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8th April 2009
Copping a feel
Men in blue make their presence felt; some locals invade Tinseltown
TV, again
By Jim McFarlin, Metro Times
Dean's List: Look closely at Harper's Island, the ambitious
13-episode, limited-run murder mystery beginning at 10 p.m. tomorrow
(April 9) on CBS (Channel 62 in Detroit) and you may spot a familiar
face. Dean Chekvala, Sterling Heights native, pride of Clintondale
High School and graduate of Wayne State University's College of
Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, landed a plum role as "J.D.
Dunn," brother of the groom in this wedding party-turned-bloody
killing spree.
(Friends and family may know Dean better as "Checvala"; he and his
older actor-musician brother, Pete, made the unilateral decision to
replace the second "c" with a "k" for the benefit of Hollywood's
pronunciation-impaired.)
Harper's Island is CBS's attempt to emulate those I Know What You
Did/Scream/Final Destination neo-horror flicks that pack young
audiences into theaters every summer. A group of family and friends
journeys to a secluded island for the ritzy destination wedding of a
boy-next-door and a wealthy heiress. But like Ten Little Indians,
every week one member of the entourage meets a gruesome death. Who's
the killer? The identity of the murderer isn't revealed until the
final episode July 2.
Chekvala, 31, says his character, the tattooed "black sheep" of the
family, "is kind of a loner, a little misunderstood, real troubled.
He has a little riff with his bro. He's the troublemaker." That's
about all he can say, however, everyone connected with the series
has signed nondisclosure agreements not to reveal who the victims or
the killer may be.
Spending four years in Chicago honing his skills before moving to
L.A. in 2004, Chekvala, who has had guest shots on ER and Without a
Trace, says Harper's Island is "by far" his biggest break in the
business. Yet he's taking it in stride. Asked if he wanted to give a
shout-out to anyone back in Detroit, Chekvala paused for a long
moment before answering, "No. My family and friends, they know who
they are." Very cool.
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