Devon's Movies

Calgary holds fond memories for Vancouver actor Devon Sawa.

"That's where I got to sleep with a 33-year-old prostitute when I was 17," recalls Sawa in a phone interview from his apartment in L.A.

"In a movie, of course," he adds hastily.

Sawa was a guest star in an episode of Lonesome Dove: The Series, which was filmed in Calgary. He played a teenage bandit who hides out in a frontier brothel.

Sawa was particularly thrilled with his Lonesome Dove role because it was a major step in altering his screen image.

Four years ago, the Vancouver actor was gracing the covers of more teen magazines than any other actor his age. His roles in Casper and Little Giants had endeared him to teenage girls all over the world.

"That was a difficult time and a tedious road to get off," recalls Sawa, who turned 21 last September.

"When you get branded a heartthrob in this business, people don't take you seriously. I'd ask to read for these really juicy roles, but when they realized I was that guy on the cover of Teen Beat, they didn't even want to see me."

Sawa's only recourse was to step out of the limelight.

"After I filmed Wild America, I took a year off. It worked. The teen magazines lost interest and casting agents began getting some."

For his return, Sawa chose the horror comedy Idle Hands because it was aimed at an older audience. The plan backfired in a way no one could have predicted.

"We came out the week after the tragedy at Columbine High School," he says.

"Understandably, people were not interested in seeing a comedy about teenagers being killed at their school. Our studio pulled all the TV advertising because they felt it was inappropriate."

Sawa is back in the supernatural thriller Final Destination, in which he plays a teenager who gets off a plane because he has a premonition it will explode on takeoff.

It does, and then the Grim Reaper comes after him and the six people who got off the plane with him.

"What I really liked about Final Destination is that you never actually see Death. He's represented by gusts of wind, blowing leaves, shadows and water.

"It was such a spooky script when I read it that I fought to get an audition."

Final Destination — now showing in Calgary — is directed by James Wong, one of the original directors on The X-Files TV series and one of the current artistic forces behind The Others.

"Initially, James didn't even want to meet with me and I think it was the fallout of my teen idol days, but I pleaded."

Director and actor met and Sawa got the plum role of the man who would cheat death.

"I did as many of my own stunts as they'd let me, but when it came to running around in burning buildings and having trees fall on me, they called in my stunt man."

Sawa began acting as a child and, by the time he was 11, was determined to become a professional actor.

"I got fired from my first professional acting job," Sawa admits.

"I was hired to be what's known as a hand model.

"All I had to do was place this Batman toy on a given mark. I just couldn't do it properly, so the director had me replaced."

Sawa has an apartment in Los Angeles, but spends as much time as he can in Vancouver.

"The irony is that you have to be in L.A. to get into auditions, but most of the roles I get are for movies that are eventually shot in Vancouver."

Back 12.31.2007.