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Show WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2001 amiMVk Bruce Greenwood Is Performing As, Not Impersonating, JFK Steven Culp, left, stars as Robert F. Kennedy and Bruce Greenwood President John plays F. Kennedy in New Line By ' ' V. aMHWtfniiiiilfcMMi MUJJIMB Tribune Media Services Bruce Greenwood was 7 years old in 1962, when for 13 days in October the Cuban missile crisis threatened to plunge the world into nuclear war. "We lived in Bethesda, Md., just outside actor recalled Washington," the during a recent telephone interview. "I remember air raid drills at school, running down stairs and ducking under desks. But I don't recall being afraid. In fact, I remember feeling completely secure because I had a whole bag of new crayons." Now Greenwood is getting rave reviews for his portrayal of President John F. Kennedy in the new film "Thirteen Days," a of the missile crisis. Most critics share the opinion of The Dallas Morning News' Philip Wuntch, who writes that Greenwood "captures the chief executive's physical mannerisms and vocal cadences to a perfect extent and offers a touching study of an authoritative leader of conscience and conviction." Greenwood became a familiar face when he joined the cast of TV's "St. Elsewhere" for two years in the late "80s, then went on to star in mainstream American films ("Rules of Engagement," "Double Jeopardy") as well as the work of Canadian director Atom Egoyan ("The Sweet Hereafter," "Exotica"). The problem with playing a historic figure - especially one whose face, features, gestures and voice have been captured on film is that audiences will always compare an actor's performance to the real thing. The other obstacle, Greenwood said, is finding a way to deliver a genuine performance instead of just an impersonation. "What did it for me was voluminous reading," said the actor, who spent his teen years in Canada and now resides in Los Angeles with his wife. "I mean, horse choking stacks of literature. Watching untold hours of file footage. And when I was too tired to do that, I'd just lie in bed listening to tapes of JFK's speeches. "And when I became so completely saturated with all this archival information that I thought I could hardly absorb one more bit, I figured it was time to just turn it all over to n -- By Marjorie Keele Reporter thedixiesun(a'hotmail.com Mike Ostermiller, a local attorney, is one of the most recent additions to the Dixie the Cuban missile crisis, State College faculty. Raised in Salt Lake City, Ostermiller graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in philosophy and then from Brigham Young Uiversity Law school. e Ostermiller works as a civil litigation lawyer in the St. George area, teaches one political science class at Dixie, and also assists in coaching the Dixie Forensics team. "Ive always been a political junkie," Ostermiller stated, "In high school, I formed Young Republicans and at the U of U I was elected chairman of the Legislative Student Assembly." Before coming to Dixie, Ostermiller did some teaching while attending the University of Utah, worked for Legislative president Lane Beatty and also worked as a lobbyist at the State Legislature. "The best and worst thing about political science are almost one in the same because you hope you are helping to make a differ photo by Tribune Media Services ' Ostermiller brings a love of politics into the classroom Cinema's drama about 'Thirteen Days." If this particular group of young men the Kennedy administration had not this presided over period of history, my precious crayons would have been vaporized." Bruce Greenwood, actor portraying John F. Kennedy in the movie, Thirteen Days. instinct." While he's happy with the praise his performance has garnered, Greenwood admitted that "I never felt I nailed him. JFK's just too big, too difficult to be realized by any actor. At the end of shooting I didn't want it to be over: I felt like I'd just begun to explore him. I wish it could have been a movie, and we had two years to work on it. "I really admire the guy, and his refusal to give in when, during the missile crisis, the generals said we had to invade Cuba. Within that y period it almost defies belief how many times we came to the edge of the abyss. If this particular group of young men had not presided over this period of history, my precious crayons would have been vaporized." One subtle aspect of Greenwood's performance is the suggestion that JFK was usually in excruciating pain from a wartime back full-tim- ence, but sometimes you dont accomplish much." Ostermiller commented. In high school, Ostermiller quit the basketball team in order to join the forensics team. He spent all of his free time debating and even sluffed school to spend time doing debate work. During the three years he was on the team, he won just about every award available. Ostermiller is a guy. He is married; he and his wife have a three and a son, and a second child on the way. They decided to move to St. George because of Mikes job opportunity and because they thought it would be a nice place to live. Ostermillers hobbies include playing all sports, especially basketball and waterskiing, and photography. "My most favorite thing to do is hang out with my son, Brian. Id rather just jump on the trampoline with him than do anything else." Ostermiller confessed. When asked if he bad any goals for the future, Ostermiller stated that he plans to run the St. George Marathon this year, and eventually hopes to run for a political office in the St. George area. family-oriente- d six-ho- injury. "I read that he spent every lunch hour in the pool taking the weight off his back," he said. "I think it must have hurt. ... In lots of the footage of him his gait suggests a rigidity. He often wore a back brace. "I thought that maybe behind closed doors, when he's really busy, he doesn't bother to conceal that pain. He doesn't whine about it, but you can sense he's a guy who's not about to go bounding up the stairs." Greenwood was particularly impressed by the screenplay's concentration on facts. "The script's approach was not to describe people's innermost thoughts but rather to show what they'd done and what they'd said. ... That gives you plenty of emotional information and enough story points to really hang a good film on." heart-poundin- nail-bitin- g ip I f - 5 THE SUN Come support our Rebels this weekend!! Friday vs. Ricks; Saturday vs. North Idaho; Women 5:30; Men 7:30 |