His latest role has nothing to do with the gay lawyer mould he’s trying to break out of.
And, as excited as he is to discuss his upcoming A&E miniseries, The Andromeda Strain, or his new TNT comedy series Truth in Advertising, Eric McCormack’s latest endeavour is miles from Hollywood and as far from acting as it gets.
The Toronto native — best known for his role in the hit comedy series Will and Grace — was in Ottawa yesterday to promote the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
When the society approached him about becoming a spokesman for the organization, he immediately agreed, calling it “a very personal thing for me.”
“I lost my mom to bladder cancer two years ago,” the Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee told Metro at the ARC Hotel yesterday.
Before succumbing to the disease, Doris McCormack survived breast cancer in 1984. McCormack’s father, Keith, is currently battling prostate cancer.
“He’s doing OK,” McCormack said. “He’s in the fight.”
Although his mother lost her battle after less than a year, “it seemed like a lifetime,” he said. “I’m hoping that my dad will be able to fight that off.
“I don’t want my wife to get breast cancer, and I don’t want to miss my son’s life.”
McCormack, who has done cancer fundraisers in Los Angeles, said the Relay for Life is a great event because people of all ages can take part.
These days, McCormack and his wife Janet, a fellow Canadian, and their son Finnigan split their time between L.A. and Vancouver. With Will and Grace over, he continues to seek projects with good scripts.
He’s excited about The Andromeda Strain — a two-part series based on the Michael Crichton novel.
“It’s really good, really well done, well produced,” he said. And Truth in Advertising is “a really funny look at the world of advertising,” he said.
-tracey.tong@metronews.ca
