(Source:www.whatmagnet.com)

Dicey Situation
By: Leslie Malkin

We chatted with Canadian actor Elisha Cuthbert – star of the upcoming TV movie Lucky Girl – about the issue of teen gambling, her role in the film and being a Canadian actor in L.A. 


"It’s very rare to hear about teens and gambling. But it’s there." Whether it’s betting on cards, dice or games of skill, playing VLTs or buying lottery and scratch-and-win tickets, more and more teens across North America are gambling. The numbers just don’t lie: according to the McGill University Youth Gambling Research & Treatment Clinic, 55 per cent of youth are casual or recreational gamblers, 13 per cent have some gambling-related problems and four to six per cent of youth have a serious problem. Another study puts the numbers even higher, suggesting that between four and eight per cent of youth presently have a serious gambling problem while another 10 to 14 per cent are at risk for developing or returning to a serious gambling problem (Shaffer & Hall, 1996).

Lucky Girl is a TV movie that focuses on this dark issue of teen gambling and the devastating effects of the addiction. Based on actual interviews and research studies on teenage gambling, Lucky Girl, which airs on CTV on Sunday, April 8 (9 p.m. ET, check local listings), stars Elisha Cuthbert (Popular Mechanics for Kids, Are You Afraid of the Dark?) and Sherry Miller (Due South, Traders).

Cuthbert plays Katlin Palmerston, a straight-A, high school student who becomes addicted to gambling. As her debts mount and the obsession begins to take over her life, her addiction to winning drags her into a downward spiral.

We talked to Canadian actor Elisha Cuthbert about the issue of teen gambling, her role in Lucky Girl and being a Canadian actor in L.A.



What: Why did you decide to do this movie?
Elisha: The movie is dark but it’s also very educational. You hear about teens and drugs and teens and alcohol and teens and smoking, all these issues, but it’s very rare [to] hear about teens and gambling. But it’s there.
   
   I remember in high school, teachers saying we’re not allowed to exchange money in class, no cards allowed, that sort of thing. So it’s there and I really thought that was something kids should be aware of, especially with the Internet. In the film, Kaitlin, my character, [gambles] on the Internet. She puts in her credit card number and starts gambling away with blackjack. It’s an issue and it’s something that people should address.
 
   I [also] wanted to do the film because I’m at the point in my career where high school is over and I want to be taking a path now and [be] really choosy about what I want to be doing. This film was something that I had never done before as an actress. [It’s] a great film and a great way to show my skill as an actress and [where] my degrees of acting can go. 


W: Do you, or any of your friends, gamble?
EC: A lot of my friends are 18, 19, able to go to the Montreal casinos and I’m sure they go. I have never been; I do not gamble. Personally, I think gambling is very stressful; the rehearsals for the movie – when we were practicing – I had to learn how to work a blackjack table and to me it was just frustrating. The whole idea of gambling was really stressful and really scary.

   But I remember in high school the rule: no gambling, no money exchange. So it’s definitely there – I’m sure of it. ’Cuz if it wasn’t there we wouldn’t have the rule. 

W: Did you learn a lot about the issue of gambling through doing the movie? 
EC: I had never read about it before I read this script. Actually, it was kind of shocking. When I first got the script, I was a couple days away from leaving to go back to Los Angeles. I got the script from Toronto and they’d been trying to cast my character since last June. I was reading [the script] and I was going, “This is brutal! This is so dark. And this is something I have never read before.” And I’m thinking, “Is this really going on? Is gambling this much of a problem? The poor people who are involved in this! And if I don’t know about it, that means a whole lot of people don’t know about it. 

   Hopefully this movie will make people very aware of the situation and what’s going on. But it’s a really cool movie, also. It’s not like this advertisement for “Don’t Gamble.” It’s a fun movie too. It’s very dark but it’s very entertaining.

W: The movie doesn’t have a very happy ending. Would you have preferred it end on a more positive note?
EC: As a film, it has to have some interesting entertainment you know? When I read the ending of it I thought, “Please don’t make it horrible.” [But now] I kinda like how it ends horribly. It gives you a sense of ending differently that you don’t see very often. And it kinda steps away from the fact that it is a problem.

   Many people don’t get out of it. Many alcoholics continue to drink and only a certain number of people get help and it’s also a very realistic ending, considering all the stuff she goes through… It’s not a happy-ending movie, which is sometimes refreshing.

W: You mentioned the Internet earlier. Do you think it’s made gambling more accessible for teens?
EC: I think the Internet is a fabulous tool to learn [and] do research, but it also promotes a lot of other things as well, which is going to happen if it’s not used properly. I think parents should really watch what their children are doing and not make it so free to them because you hear a lot of scary stories. With regards to the film, we do show how easy it is to land upon these things, to type in your credit card number and there you go – you can gamble as much money as you want. So, in some respects, it’s a scary thing and I think it would be appropriate if people were watching the kids.

W: In preparation for this interview with you, I was provided with some “useful web sites” and one of them was identified as a teen gambling site. I stupidly assumed it would offer research and statistics – but it turned out to be a gambling site for teens. I was really blown away – and I’m sure it’s only one of hundreds.
EC: That is really scary, I mean it happens and it’s really not good and needs to be supervised. We can’t always be watching over everybody, so it happens. I think Katlin, in the film, her case is very interesting. It just gets worse and worse and that’s the fun part about playing this role.

W: Have you taken any formal acting training?
EC: I have not taken any classes. I think just working and doing films is a class on it’s own. If I look back on the first film that I did, I was terrible and if I look at my most recent film, I’d see, even still, there are things I need to work on. To me, acting is a work in progress. I don’t think I need to take any classes right now. I’m at the point now where I’m comfortable with my work and myself. It’s only going to get better and my work is only going to get better. I’m learning things from each project. What I do is class enough.

W: You recently signed with Fox Television – what does that mean?
EC: Basically, I signed it from September to June and hopefully, during that time, we’ll get some sort of Fox show. I won’t be on any other shows like Warner Brothers.

W: What about movies?
EC: Oh that’s a totally different thing.

W: Is that something you would like to do?
EC: Yeah, film is where I want to be. TV is great too, but I think if I had a choice between the two, I’d have to go with features.

W: Do you think you’ll eventually move to L.A. full time?
EC: I have actually already moved to Los Angeles. I haven’t been there for more than a month because I’ve been working so crazily. But I have a place and that sort of thing. 

W: So what’s that like, being from Canada and all?
EC: After graduation from high school, I made the move. It’s been pretty recent. In August I kinda took off to L.A. and got an agent and manager, got everything all organized. I’ve auditioned for a few things but I’ve been working so I haven’t been able to stay out there too long.

W: Was it scary, moving out there?
EC: Well, it’s an adjustment, I do miss my mom and dad….my dog, brother and sister. But I love what I do so much, it all seems worth it to me, and anywhere they deal with the Hollywood and acting business 24/7, it’s great! It does get a little bit hectic and it’s a really new thing for me… it’s growing on me, and I’m getting used to it, or least trying to.

W: Did you spot any big stars while you were there?
EC: Yeah, when you’re there long enough you run into people. I saw Steve Martin – that was really cool. There were lots of them.

W: If you could star with any one actor who would it be?
EC: I’d probably say Edward Norton, he’s brilliant, and Meryl Streep or Jodi Foster …. there are so many great actors out there.

W: Do you have any plans to return to Canada and act? You just completed a Canadian film. Is that something you’d like to continue doing?
EC: To me, it’s not about being a celebrity, it’s about doing really good work. If I get a script and it’s from Canada and it’s something awesome, something I’d really like to do, [I’ll do it]. If a script comes from Australia and it’s wicked, I’m going to go there. It doesn’t matter. L.A. is just a destination for me, and because that’s where everything is happening right now, that’s where I want to be right now. It’s not so much [about wanting] to do Canadian films, it’s more about… I want to be in L.A. because that’s where the good scripts are coming from. I want to be where it’s happening.

W: What’s it like for a Canadian actor in Canada? Are there opportunities to pursue acting if want to stay in Canada?
EC: Oh yeah, sure. I haven’t had a problem; I’ve been working for seven years and haven’t stopped for more than two months at a time. I’ve been really lucky and blessed with the opportunities to work with great directors. I’m at the time of my life where I want to experience something different, that’s why I’m doing the whole L.A. thing. For sure I could stay in Canada and keep doing what I’m doing, it’s just that I want to try something a little different.