SCI-FI TWINS PROSPER
Canada a hotbed for genre
Aaron Ashmore is an identical twin. His brother is Shawn. That’s pretty unique, but consider this: Both young men are also stars of sci-fi, on small and big screens.
Right now Shawn is part of the cast of the spooky TV series The Following. He also recently appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
While Aaron is one of the three principal characters in the Space network show Killjoys, where he plays John Jaqobis, one of three bounty hunters bringing to justice bad guys who operate in a planetary system called The Quad.
The show has just been renewed for a second season, and Canadian Aaron Ashmore is breathing a sigh of relief.
He’s got a bit of break between filming so he’s doing things like attending PopExpo in Ottawa this weekend.
“In the past few years I have started to attend Comic-Cons and PopExpos.
“It depends on my schedule. Obviously acting comes first, but I try to do a half-dozen a year because it’s a great way to promote the work you do and meet people who are interested and support you. It’s also a great way to travel. I’ve gotten a chance to go to Australia and London, England.
“Science fiction and fantasy has become the norm. It’s more accepted, and if you go to the Cons there are all types. It’s not just nerdy or geeky people who might fit into a particular stereotype. There are people of all ages and backgrounds. If there ever was a stigma, I think that is gone.
“This is a great for actors and writers to promote your show and yourself. You are connecting with people who are craving that connection. They are that interested that they want to get to know you a little bit and see what you are like. And then they become very faithful and will follow you to your next show.”
Ashmore says he believes it’s important to be yourself when meeting fans.
“You can’t just play a character out there. That’s not what people are looking for, and they will see right through that.”
As for his day job: “Killjoys will be shooting in the new year. Working all winter in Ontario is not a bad thing.
“I’m excited about the show. I love sci-fi. I love the world-building stuff that we get to do on a show like this.”
As a teenager he read a lot of Orson Scott Card and stuff like that. Books like Ender’s Game, and the fantasies of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien attracted his attention.
“To get to actually do this as a job and create this world is really exciting.
“In Killjoys we haven’t travelled out into the universe, but that’s a possibility. Right now we are tethered to something called The Quad, which is a planetary system — one planet and three moons, all very different.”
With the impending release of a new Star Wars film, the perennial debate of Star Trek versus Star Wars is being hashed out.
“With the new trailer out, and it looks pretty cool, I’m leaning towards Star Wars. There is something exciting about the idea of The Force.
“But growing up, Star Trek: The Next Generation was my go-to. I watched it every day after school. I loved it. The stories feel more grounded in human stories. The idea of exploration is also interesting to me. I am constantly looking at maps and pictures of the universe.”
Shawn and Aaron Ashmore are constantly being mixed up by people, he says. But it hasn’t yet really invaded their acting careers.
“We live in different cities, and, strangely, we both have been able to make a career in the same field as actors. Obviously there are circumstances that pop up, but not as much as you would think.”
The brothers would be open to working together on a movie, and they have been sent some scripts.
“But a lot are so focused on a switcheroo angle, like a Parent Trap sort of thing. We aren’t into that.
“We’ve never been presented with something that was actually real. But we are always looking for that.”
The brothers were born in British Columbia but raised in Brampton, Ont. Aaron has lived in Los Angeles and in Vancouver, but in the past few years he has settled in Toronto.
“I was seeing a girl who lived here. I came back for six months and we got married. As soon as I got to Toronto I started working like crazy. It feels like it was meant to be.”
There is a lot of sci-fi programming being done in Canada, he says. It’s due to well-trained crews, existing infrastructure, grants and a cheap dollar.
“That’s working for me. I hate to see the dollar go down, but I have to admit, being in the industry I am, it’s a good thing.”