'I'm a Bluenoser': Donald Sutherland's love for and ties to Nova Scotia ran deep

Journalist Vernon Oickle was at the office of the weekly newspaper where he worked one day in 2009 when he was told over the intercom there was a phone call he needed to take.

For years, Oickle had been trying to get an interview with actor Donald Sutherland to talk about his upbringing in the Bridgewater, N.S., area, but had been unsuccessful.

And in one of his recent columns for the Bridgewater Bulletin, Oickle had talked about his disappointment in not being able to interview Sutherland when he was in town to film the television miniseries Moby Dick.

When Oickle picked up the phone, he was greeted by a deep, unmistakable voice.

"This is Donald Sutherland and I understand you have been wanting to talk to me," Sutherland said to him.

WATCH | Donald Sutherland lived in this N.S. home. Some family possessions are still there: 

While Sutherland was born in Saint John, N.B., in 1935, he spent many childhood years in Nova Scotia. His parents were from Lockeport, N.S.

Sutherland died recently at the age of 88.

In his conversation with Oickle, the acting legend said a friend had given him the article and told him to call.

Oickle was shocked.

"Could he be upset with me for my, you know, for my persistence over the years?" Oickle told CBC News. "That just sort of was a fleeting thought. He just seemed so chipper and willing to chat."

Sutherland said he was in Montreal and was on his way to catch a plane. The pair talked for about 10 minutes, which included Sutherland talking about his fondness for the area, which ran deep.

"I'm a Bluenoser, I guess," Sutherland told CBC's Telescope in 1970. "I smell like it. I feel like it. I think like it. The jokes that I find funny are essentially Nova Scotian jokes."

Sutherland told The Canadian Press in 2015 about his love of sailing, which he did when he was younger.