Just
after twenty-four-year-old Jeff Geddis graduated in from York University with
a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours in 1998, his career took off."All at
once I got my first professional acting role in Exhibit A, and several jobs
in commercials."
Born in Thunder Bay, Jeff grew up in Pickering, Ontario. He was a bit mischievous
as a kid, he says, and loved impersonating his teachers. His friends loved
his antics. "I made the decision to become an actor when I was 17 and
I just focused on that."When Jeff's agent called him about the Monkees'
auditions, Jeff searched Toronto for a video of the Monkees and was delighted
to find one that contained footage of Mike Nesmith's 1965 screen test and
audition.
"I watched that for two days and worked on how Mike acted and talked.
I practised his Texas drawl."For the casting call, Jeff wore a tight
turtleneck and a toque." Mike Nesmith always wore a toque!" he says.
Like Nesmith, Jeff is 6' tall and has brown hair and brown eyes. For Jeff,
as for the other three Monkees, the highlight of the shoot was the concert
at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton where 500 extras cheered and screamed for
hours then waited for hours more to get the actors' autographs.
"I tried to sneak by 20 screaming girls but they mobbed me! I can understand
why teen idols need security and protection!" he says. Mike Nesmith was
a complex person and Jeff feels that he understands the aloneness and struggle
that Mike faced as a member of the Monkees. "He wanted to be heard and
taken seriously. I can certainly tap into those feeling. There have been times
in my life when I felt alone and in a corner. Mike wanted to write and perform
his own music. But everyone, except Peter, resisted him," Jeff explains.
But Mike isn't all negativity and fear, the actor points out. "There
are times when he is mischievous, joyful and fun!"
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