Gerry Dee, a former high school teacher, has his fingers in a number of pots – not only did he just finish shooting Season 5 of his hit show Mr. D, but his book Teaching: It’s Harder Than It Looks was a national bestseller and he’d been touring across Canada (and is still doing a few appearances here and there, but admits he needs a little break). He got humourously candid with CraveOnline about his work on various projects.
You were just touring- are you still touring? What has that been like?
Normally I do my own stand-up tours but I’m taking a little break since we were filming the show.
So you just finished shooting Season 5 of Mr. D – how was that?
Great. It’s a lot of fun. We’re very lucky. When you get that many seasons with any show it’s a great thing – I’m very lucky and very happy with what we did this summer [filming the next season] and hopefully people like it.
Are you surprised by how the book and then the television show has taken off?
I’m really flattered by the response. We’ve gotten some recognition from the show and it’s a fun-filled book. We’re really happy.
Which do you prefer – performing live in stand-up or working on television projects?
It’s pretty equal. I can’t imagine doing one over the other. One is very solo and one I get to work with great people.
Given you’re so funny, whom do you draw inspiration from? What comedians do you look up to?
Michael J. Fox and John Ritter are the guys I grew up watching and now I love comedians like Ricky Gervais, Steve Carell and Will Ferrell. I drop on their styles a bit because I admire them so much.
You’ve worked in both Canada and the US. Are there any Canadian stereotypes that get on your nerves?
No, not really. A lot of it is ignorance and I’m sure we’re ignorant sometimes too. There’s the “fun stuff,” like that we say “eh,” which yes we do, and we’re very polite, and I don’t know if that’s true. But there’s nothing that’s really offensive to me.
Photo: Mr. D/CBC
