"Burn Up," a Canada/U.K. co-production airing next Tuesday and Wednesday on Global, is a story of big oil clashing with "big green."
Sounds like a touchy subject for a production that was shot in Calgary, but Neve Campbell - who plays an environmentalist working within an oil company - says nobody there tried to run her over with an SUV.
"No, Calgary was very welcoming," says Campbell, who appears opposite former 'West Wing' star Bradley Whitford and British actor Rupert Penry-Jones in the conspiracy eco-thriller.
Campbell was drawn to the timeliness of the subject matter.
"It's about something on the minds of many of us at the moment," she said this past weekend on the phone from Halifax, where she is shooting her next project, an adaptation of Jack London's "The Sea Wolf."
Campbell says she doesn't always pick "message" films to work on but "it's always good when they do have something to say."
Her character thinks she's been hired to nudge the company toward a greener future but she's really there just for the P.R. value.
The character is a "green wash," explains Campbell, a term for companies who set up an environmental department just for show.
"The inner workings of the company are very strong and it's going to be very difficult for her to change things," she says.
That holds true for American TV network thinking.
While "Burn Up" will air here on Global and in the U.K. on BBC, it has yet to land an American network deal. The subject matter likely cuts a little to close to the bone during a U.S. presidential election year when gas prices are soaring and American car companies - especially those that sponsor TV shows - are hurting.
"Networks are sometimes afraid of these topics depending on where their politics are," she says. "When you're making a piece like this, there's got to be balance. You want to give adequate and accurate information and not feel that it is just sensationalist."
The 33-year-old native of Guelph, Ont., who starred for six seasons on "Party of Five," is always proud to return and work in Canada.
She was a little disappointed, however, about Calgary's environmental efforts. She noted how her Halifax apartment had separate chutes for recyclables, yet the Calgary neighbourhood she lived in while shooting "Burn Up" was still not with the program.
"I was kind of shocked coming from Canada," she says. "Growing up there, we already seemed very environmentally aware compared with the States."
Campbell has been living in London the past few years with her husband, actor John Light. The couple were married in 2007.
"I absolutely love it there," she says. "It's a wonderful city, it has so much to offer, museums and the theatre, although it's a very expensive city."
She says she doesn't really miss Hollywood.
"I don't know how much it really changed things," she says the impact her move abroad has had on her career.
"When I was in Los Angeles for 13 years I shot 'Party of Five' there and maybe two or three other projects but I usually went some place else to shoot."
The current trend away from TV movies and miniseries concerns her as an actress but she sees no point in worrying about it.
"Unfortunately, there's been a massive shift toward reality," says Campbell. "Hopefully, people will continue to try and produce things. I do hope the heart of drama will bring people back."
What does the star of "Burn Up" miss most about living in Canada? "I miss proper winters to be honest," she says. "Living in London has been nice because at least we have some form of seasons."
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Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.
News from �The Canadian Press, 2008
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