Richard McMillan is a big man. Walking into the Theatre Aquarius lobby he seems to almost duck.

Onstage McMillan uses that height to personify the big characters he often plays.

Over the years, McMillan's played some hefty roles. Pooh-Bah in Stratford's The Mikado made him a Canadian star. Later performances as Scar in Toronto's Lion King and Saruman in the ill-fated Lord of the Rings solidified his reputation.

Not bad for a boy from Beaverton who didn't fall in love with theatre until high school.

"I was no good at basketball. What can I say?"

Serendipity led McMillan to Ryerson in Toronto. It wasn't so much for theatre. He just "wanted to meet girls."

Invited to join the Stratford Festival company, he played the First Forest Lord in As You Like It.

"Standing on that stage and looking up toward all the lighting banks is like being one of the scientists in Close Encounters, waiting for the space ship to land."

McMillan went on to play a number of important roles, from Edgar in King Lear to Kalestekov in Government Inspector.

"It's not an easy life -- being an actor, I mean if you meet five really good directors in your life you're lucky. And you're lucky too if you like 10 per cent of the shows you're in."

McMillan rolls those incredibly grey eyes as he remembers Lord of the Rings.

"It was a nightmare," he says. "A devastating as well as physically dangerous show. It was all so overwhelming. Well, it started with great promise."

McMillan's eyes grow wide, a frown creasing his rumpled face. He sags in his chair.

"I'm not tough you know. I don't know how I survive. You scar your soul in this job. You're judged each time you walk on the stage. Not everyone's going to like you. They tend to think you're the character you play."

Right now McMillan is the heavy. Playing Count Fosca in the romantic thriller The Woman In White, he's creating a dangerous man who's pretty much a hedonist.

"He can be evil beyond words. He's determined to get what he wants. You don't get in his way."

He admits there have been many struggles.

"Of course I've had kicks in the head. Not being asked back to Stratford was one. No explanation given, just no thanks. That was hard to take. Well, it's a very political place.

"Finding out I was adopted was another. I love my adoptive parents but it was a shock to discover I was someone else. My mom was French Canadian. No wonder I felt such an affinity with Quebec. We learn something in the belly I suppose."

These days McMillan lives in Toronto with his wife, Anne Louise, and his daughter, Maggie.

"Anne has given up acting and is a drama teacher at a local school," McMillan says. "Now my daughter tells me she's going to become an actor. It's genetic coding, I suppose. I told her astrophysics would be simpler. She didn't listen."

After his stint at Aquarius, McMillan will go back to the United States for another engagement.

"I keep telling Canadian actors not to be afraid to cross the border. Canadian actors are very valued in America. It's something to do with our diversity. I always come back with new ideas, fresh blood and a new perspective.

"The only thing I didn't crack in New York was Shakespeare. Go figure. I was turned down several times at The Public Theatre.

"Seems they wanted an American sound to the text. Hmmmmm."

Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 25 years.

Showtime

Who: Richard McMillan

What: The Woman In White

Where: Theatre Aquarius, Dofasco Centre for the Arts, 190 King William St.

When: Sept. 17 through Oct. 4

Tickets: 905-522-7529