Michele LeToureneau
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 27/99) - When Tom Jackson first took on the role of Peter Kenidi in the hit CBC television series North of 60, he said that it appealed to his romantic image of a native leader.

Peter was the chief of the Band Council of Lynx River, the fictional town that was the site of much political, psychological and emotional activity for its inhabitants.

Back then, Jackson, whose character was not written into In the Blue Ground, the last North of 60 movie, described Peter as "a man with a lot of pride and a lot of vision. His inner feelings sometimes interfere with his decisions for the community."

Well, Peter's back and once again he demonstrates his desire to be a leader of the people by running for premier.

"He's the same," comments Jackson in a phone interview from the Bragg Creek set just outside Calgary.

"The writers, as brilliant as they are, have found new scenarios for Peter to be involved in. In this particular case he's implicated in an arson, a deadly arson, a couple of people get killed. And because he has not been living in the community, he's been working as an MLA and that, needless to say, throws a real twist into his life."

The movie brings the cast and crew of North of 60 to Yellowknife next week.

Asked how he and his fellow cast-mates feel about coming up to the real North to do some shooting, Jackson notes that he's been up many times.

"I have to say that if I had the option of places to live -- if I could live up North and be in the business at the same time...I'd certainly be living up there. That's how much of an impact it's had on me over the years. My travels have taken me from Rankin to Old Crow and a lot of stops in between."

It's Jackson other work that has taken him up North.

"For instance, I had the opportunity to speak at the Fort Simpson graduation. Their first graduation since 1804, when the community was established, because the education system had people shipping out."

Jackson also participates in Peter Gzowski's literacy program, CBC's True North concerts, and sometimes he just comes up to visit.

"I've often said, and I'm not just saying this to rah rah -- I've often said to people that it's not the 'North,' it's not the terrain, it's not the hugeness of the North that is the attraction to the North. The attraction to the North is the people up there. That's the uniqueness that the rest of the world has no understanding of.

"It's a great opportunity for the cast and crew. The cast has never been north of 60. They're all pretty excited."

Over this last year, Jackson has been busy shooting the film Grizzly Falls with the Australian actor Brian Brown (Cocktail, Thorn Birds). He's finished a new album and he's been touring across Canada. If that's not enough, he's also busy developing ideas for television and film with his company Tomali Pictures. One project, Stories of the Longhouse, going into production next spring -- is being purchased by the new Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. That's not even touching on the singer/actor's regular humanitarian work.

But for Jackson, despite his hectic schedule of creative activity, it's good to be back on the North of 60 set.

"When I got back to set this year, it was pretty exciting just to see everybody again. That's the gravy to doing this kind of job, if you've done it as long as we have, on the set of North of 60, every year you look forward to getting back and seeing everybody."