Ep. 47: Should Canadian Actors Aspire Beyond Their National Cinema?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to contending in Hollywood, Canadian actors have always punched above their weight. But for every Ryan Gosling, Tatiana Maslany, or Rachel McAdams, there’s a Paul Gross, a Mary Walsh, or a Gordon Pinsent — actors who have, for the most part, forgone a career in the US and instead made names for themselves within the Canadian film and television scene. It makes us wonder: which career path should Canadian artists be following? To get the answer, Rob and Geoff sit down with an actor who has a foot in both camps, Maxim Roy. Maxim is well known amongst Canadians for</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">19-2</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Allure</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, and</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Les Boys,</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">but has also built a career south of the border with roles in</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Shadowhunters</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Factory.</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The three discuss why so many Québécois actors are reluctant to work outside their home province, what the anglophone-Canadian film industry could learn from the francophone industry, and if star Canadian directors like Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée should be making more of an effort to cast Canadian talent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They also talk about why French-Canadian actors don’t break through internationally in the same way actors from France do, and why French-Canadian characters aren’t more present in English-language films.</span></p>