Young actor hopes to rock ’em in Cherry biopic

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This article was published 18/03/2010 (5995 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local actor Ty Wood has yet to experience the tenacious nature of the paparazzi around his home in Charleswood.

However, things could soon change for the 14-year-old who is up for a Young Artist Award for his supporting role in the locally-lensed film, The Haunting in Connecticut, which was released last year.

The awards are now in its 31st year and recognize talented young actors who often don’t get the same recognition as their older co-stars. Other young stars nominated include Dakota Fanning, Abigail Breslin and Taylor Lautner.

But before Wood can hit the red carpet, he’ll be hitting the ice in the upcoming CBC TV movie, Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story airing March 28 and 29.

Wood stars as Tim Cherry, the Canadian icon’s son. The film tells the story of the elder Cherry’s journey from being a minor league defenceman to one of the proudest, and loudest voices in professional hockey.

Wood, a Grade 9 student at St. Paul’s Collegiate, said the Hockey Night in Canada star was considerably less bombastic when he met him during filming.

“He’s not as outgoing as he usually is on television, he’s a really nice guy,” Wood said.

Tim Cherry, who wrote the screenplay and is an executive director on the film, said that Wood was chosen because he captured his essence when he was the same age.

“He just seemed to have a little bit of something more than the other people that we had in casting,” Cherry, 47, said on the phone from his home in Mississauga, Ont.

The younger Cherry added that part of the story deals with how he needed a kidney transplant when he was younger and that Wood did a good job of recreating the traumatic time in his life.

Wood, who already has several thriller movie credits under his belt, said portraying a real person who was on-set every day was a real challenge.

“It was a little difficult, but you don’t really know who they are so you just try your best,” Wood said.

Wood said another challenge in making the movie was adjusting to the authentic 1970s wardrobe.

“There was some pretty weird costumes and for my Boston Bruins suit I have gold pants, and there were some silk shirts that were so hot,” he said.

Wood’s father had a good laugh at the wardrobe, but only because he used to wear the same type of gear himself, the youngster said.
The Cherry biopic is hardly Wood’s first exposure to Canada’s national game. He is a member of the Assiniboine Park Rangers minor hockey team, although a recent broken collarbone had him on the sidelines for the past five weeks and has him itching to get back on the ice.

Wood said if he had to, he would choose acting over hockey, but admits that playing the part of his favourite hockey player, Sidney Crosby, would be a dream come true.

Wood admitted that a Young Actor Awards could do great things for his budding acting career, and added that being part of a movie featuring one of Canada’s most iconic figures won’t hurt either.

“I think it will help out too because it’s Canada, and everybody knows Don Cherry,” Wood said.

Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story airs on CBC on March 28 and 29.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com