'This guy is down-to-earth': Bear Clan patrol member shares experience with Woody Harrelson in Winnipeg
A security assignment at a church in Winnipeg turned into a chance celebrity encounter with Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson.
Michael Thiessen jumped at the opportunity to volunteer for a security and community relations job during a movie shoot in Winnipeg’s Point Douglas neighbourhood.
“He told me the address, 137 Euclid, and I’m going like, well that’s the church my parents help build, so I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll definitely do that,’” said Thiessen.
The Bear Clan, a community group that operates in Winnipeg, was hired for the movie “Champions” to act as a liaison between the community and the production staff to minimize any potential disruptions.
It was during the post-shoot debriefing near Harrelson’s trailer that the actor made his appearance.
“We were just standing there talking, and there were community members going like, ‘Can we take pictures with Woody?’ and I said, ‘I don’t think so unless he gives the OK’ and then Woody comes out of the bus and comes and sees us and says, ‘Hey guys, you want a picture?’” said Thiessen.
It wasn’t just a group picture either. Harrelson took the time to take individual photos as well as spending time talking to people.
“This guy is down-to-earth,” said Thiessen. “He’s concerned with people, with what’s going on out on the streets. There’s nothing pretentious about him.”
Thiessen discussed his role with the Bear Clan, what the organization does, and even offered up an invitation to participate in one of their patrols. However, Thiessen said he’s not sure if that went any further than talk.
This was the first movie shoot Thiessen has been involved with through the Bear Clan, but it’s not the first movie shoot the Bear Clan has provided services.
Bear Clan executive director Kevin Walker said they started providing services to the movie industry in recent years. It began with the movie 'Burden of Proof' and has grown since then.
“I think it’s important that we are able to engage with the community rather than (be) security,” said Walker. “We have a way of approaching people and dealing with people with pretty good rapport. I think it’s just an easier way on the whole community as well if we are all involved.”
Walker said for the most part, his members and the movie actors don’t interact out of respect for what they do, but if the actors choose to mingle, it is a different story.
“I look at all the movie things that we’ve gone through and done, and it’s a great experience for our volunteers to have that opportunity and get that opportunity to meet famous people,” Walker said.
This isn’t the only Harrelson encounter during his stint in Winnipeg. On November 9, Marie Manitopyes met Harrelson in Point Douglas after she went to pick up her grandson and his friend. She also got a picture with the actor.
As for Thiessen, meeting Harrelson was a highlight now immortalized in a picture, but more so it was an opportunity to serve the community differently.
“We’re making a difference. The community trusts us,” said Thiessen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.