Celebrity

The Gilmore Girls revival premieres on Netflix Friday night, and University of Toronto students are waiting for the much-anticipated return of Lorelai and Rory.

As U of T super fans host Gilmore Girls marathons on campus and get ready to watch the new season, U of T News tracked down a U of T connection.

David Sutcliffe, who plays Rory’s sometimes-absent father and Lorelai’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, graduated from U of T in the early nineties. The 47-year-old actor – born in Saskatoon and raised in Grimsby and St. Catharines – was recruited to play basketball at University of Toronto.

He reminisced about his university years and chatted with U of T News about the new season and what's ahead for his character, Christopher Hayden.

What was your major at U of T?

I was an 'English lit' major at Victoria College.

I actually stayed in the same residence house as Donald Sutherland, whom I just worked with (on Milton's Secret), which is kind of an interesting piece of trivia.

I was told when I moved in – even before I thought of becoming an actor – that the most famous resident was Donald Sutherland. So when I worked with him, we talked about it a little bit.

I read once that you were on the Varsity Blues basketball team but that a back injury led you to take up acting

Exactly. I was on the Varsity team at U of T, but in my second season, I started having a lot of back pain. I was diagnosed with a herniated disk. And it just became chronic.

I was living with a guy who was a playwright, and he won this writing contest. Now, I had all this free time – this time that I had used for practicing and sports. I was looking for other things to do. He asked me to audition for a play. I did, and he gave me a small part.

I was hooked right away. I did all kinds of theatre around U of T, at Victoria College and Trinity College.

Actor and U of T alumnus David Sutcliffe (seated at the bottom right) played on the Varsity Blues basketball team during the 1989-1990 school year (photo courtesy of Varsity Blues)

What's your fondest memory here?

We had some great parties. I'm not really a party guy, but we were the house that threw the best, wildest, craziest parties. It was fun to be part of that university experience.

The two years I played for the basketball team were really exciting. I met a lot of good guys there and feel sad I wasn't able to continue. And of course all the theatre I did at U of T. I did tons of shows all around. I directed shows. It was exciting. You're with people – everybody's young, you're trying to figure it out, and you're discovering things together – it's a special time.

I want to ask you a very serious hypothetical question now: If Rory chose to go to university in Canada – no bias here, but assuming she'd go to U of T – what college would she be in?

I don't know, man. (Laughs) I hoped she'd go to Vic, where I went. But I don't know, she's a smart kid – she would probably go to Trinity, right? If you go to Yale, like she did in the show, then probably she'd go to Trinity.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring Canadian actors?

You've got to follow your own path and be in it for the right reasons. You have to be really good, and you have to be honest with yourself if you have the raw talent. The people who are in television and movies, and work consistently, every single one of them is a really, really, really good actor. There are so many good actors who work in Los Angeles, and it's extremely competitive.

How does it feel to come back and be part of the revival?

I don't have a big part in it, but the show was a big part of my life and my career. I don't think any of us really understood at the time what it was or what it was going to become.

It's nice to revisit it with the ability to have an appreciation for what it is. When you're working on it, it's work, right? It's 12, 14 hour days. You just kind of get through it. And the show wasn't that popular when it was on the air. It had a very passionate and loyal fan base, and it was well-reviewed, but it wasn't like, you know, CSI or something. But it stayed, and it became a part of the cultural fabric. It became a classic.

It's nice to know you are a part of something that touched a lot of people's lives, and that it was meaningful.

How do you explain that it's become such a cult phenomenon?

That's a good question. If people knew the answer, they'd be making these kinds of shows all the time. It's kind of like lightning in a bottle. It starts with (show creator) Amy Sherman-Palladino. She's a visionary. You combine that with perfect casting with Lauren Graham (who plays Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Lorelai's daughter Rory). And then all the townspeople were just great. Something magical happened.

Beyond that, I think there's something about the show that was about a return to a simpler time, about family and community. In our fast-paced world filled with technology and complications, there's something soothing and grounding about those ideas.

What kind of direction did you get while playing Rory's father?

Amy Sherman-Palladino is pretty specific. She has a vision, for sure – more than a lot of other showrunners I worked with. In terms of the language, we couldn't go off script at all. Every “and,” “but” and “if” had to be in there. It was like doing Shakespeare, and I understood because the language was specific and had a rhythm to it.

What did she tell me? In terms of the overall arc of the character, mostly that he was in love with Lorelai – always was and always would be – and wants her back. That's his objective throughout the series.

Even in the new season?

We're at a different point. I think that'll always be there for him. But at a certain point, life kind of moves on, and you have regrets. I think he's reconciled to where it's at right now. I think there's sadness there for him, some loss. Probably for her too because the chemistry was there. We all have those relationships that are filled with emotion, passion and love, and they're complicated. But you have this feeling, like it's not meant to be.

I crowdsourced a few questions from Gilmore Girls' fans: Are you on Team Luke? A lot of fans have mixed feelings about Christopher. How do you feel about the character?

It's funny. I have mixed feelings too. It's hard to separate myself obviously, but it's been years. When you're playing a character, you tend to root for your character. I love Luke. I think he's amazing on the show. (Actor) Scott Patterson is so funny. He's so smart. Their chemistry is amazing, but there's something – I don't feel it all the way in terms of their relationship. I actually feel Christopher and her are a hotter couple.

With that said, Chris is a nightmare. It depends what you want. If you want stability, a nice guy, you go Team Luke. If you want fire and passion, I think you go Team Chris.

Next crowdsourced question: What was your most memorable moment working with the late Edward Herrmann (who played Lorelai’s dad)?

The scene I remember is in the first episode I was in, in the first season – “Christopher Returns.” There was a big scene where our parents get into a fight. My parents and Lorelai's parents get into a fight in the drawing room of their house. That scene took about a whole day to shoot. I didn't know who Ed Herrmann was, but by the end of that day, listening to him tell stories – he has worked with everyone and had been in so many amazing movies. It was fun to be around a Hollywood legend.

Donald Sutherland was the same way. He's 81 years old, and the guy's on fire every day. He can't wait to get to set. He's so passionate.

Amy Sherman-Palladino is rumoured to have planned the show down to the last four words. What are the last four words? Can you at least say if fans will get a happy ending?

I can't say. (Laughs) I don't know anything about the last four words. I know nothing. I know nothing. I do know. I will say that – but I'm not saying [anything].

Will there be more episodes after this season?

I will say I think people are hopeful. I don't think it's a definitive "no." I think it's very possible that there could be more.

Profiles of U of T alumni: hail to the chef!

ullahnor — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 20:56:37 +0000

Profiles of U of T alumni: hail to the chef!

ullahnor Wed, 11/23/2016 - 15:56

Cutline

Developing recipes is one of Mary Berg’s favourite things to do. It’s central to her long-term ambition of building a career in catering and food media (photo courtesy of CTV)

Megan Easton

Author legacy

Megan Easton

Topic

Faculty of Information

Subheadline

A golden borscht soup helped alumna Mary Berg win the title of MasterChef Canada. She now serves up her recipes on CTV’s “Your Morning” show

She may have won out against all the other cooks on MasterChef Canada, but Mary Berg, who earned a master’s in information from U of T in 2014, has a surprising kryptonite in the kitchen.

“I am truly terrible at cooking rice,” she says. “I’m so thankful it never came up in the competition.”

Since taking the $100,000 top prize on the hit TV show’s third season this spring, Berg has gone from working at an insurance brokerage and cooking for friends and family to making a living at her longtime passion. Her winning dish? It included golden beet borscht, surf and turf with beef tenderloin, and blueberry financier.

Berg recently launched a small catering business out of her apartment, is working on menu development for some Toronto-area restaurants and has a regular gig on CTV’s “Your Morning” show demonstrating her original recipes in front of a live audience. There’s also a new television project in the works with Bell Media, but she can’t reveal the details.

“All I can say is that I’m very excited about the current trajectory of my life,” she says.

Berg was just four-years-old when she first got involved with meal preparation at home. Her father died in a car accident that year, and she wanted to help her mother.

“My mom wasn’t a big cook, so the best place for me to do that was in the kitchen,” she says. “I was mostly serving up cereal with water, because I wasn’t allowed to pour milk, but by the time I was seven I really got into cooking. And by 13 I’d taken over all the meals.”

Berg learned by reading cookbooks, watching cooking shows and experimenting. Sometimes, she’d become mildly obsessed with a certain food and make it all the time – homemade ice cream one summer, for example, then crepes next. These indulgences made people happy, she says, which fuelled her desire to keep learning.

“I cook from the heart. Food is about sharing, and I love watching people I love enjoy my food.”

Cooking has always been the way Berg de-stresses. As a graduate student at U of T, she would invite people to dinner whenever she had an exam or a big paper due.

“Sometimes I just wanted to cook a chicken,” she says, “[even though] I don’t eat chicken.”

She also doesn’t eat red meat, but includes dairy, eggs and fish in her diet. Giving up meat 15 years ago was more of a health-based decision than a moral one, she says.

“As a kid I ate bacon like it was my job, but there came a time when I felt I’d reached my quota.”

Since then, she’s relied on smell, feel and intuition to cook meat.

The science of food – how heat shrinks the muscle fibres in meat, what noodle shapes are best for certain sauces to cling to and “other things nobody thinks about” – fascinates Berg.

Developing recipes is one of her favourite things to do and central to her long-term ambition of building a career in catering and food media. She says that her degree from U of T, for which she specialized in knowledge and information management, will come in handy.

“Everything is going digital, including recipes, so I’ll be able to apply it in any of the places I end up.”

One place Berg has no plans to end up is a restaurant kitchen. The late nights and intense lifestyle just don’t appeal to her.

“Although I’ve never experienced it, I’m aware of the boys’ club in professional cooking,” she says.

As the first female winner of MasterChef Canada, she hopes to play a small part in changing that culture.

“After I won, I got letters and videos from girls and their moms saying how inspiring it was. I never expected that, and I feel the pressure now to be a role model. I welcome it with open arms, and I hope I’m a good one.”

Mary Berg’s complete winning menu:

Appetizer
Golden Beet Borscht with Horseradish Goat’s Cheese Mousse, Beet Cured Trout, and Caraway Crumb
Entrée
Surf and Turf with Beef Tenderloin, Fried Oysters, and Arugula Sea Asparagus Pesto
Dessert
Blueberry Financier with Brown Butter Crumb, Kettle Corn, Blueberry Sauce, and Buttermilk Corn Ice Cream