GRANDMA LIKES GANJA

Grandma Tan sits on a well-worn couch between two young men and gingerly
places the marijuana pipe to her mouth.

She sucks in the fumes like a pro.

Moments later, the cantankerous 68-year-old from Hong Kong is beaming, a
slight smirk curling on the side of her mouth.

She's definitely not your average grandmother.

Richmond actress Helena Yea is having the time of her life portraying her
newest television character, Grandma Tan, on CTV's new dramatic comedy
series Robson Arms premiering June 17.

"I love my character, she's feisty, she calls a spade a spade, she speaks
her mind (even though she speaks limited English) and is very direct,"
quips Yea. "I also don't get along too well with my grandson (actor Jim Tai
as Ricky Tan) and his mother makes him spend lots of time with me.

"Although he's the one that gets me to try marijuana to help me with my
glaucoma."

A force to be reckoned with, Grandma Tan is driving the Tan family as well
as neighbours crazy with her snoopy ways.

The series peeks into the lives of a collection of quirky, very diverse
tenants living in a grand low-rise in Kitsilano. The cast includes Margot
Kidder (Superman, Crime and Punishment), William B. Davies (The X-Files'
Cigarette-Smoking Man) and Gabrielle Miller. They are joined by series
regular John Cassini (NYPD Blue and Seven) as the building's often sleazy
superintendent, Yuri.

"It's a wonderful cast to work with," says Yea. "The characters are so
colourful and so interesting. What appealed to me so much about this role
was that I am an Asian woman in her seventies and I'm not being typecast."

Yea, who starred in Happy Gilmore as Adam Sandler's one-night stand and in
21 Jump Street with a relatively-unknown Johnny Depp, says she believes the
audience will relate to many of the characters because they are real, warts
and all.

Lives unfold and each half-hour show unpeels another layer of the tenants'
sometimes eccentric, often challenging lives.

"The show is very diverse in the content and in the age span of the
tenants," says Yea. "With so many different story themes we (actors)
learned so much about each director and writer."

It's a great departure for Yea.

Born and educated in China, she came to our shores as a flight attendant in
the fifties. Yea didn't begin acting until 1985 when she was already in her
50s. With no formal training to speak of, she plunged right in.

"I took a few courses but I certainly wasn't a professional actress when I
started."

What began as a hobby quickly blossomed into a busy career for Yea.

"I think I had a natural ability, and having travelled the world I wasn't
shy in front of the public," explains Yea. "What I love about acting is the
ability to explore a side of you you can't do in the outside world.

"It's a great form of expression ... it's like playing the piano but I'm
expressing myself with words."

Meanwhile, Richmond's Colin Foo portrays the affable, tuba-playing,
father-of-two, Bao Tan, who's still breathlessly waiting for a chance to
play with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

"Did you see my nude scenes?" he asks, laughing. "Not bad, for a man of my
age, don't you think?"

In fact, Foo has more than one nude scene in an episode that deals with his
doubts about his wife's love for him.

Nominated for nine 2005 Leo Awards including Best Drama Series, Robson Arms
walked away with two Leos recently for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a
Dramatic Series (John Cassini) and Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series
(Jesse McKeown).

Robson Arms airs Fridays at 10:30 p.m. on CTV, premiering this Friday with
back-to-back episodes starting at 10 p.m. (check your local listings).

Shot entirely in Vancouver, the 13-part half-hour series will also air
Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. beginning June 23 on the Comedy Network.