Filming begins on TV movie about Jack Layton
Rick Robert, Sook Yin Lee to Play Layton and Chow in CBC biopic
by
Mika Rekai on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 5:44am -
Here at Maclean's, we appreciate the written word. And we appreciate you, the reader. We are always looking for ways to create a better user experience for you and wanted to try out a new functionality that provides you with a reading experience in which the words and fonts take centre stage. We believe you'll appreciate the clean, white layout as you read our feature articles. But we don't want to force it on you and it's completely optional. Click "View in Clean Reading Mode" on any article if you want to try it out. Once there, you can click "Go back to regular view" at the top or bottom of the article to return to the regular layout.
The CBC has announced casting in its new biopic: Smilin’ Jack: The Jack Layton Story.
Rick Roberts, a veteran of Canadian televsion and made for television movies will be taking on the role of the late leader of the Opposition, while former rocker and Much Music VJ Sook Yin Lee will play his wife and colleague Olivia Chow.
The made-for-television movie, which started shooting in Winnipeg earlier this month, follows the 2011 election campaign, which ended with the Orange Crush and Official Opposition status.
While the CBC has not yet released when it plans to air “Smilin’ Jack,” the movie has already garnered some criticism from those who say the movie is politically motivated, and should not be propagated from the government-funded CBC.