Sudbury-born actor to take flight in new CBC series, SkyMed

Sudbury-born actor Aason 'Ace' Nadjiwon will take to the skies in a new CBC TV series Sunday night that is a cross between Top Gun and Grey's Anatomy.

Nadjiwon plays hotshot pilot Capt. Austen Bodie in SkyMed, a series that follows the exploits and adventures of a team of pilots and nurses who rescue and treat patients in the far north.

While Nadjiwon was born in Sudbury, he left at a young age and now lives in Vancouver. But he said the series, which was filmed in northern Ontario and Manitoba, was a chance to reconnect with his roots.

"It was really nice to not be in Vancouver and actually really be on the ground where these things are happening" he said. "It was a different kind of connection for me." 

He recalled one day where he had to shoot an emotional scene but couldn't emote because it was so cold outside.

"And I just started laughing and we had to call cut and actually had to take hand warmers and put them on my face because I literally couldn't move my cheeks," Nadjiwan said.

He added one of his earliest memories of Sudbury was the cold winters.

"But I also remember, at the time, having a lot of fun with my cousins and jumping off the shed into a big pile of snow and all that kind of stuff," he said. 

Nadjiwon is half Ojibwe, and said the series also allowed him to connect with that part of his culture, working in northern Ontario.

As for why people should watch the show: 

"We've got such a beautiful mixed race cast and everybody's telling their own story that everybody can relate to in some kind of way. Everybody's going to root [for] and find some connection in every single character," Nadjiwon said.

In a press release, Nadjiwon's co-star Natasha Calis said the atmosphere on set was like a big family.

"Our cast and crew are amazing and I genuinely had a close relationship with every single person," she said. "We were a true family and really  leaned on one another throughout the show."

SkyMed premieres on CBC Gem and CBC Television Sunday at 9 p.m. The series also streams on Paramount+ in the U.S.