Toronto is getting a starring role in a hot new drama series premiering in July — and our city will be playing the role of 1980s New York. The Westies is the new crime show from Narcos creator, Chris Brancato, and we caught up with Irish-Canadian star Vincent Walsh to get the scoop on gang drama, J. K. Simmons and filming in a full suit during Toronto’s hottest season.
You’ve lived all over the place, including in Toronto. What was it like to be back?
The food was so great! And going to Hamilton was so interesting too. It’s a place that time forgot. And I tell you, the crews here are amazing. They’re just lovely and very supportive and really top-notch. I mean, first and foremost, the resilience of the crews with the weather! We were shooting in the heat here in Toronto, and it just gets disgusting the minute you walk out the door. You’re in a full suit, and we were all complaining, but those guys are just out there all day, really just in the elements.
Any hints you can tell us about The Westies?
Fasten your seatbelts. I think everyone’s going to really like it. Chris Brancato, the way that he writes is just so clever. The whole execution of the visuals is so real and takes no prisoners. People have been comparing it to Gangs of New York and The Sopranos. But just like with Narcos, the calibre of the project you’re dealing with with [Brancato] is always going to be top-notch.
FAST FACTS
Name: Vincent Walsh
Roots in the 6ix: Landed a five-episode stint on ‘Degrassi: Junior High’ for his first on-screen role
Celebrity connection: Shared the stage with Cillian Murphy in 2002
Favourite thing about Toronto: The crews
Alternative career: Studied to be a paramedic
This show follows an infamous Irish gang. Where does your character fit in?
This guy Eddie Breen, he doesn’t take s**t from anybody, and he’s very loyal, but you don’t want to cross him. You have to remember why people go this way [of gangs] — it’s because of survival. So that was my foundation. But there’s the psychopath in him, as well, because he’s a butcher by trade. And to him, it’s just business. It’s cutting up a shank of meat either way, and if it’s the enemy, you gotta dispose of the evidence.
What was this cast like?
An uncle of mine passed away prior to this, and he was like a brother to me. And when I met J.K., I couldn’t believe how alike he was to my uncle. So we immediately gravitated to one another. And with Titus Welliver, [who plays NYPD officer Glenn Keenan], we just clicked, and we’ve been like brothers ever since. They’re all artists, and it was just beautiful. They were all my kind of people.
You’ve done a ton of theatre as well as TV and film. Is your approach to all mediums similar?
The only thing is, when you’re doing live theatre, don’t f**k off, because there’s no second take!
You almost had a total career change. Tell me about that.
There was a time when the industry just didn’t want me anymore. That’s just how it goes. So I was studying to be a paramedic, and I had to do a three-week work placement. I was driving around Dublin and when you see what these lads are doing and what they’re getting paid, well, it’s a real eye-opener. And out of nowhere I get a call from Michael Hirst, who created Vikings, and that’s how Billy the Kid came about. When I think about all, that I’m just so f**king grateful.