James McGowan starring in hit CBC show

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When local actor James McGowan walked away from theatre some two decades ago, he had no idea he would one day wind up as a leading man.

McGowan, who lives in Little Italy, is currently making waves in his role as Mike Kessler, head of Toronto's immigration and customs security squad on the acclaimed CBC show The Border.

His path to stardom, however, has been a circuitous one.

After earning a bachelor of arts degree in communications at Concordia University, he took on a job as a copywriter at an advertising agency rather than pursuing the acting career he had once envisioned.

"I had done one year of professional theatre and I said 'You know, I don't think I can make a living at this'," he said. "I gave it up and didn't act again until I was 33."

His return to acting came when he was working in communications at McGill University. He got in touch with a friend who was directing plays at the Montreal university, fully expecting to delve back into theatre as nothing more than a hobby.

"I needed some kind of artistic outlet and I've always loved the process," McGowan said. "I started out slowly, doing student plays and plays at the William Shatner building. Three years later, I moved to Toronto to pursue it more."

McGowan started out getting cameos and guest spots on a variety of television shows, including Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, La Femme Nikita and Rent-a-Goalie, always searching for something meatier and more in-depth.

"One of my first bigger parts came when I got a role in (TV movie) 10,000 Black Men Named George," he said.

The film helped serve as a springboard to more work, though the substantial part he was seeking did not appear until 2006, when he auditioned for The Border. He sent in an audition tape and did not hear back for some time. When they finally contacted him for a callback, he was away filming in Winnipeg and thought the chance had passed him by.

Fortunately, the show's casting directors added a second day of callbacks and he was able to return to Toronto in time.

McGowan said he was thrilled to be considered because the Mike Kessler role and what he had seen of the show's writing and tone gripped him.

"I loved the writing in the scenes I auditioned, and in terms of Mike Kessler, I really felt I understood him," the actor said. "I would love to be as morally strong as him, but he's also got flaws. He's a very lonely man at his centre and I align myself with that; sort of the high-plains drifter."

With the show now entering its second season, McGowan has also been able to grow along with his character and, as he's inhabited the role, he has been able to help shape the persona along the way.

"I've built a back story for Mike Kessler and once in a while, the writing comes around to that back story," he said.

Though his biggest success has come on screen, McGowan admitted to still missing the theatrical side of things, with the immediate audience responses, the rehearsal process and the collective experience shared between actors and a crowd.

"When you shoot film and television, you get the script a day or two before you shoot it," he said. "You shoot a one-hour episode in seven days, so you have to make decisions very quickly."

Nonetheless, he relishes the unique challenges that the film and television world provide.

"When you're on camera, you have to be so honest all the time, because the camera picks up when you're not being honest," he said.

The second season of The Border premiered on Monday, Sept. 29, with episodes running every Monday at 9 p.m.