” he said. “For the last three weeks I’ve been following it and I’ve been staying slightly ahead of the curve listening to everything.”
Like everyone else in the entertainment industry, the actor has been staying home, thanks to film industry productions being shut down due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Right now everything is on complete lockdown,” he said. “Most productions have completely stopped. Auditioning has stopped. Can’t imagine compensation happening in the acting community — I saw a lot of musicians come back home and wonder how they were going to make ends meet.
“It’s a weird time.”
But before COVID-19, MacLellan was busy with numerous projects, among them recreating his popular character Willy MacIssac for season two of CBC’s "Diggstown," a series about an African-Canadian lawyer dealing with cases in Nova Scotia. This time, Willy is charged with the murder of his ex-wife and is even inclined to admit to it but Diggs knows better. The lawyer, played by Vinessa Antoine, is determined to find out the truth behind Gloria’s death even if it’s the last thing Willy wants her to know.
“Willie is trying to live a straight life and stay out of trouble,” said MacLellan, 46. “He’s no stranger to trouble and that can often be a slippery slope.”
The episode aired earlier this week and while his profession may seem unstable at this time, he’s been involved in several projects that are expected to be released later this year.
“I have two projects that are on the tarmac right now — one is an independent that I did called 'Kitty Mama' — it’s a comedy about how at a certain point scientists have figured out a way for women to have cats,” he laughs. “We’ll see how that one turns out and Aug. 14, is tentatively the release date for the thriller 'Nobody' with Bob Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd.” It is scheduled to be released to theatres Aug. 14.
He’s also just finished writing his first feature film, “Camp Tipsy,” about a camp for teens having problems with alcohol. A short film has already been done and he’s in the process of applying to Telefilm for funding to shoot a full-length feature. While he is optimistic about the future after COVID-19, any extra writing work he does now will have to be carefully considered.
“Where we’re at really seems to be a one-day-at-a-time thing,” he said. “What do we need to do today? I keep a folder called my good ideas binder and I have an idea for a feature that’s been floating around in my head about the last two years and it’s a virus movie. Part of me thinks I should be taking notes right now but another part of me thinks I don’t want to touch it now because it’s going to be like babies. In nine months there’s going to be a lot babies and in nine months, there’s going to be a lot of movies about viruses.
“It’s a fascinating time to be alive.”
