Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68FOCUS - JULY 2016 5 We all looked up to our parents, and emulated them to differing degrees. So an activity which Mom or Dad describes as enjoyable can prove irre- sistible to a young person. As a stunt person, Mary Ann Stevens surely comes home to her two children – Ben, 11, and Claire, 7 – with stories of working in movies, meeting movie and tv stars, and per- haps of pretending to be a zombie or an explosion victim. Not your average day-at- the-office fare, you’ll agree. For Ben and Claire, the outcome may have been inevitable. They’ve both, at tender ages, been bitten by the acting bug. “It’s fun!” Claire says with the unguarded enthusiasm typical of her age. “And I’ve already done some stunts.” “I go on lots of auditions,” Ben adds. “And I’ve done work in the back- ground of some films.” Claire’s recent filmography includes a stunt turn in the dramatic hit “Room.” Stunt work, she’s realizing early, isn’t always glamourous. “I was rolled up in a carpet for about three minutes,” she recalls. Pivotal to the film’s plot, Claire’s “appearance” was included in the movie’s trailer. With Mom showing there’s enjoyment in this line of work, and that it can provide steady employment over a lifetime, Ben and Claire may already be well on their way. Most recently, her credits in- clude the upcoming movie “Suicide Squad” (which she calls a “block- buster”) and doubling for Brooke Shields for a Hallmark Channel series of nine TV movies. But while you might assume working in film and rubbing shoul- ders with stars would be a frequent talking point, many people don’t know what Mary Ann Stevens does for a living. It’s not a fact, she says, that she shares routinely. As a career, Mary Ann says stunt work has had positive and negative points. “The film industry’s been good to me. I enjoy the variety. But because I work unusual hours and random days, I’ve also missed events with family and friends. They’ve been very understanding.” And she has no intention of giv- ing it up any time soon. “No question, I don’t bounce back from bumps and bruises like I used to. But I’ll keep going as long as they keep calling. We call it ‘coming out to play,’ because at heart, stunt people are big kids.” There’s a part of everyone which yearns to remain a kid long after nature has run away with youth, and acting – “make-believe” on its grandest scale – allows for that to shine through. We definitely all aspire to do work we find fulfilling and enjoyable. Mary Ann Stevens counts herself among the truly fortunate, having spent 20 years blending the two every day of her working life. By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugog Your Convenience is Our Objective Having been involved with all aspects of dentistry for over 20 years, Dr. Karim Nanji and his team are dedicated to improving lives one smile at a time. The Dental Centres concentrate on family, cosmetic, and surgical dentistry and offer the latest in dental technologies in all aspects of oral health care. To accommodate your hectic days, The Dental Centres offer appointment times at various locations - Stouffville, Burlington, Sunderland, Uxbridge and Port Perry - and at times convenient for you, including extended hours – a time saver for commuters! TORONTO STREET DENTAL CENTRE 29 Toronto Street, Uxbridge 905-852-7382 NORTH PORT DENTAL CENTRE 15930 Old Simcoe Rd., Port Perry 905-852-7382 STOUFFVILLE DENTAL CENTRE 15 Ringwood Drive, Stouffville 905-642-5777 SUNDERLAND DENTAL CENTRE 26 Church Street, Sunderland 705-357-3161 S Creating Smiles Since 1992 thedentalcentre.ca