Star Pick with Justin Paul Kelly

Just this past weekend, I was lucky enough to interview Justin Paul Kelly at the eleventh edition of CAPE – or the Cornwall and Area Pop Event. For those of you who have young kids at home, you’ll immediately know his cadence, for Justin was the voice of Paw Patrol’s Chase from 2018-2023 – encompassing an impressive 129 episodes, as well as voicing the role in several tv movies (including Paw Patrol: Jet to the Rescue and Paw Patrol: Super Rescue). As for something more related to adult viewing, Justin had a ten episode arc as Harlan on season two of the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024).

For those of you who know me well, it is no secret that I’m a huge The Lord of the Rings fan... and it has been a goal of mine to meet and interview as many stars from the trilogy as possible. So, when I got the chance to chat with Billy Boyd about his favourite film, it was an absolute treat. Best known for playing Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took, one of the loveable and quite comedic hobbits in the franchise (who is most often seen opposite Dominic Monahan’s Merry), it is most definitely worth highlighting some of his other roles, including 2003's epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (where he plays coxswain Barrett Bonden), 2005's On a Clear Day (a dramedy about swimming the English channel), while he also features in both the horror film Seed of Chucky and the television show Chucky (2021-2024), and even appeared in four episodes of the very popular series Outlander as Gerald Forbes.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet and get a quick interview with the great Kurt Angle this past summer in Ottawa. First making a name for himself on the amateur wrestling circuit, it all culminated with a gold medal win (with a broken neck, no less) at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. The ultimate achievement for most amateur athletes, this was not the end for Angle, but only the beginning. Just a mere two years later, he had signed on to the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE or World Wresting Entertainment), a leap that would soon find him taking professional wrestling by storm. Making his television debut in November of 1999, he was a natural, not only at the wrestling, but also on the mike.

I was fortunate to be able to interview actor William Ragsdale on April 24th 2022, at the Cornwall and Area Pop Event (or CAPE). A most entertaining event each and every year, one of the highlights was a reunion of Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse – two of the stars of Tom Holland’s horror cult classic Fright Night (you can find their recollections of the film, as well as Ms. Bearse’s Star Pick interview here on Filmizon.com). It is also worth noting that Ragsdale returned for Fright Night’s sequel, and has continued working ever since... recently having a memorable three year stint on the excellent series Justified... while speaking of horror, he had a cool cameo in 2023's Renfield – back in the vampire realm once more. When our conversation turned to his favourite film, it did not take him long to highlight a horror classic – 1980's The Changeling, starring George C. Scott. This is what he had to say: “I love that movie [The Changeling]. When it came out I thought it was brilliant. It had strong performances from George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas. For me, the shock stuff is not so great, I really love the ambience and how things are created... it is almost like how Guillermo del Toro builds his atmosphere. I really like feeling like this is a place I’m going into and hanging out. And, of course, that movie was all about that. If the setting is correct, I enjoy it – and The Changeling just had it.” It is also worth noting that he gave a shout-out to The Exorcist earlier in the interview as well.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet and interview Amanda Bearse at CAPE 2022 (Cornwall & Area Pop Event). A multi-talented actor and director, she is perhaps best remembered as troublesome neighbour Marcy in the long running television sitcom Married... with Children (she appeared in an impressive 259 episodes, while she also sat in the directorial chair 31times). Yet, two years earlier, she appeared in what must have seemed at the time to be a horror quickie that would come and go... except the annals of cinema history were not done with Fright Night – it becoming a true cult classic of the 1980s that is still growing its viewing audience today. After wrapping Married, she decided to step behind the camera more often than not, directing numerous television series, including The Jamie Foxx Show, Dharma & Greg, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Reba, Mad TV, to name but a few. For the first time in awhile, she is back in front of the camera with last year’s Bros and the upcoming comedy Tapawingo.

I was fortunate enough to get a quick interview with Joe Gatto after his first ever comedy show in Ottawa on March 3rd, 2023. For those of you who have somehow missed him over the years, Gatto has brought joy and hilarity to the world with buddies Sal, Q, and Murr on the comedy series Impractical Jokers. After nearly a decade on television (creating worldwide catchphrases like: “Scoopski potahtos”, “Larry!”, “Up your ass and to the left”, “Who vants to paint!”, as well as so many others), Joe parted ways with the Jokers after nine seasons to focus more on family. Despite this, you’ve had ample chances to stumble upon him – sometimes with his buds as the Jokers go viral on Youtube, or by way of his very active social media accounts... and, of course, on his comedy tours. His first time in Canada, he regaled the audience with a fantastic combination of outright jokes, venue improv, past stories, and his own unique brand of physical comedy. After nearly a two hour show (which included his friend and opener Jiggy – who has also made some appearances on Impractical Jokers), the audience left with a number of jokes and stories that could make anyone laugh, as well as several local gags that only those attending would get (who knew Canadian royalty was sitting in the theatre box).