Quarantining with William deVry

MONTREAL - We recently caught up with actor William deVry, who is quarantining in Southern California.

The 52-year-old Montreal native - and fervent Canadiens supporter - is taking advantage of his downtime from his gig on ABC soap opera "General Hospital" to kick back and relax.

Here's a look at what's been happening in deVry's world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What projects - professional or personal - were put "on pause" for you with everything going on?

I've done a lot of charity work around the United States and Canada. Those have all been put on pause. I do a lot of charity events for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. They grant about $500,000 every year to universities and research companies that are working on a cure for ovarian cancer. The charity event season is a massive part of their fundraising throughout the year. The universities and researchers rely on those grants. I normally do a lot of meet-and-greets to benefit the Foundation, but those have all been put on hold - the dinners, the walk and runs, the golf events, anything that has crowds. We're doing our best to do some virtual fundraising right now, but it's very difficult. And of course work is on break, too. We shut down filming of "General Hospital" - the lone remaining ABC daytime soap - on March 13, until further notice. Right now, further notice for the film or TV industry could be June, July, August or September.

Watch: Youtube Video

What's a typical day like for you?

Quite enjoyable, I'd have to say. I don't dislike staying home. We've got a nice view in the Hollywood Hills. We've got a nice house. We're eating three nice meals a day. It feels like life shouldn't be so chaotic. We definitely live in a world where it's go, go, go. Technology is supposed to have made our life easier, but somehow it made it more difficult and chaotic and confusing. It just feels like it's back to basics a little bit, which has been very nice. Eating at regular intervals, waking up naturally and not by alarm, getting nine hours of sleep, being able to exercise just by opening up the garage. We've also got the five dogs that we've rescued that are keeping us busy and entertained. I think routine is important, not just dilly-dallying every day. That can lead to depression. You've got to be careful that you don't get too lackadaisical. It's important to keep moving.

Have you picked up any new hobbies? Are you learning any new skills?

I'm just trying to catch up on classic film and a little bit of Netflix. I watched "Unorthodox" which was just brilliant. I also started to stream "Downton Abbey" which I know is years old, but I've always been interested in doing that. I've also been catching up on some books. I read some World War II sort of spy and resistance network content in the France and Normandy area. It was quite interesting. Now, I'm reading "A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign" by Edward J. Larson. As far as skills go, I haven't picked up a guitar or anything like that. I do plan to start writing some treatments because I've always played around with that. I wouldn't say I'm a script writer, but I can thoroughly plot out a good treatment for a series idea. I'll get back to that now that my brain seems to have cleared, so I can be creative again.

Have you reached the "Baking your own bread" or "Giving yourself/your significant other a haircut" stage of quarantine yet?

I'm actually, by design, letting my hair grow out. Anybody that knows me, knows that I like my haircut tight, so I decided to let it grow. I've got pretty good hair for a 52-year-old. I just decided to take advantage of this since I'm not trying to impress anyone for a while. There's no baking bread, though. We're still going out for that.

You're a big sports fan. What have you been doing to fill the sports void with everything on break?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I decided to read, catch up on my accounting, planning, and budgeting. I'm not really interested in watching old sports. I do flip on the MLB Network from time to time. I was going through the menu and I did notice a game from 1999 that was the Expos at Yankee Stadium when David Cone threw a perfect game. Even though the Expos didn't get a hit, I decided it would be fun to watch. I also taped a half-hour episode of "This Week in Baseball" from 1984. Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and Gary Carter were still with the Expos back then, so I had to record it. I also watched the NFL Draft back in April. That's about it. No other reruns.

Can you give us some quarantine recommendations? What are you reading, streaming, and playing these days?

If you're a book reader, one of the more interesting books you can read right now is "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. It was basically about, if human activities ceased to exist, from one day to the next, what would happen. It was super fascinating and really well researched. If you like military history, there's a book called "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. It's one of the most memorable military books I've ever read and by far the most interesting military book I've ever read. Streaming-wise, I have to bring up "Unorthodox" again. The main character's role is something Meryl Streep would have sunk her teeth into as a young actress. It was just so good.

Are there any particular things you do in order to maintain a positive mindset through the current circumstances?

First of all, we have to realize that we don't have much power now. And that's o.k. But I think people get depressed because they don't have that power, and it should be the opposite. If you have the power to change it, then you don't have to worry. If you don't have to power to change it, then why are you worrying? You're just a bucket of stress. I like to catch up on the news. I think it helps remembering that we're all in this together. Feeling like you're up-to-date on the current news also gives you peace of mind. But, then you've got to step away. You've got to take a walk, take the dogs for a walk, and just sit with your thoughts. You need to let your thoughts sort themselves out throughout the day. I find reading to be a sort of meditative state because I'm forced to focus. I can't read a book the same way I watch TV. It forces your mind to activate. Those are my tricks, along with working out. Fitness is key for mental health and physical health.

What are you looking forward to doing the most once things get back to quasi-normal?

We're definitely going to treat ourselves to some dinners out. It's an important outlet that people haven't been able to do, to sit and be pampered. Being served at a restaurant is just so nice to do every couple of weeks. I think we all miss that social aspect. That'll be one of the first things I do, for sure.

What's been the biggest silver lining that you've seen in all of this?

By far the health of the environment and the animals having some room to roam again, taking back some of the territory that's theirs.