Vancouver's Alisen Down played Miranda, sarcastic assistant to anthropology professor Declan Dunn ( Adrian Pasdar ) on NBC/PAX TV's now cancelled 2000 series Mysterious Ways, which shot it two seasons here.
The 28 year old raven-tressed, azure-eyed local actress has a Leo Award for that role, A Gemini and a Leo for a guest role on Cold Squadand a Leo nomination for another on Da Vinci's Inquest.
More recently, she's guested on The Dead Zone, was Dr Brightman on Stargate SG-1 and played Lex Luthor's mom, Lillian (in flash-backs) on Smallville

And this month, Down is in Montreal in CTV's Police drama Tripping The Wire. "It's been a nice year," she admits. "This business fluctuates so much - I'm really this year trying to take moments of gratitude, so that I don't miss it. I don't want to be so busy being busy."

Just after MW wrapped, she took on the challenging part of drug-addicted Crystal in the CTV Signature Series movie The Life, shot here in 2002. Vancouver's Lynne Stopkewich (Kissed, Suspicious River) directed the show, a first-time co-production of Sarrazin-Couture Entertainment.
Written by the award-winning team of Chris Haddock and Alan Di fiore. The Life was inspired by the documentary Throught a Blue Lense, which featured the reality of life on the druggy streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
The Life is the story of those who are killed by the street, some who survive and move on and others who strive to be part of the solution.

Arnie and Tony. played by Bruce Greenwood (The Thirteen Days, The Sweet Hereafter and Brian Markinson (The curse of the Jade Scorpion, Sweet and Lowdown), are two of the dedicated beat cops who bring a bold new experiment to the streets by videotaping and interacting with addicts in an attempt to reveal to them the severity of their situation.

The message of community in The Life comes through loud and clear. "Skid row is often looked at as transient, but in fact, it's very stable," says Haddock, long familiar with the area through his years shooting his series Da Vinci's Inquest on its streets.
"There's a sense of community down there that doesn't exist in other areas of the city. It's a widely varied community with aspects of real, real deep poverty."

Down got to see that up close and is anxious to share her experience. " I'm glad people are finally going to see it, I think it's and important movie." says Down, Who recalls the chill she endured in Crystal's skimpy costumes while filming in mid-winter on the mean streets.
"It was hard because I think the thing that society might forget is that everyone down in the Eastside community is a person with a heart. They're all human beings and I think that society sometimes doesn't look at them that way."

She was particularly affected by a piece of alley graffiti discovered by cast and crew during the shoot - "We're human beings, too, and we have hearts, and we feel."
"I think that was almost the hardest thing _ to read that writing on the walls - because it's true." "I think as a society we have an 'us and them' mindset. We're no different, I don't think. I doubt there is an 'us and them'. I think that anybody can become addicted."

REPORTER: Lynne McNamara
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun Newspaper
COPYRIGHT: © Vancouver Sun 2004
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