Few marketing strategies and commercial series have worked
quite as well as what Molson rolled out in the early 2000s. They produced ad
after ad for Molson Canadian that were all about being Canadian. The
stereotypes, the music, the alternative sizes of beer containers. Everything
was targeted at Canadians who were proud to be Canadian. The slogan that came
with each ad was “I AM CANADIAN.” It spoke to anyone in Canada who was a fan of
hockey, beer, and kitschy Canadiana.
Well, I am Canadian and that’s a piece of my history. It’s a
piece of my growing up watching the Toronto Maple Leafs when they had players
like Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, and Tomas Kaberle. That campaign (there’s the
word I’ve been looking for while starting this off!) wasn’t the only thing I
picked up while growing up Canadian. The names of those players weren’t the only
names I retained in my formative years. As you know, movies have always been a
big part of my life. What happens when you merge movies and Canadiana? Canadian
film, of course. And films shot in Canada.
The access I had to movie channels in Canada allowed me to
see a lot of shot-in-Canada stuff. The Movie Network and Superchannel were a
big part of that. They would play the big movies of the day, but they would
also play some Canadian movies. My parents also managed to steal some
Pay-Per-View channels, which gave me access to pretty much any new release,
including direct-to-video sequels. Many of those sequels were shot in Canada.
As I watched more and more movies either made by Canadians
or filmed in Canada, some things started to stand out. There were certain
locations that popped up time and time again. I would see Mr. Sub in the
background. Certain landmarks of Toronto would sneak into the city skyline of
movies set in New York. That wasn’t all, though. I noticed the same faces in
many of the movies I watched.
The working actors of Canada showed up in movie after movie
and television show after television show filmed in the Great White North. The
more movies and television I watched, the more I would see them. The same group
of actors kept showing up. I came to recognize their faces. I came to know
their names. Whenever they showed up in something I was watching, I would point
at the screen like I was Rick Dalton in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I
was the meme, years before the meme was a thing.
Trucks was one of the earlier movies with a few of these
actors that I have grown familiar with. It was the second adaptation of the
Stephen King short story of the same name (the first being
Maximum Overdrive)
and came out in 1997. Something happened that brought trucks to life. A few
trucks trapped a few people in a truck stop and diner. The people had to band
together to survive or die at the wheels of the trucks.
I want to use one of the lesser Canadian working actors in Trucks
to help you understand what I mean when I say that they showed up all the
time. Roman Podhora played Thad, a military father whose family was stuck at
the diner. As soon as I saw the name, I knew I was in for someone I knew from
that 1996-2013 era of movies made in Canada. His face clicked as soon as I saw
it. He was in Supernatural. Then I looked him up to see what else he worked
on. Smallville, Alcatraz, Fringe, and Final Destination
5. All of them were filmed in the Vancouver area. He wasn’t the star in any
of them.
This would be the same for most of the actors I would toss
into the Canadian working actor umbrella. They were rarely stars. If they had
been stars, they likely wouldn’t have stayed in the Canadian industry. They
would have left for greener pastures. That’s why I find it so interesting to
recognize these specific actors through the work they do.
I should also note the role of Sunday “Bad” Movies in
recognizing some of these actors. I’ve watched a bunch of Canadian-filmed
movies as part of Sunday “Bad” Movies. Those direct-to-video sequels are part
of the bread and butter of what makes this blog tick. The non-sequels that were
just Canadian-produced movies have also been a part of the blog. I haven’t only
been watching them for Sunday “Bad” Movies, but the blog has given me reason to
watch even more.
Now, in my head, I’ve categorized these actors into four
different headings. It’s about time I write all this down. It’ll be a way for
me to get it out of my head so I can finally sort through all the knowledge. It
will also help anyone who reads this to understand that era of Canadian working
actors and how abundant they were in movies of that time. There’s a specific
order to how I’m going to go through this. It makes sense to me, and that’s all
that matters.
1.
The Elevated Actors
I’m going to start big, with the people who became more
recognizable than being simple working actors in the Canadian-filmed landscape.
These were the actors who started there, and maybe went back there, but had a
moment where they escaped it to become major parts of American productions.
Maybe they were the star of a television show, or a regular supporting actor in
movies. Whatever the case, they elevated their careers beyond Canada.
A movie I’m going to keep coming back to through this post
is Final Destination 2. It was a Canadian-filmed American horror movie
that had a whole slew of actors who fit into the Canadian working actor realm.
The one I want to focus on right now was the lead of that film, A.J. Cook. She always
straddled that line between Canadian working actor and Hollywood actor. She
appeared in guest roles in things like Goosebumps and Psi Factor
and Dead Like Me. Then she got starring roles in things like Final
Destination 2 and Tru Calling and Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates
of Hell and Criminal Minds. She jumped between the guest and
supporting roles awarded to most Canadian working actors, and the starring
roles that frequently went to Hollywood actors working in Canada. Hell, she’s
still working on Criminal Minds.
Most of the elevated actors, people like Lochlyn Monroe,
Stephen McHattie, and Katharine Isabelle didn’t straddle the line in quite the
same way. They showed up in a whole lot of supporting roles in Hollywood
productions. Lochlyn Monroe was in things like Riverdale and Freddy
vs. Jason in major roles. Katharine Isabelle was also in Freddy vs.
Jason, as well as stuff like It’s a Wonderful Knife and Snow Day.
Basically, these actors were quite recognizable for their supporting roles in
Hollywood productions but were only given starring performances in fully
Canadian productions.
I’m not even going to get into how Paul Gross was the
biggest actor in Canada during the 2000s because he wasn’t even a working
actor. He was a Canadian star.
Now that we’re past the elevated actors, some of whom I name
dropped, let’s get into the three main categories. I had to include this as a
fourth because a few of the actors just straight up became recognizable. They
were being cast because of who they were, rather than because a movie being
produced in Canada needed an actor. I want to focus more on the ones where
people might be like “Oh yeah! I’ve seen them before!
2.
You Probably Don’t Know Them, But They’re
There
The second category of actors I want to go through are the
ones who kind of blend into the movies they’re in. They don’t stick out like
the actors I’ll get to after this. They didn’t make it out of the Canadian
production world, either. Not really. Not like the actors who made it to
Hollywood. These actors simply showed up in movies and television shows
produced in Canada, did their jobs, and kept doing their jobs in project after
project after project.
This was where Trucks started to pull in Canadian
actors. Roman Podhora came up earlier in this post. This is the category I
would place him into. He was always a face that would create an itch in your
head as you tried to figure out where you had seen him before. Nothing really
stood out in his career, though he worked on a whole bunch of stuff you’d seen.
The roles weren’t overly memorable, but his face was familiar only because
you’d seen him in all the stuff.
Michael Adamthwaite was another actor that fit into this
level of Canada-produced movies. You might not recognize his name. You probably
don’t. The only reason I know it is because he appeared in a whole bunch of
Sunday “Bad” Movies. Like Roman Podhora, he had small roles in television shows
that included Supernatural. You’ll see that show come up a bunch. He was
in The Marine 3 and In the Name of the King: Two Worlds. You’ll notice a lot of
Uwe Boll collaborations in these actors, too. I don’t remember him being
anything more than bit roles, but I could be wrong.
The top actor in this category would probably be Mike Dopud.
You need to remember that these actors should be recognizable, but you shouldn’t
necessarily know why. Mike Dopud fits that because he hasn’t really had a role
where you remember him. Well, unless you’re crazy like me and spend a good
chunk of your movie watching time taking note of these Canadian actors. He did
a bunch of Uwe Boll work, some of them in bigger roles. That doesn’t mean they
were memorable. He was in a few of the Air Buddies movies. He even
showed up in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. And then, of course, an episode
of Supernatural. I’m not going to say you wouldn’t know Mike Dopud if
you saw him. You might not be able to remember any of his roles, though, and
that’s kind of what this tier of Canadian actor is.
Interesting side note, all three of these guys were in Final
Destination 5. I thought Final Destination 2 was going to be one of
the most important movies in this post, but the fifth film is giving it a run
for its money.
Remember, these are people that you would recognize if they
popped up in a movie or television show you were watching. Their roles wouldn’t
be all that memorable. Their faces, though, you would know from sheer osmosis.
The next category will amp that up just slightly, and then the final category
will take it to the final level before Hollywood.
3.
You Know Them, But It’s Really for One Role
There are a certain group of Canadian working actors who would
be in the second category if not for one role that people recognize them for.
People will see them pop up in something and say “I remember when they…” and
then describe the same role. Every person will describe the same role. It might
not even be so much about their performance. It could simply be the scene they
were in. What happened in the scene. That sort of stuff.
A perfect example would be Jay Brazeau, one of the actors in
Trucks. He was one of the people traveling with Thad and his family. I
wouldn’t call him all that memorable in Trucks, even though he was an
important, major character. I don’t know how many people would remember he was
even in Trucks. They would, however, remember him for another movie he
was in that same year. Think on this one. What’s the most memorable part of Air
Bud? It’s not the dog choosing between the kid and the clown. It’s not the
kid bribing the dog with pudding. It’s not even an actor who will show up later
in this post fouling the dog during the big game. No, the most memorable part
was when Jay Brazeau, as the referee of the basketball finals, said “Ain’t no
rule says a dog can’t play basketball.” He might be a recognizable face, but
that one role is all he is known for.
Obviously, Jay Brazeau wasn’t the only actor who fit this
bill. He was just the first one who came to mind because I watched him in Trucks
before writing this post. Jared Keeso is another actor who you may have seen
around movies and television frequently, but you would basically only know him
for one role. That role was, or is, Shoresy from Letterkenny. He even
got a spin-off for his character. Before creating his own show that became a
bigger hit than I think anyone would have expected, he was your typical working
Canadian actor showing up in direct-to-video sequels like The Marine 3:
Homefront. He popped up in episodes of Supernatural and Smallville
as well. He was a Canadian working actor in the Vancouver area, so he got roles
in projects that filmed in the Vancouver area. Of course, he’s now much more
well known as Shoresy. But he was in a bunch of stuff filmed in Canada before
then.
The final person I want to put in this category is Emily
Perkins. She was one of the two leads in the Ginger Snaps series of
movies, which is what she’s probably best known for. At least, for horror fans,
she’s known for Ginger Snaps. For people who aren’t huge fans of horror,
they might not know her at all. She has made smaller appearances in Hollywood
movies, but they were all filmed in the Vancouver area, so she didn’t leave her
Canadian working actor roots. The size of the roles were what kept her from
elevating into the Hollywood actor level. She was also in Supernatural,
because I think every Canadian working actor was in Supernatural at some
point. To be fair, that was a memorable role, and she might not actually fit
into this level of actor because she might be as well known for it than for Ginger
Snaps, simply because of how popular Supernatural became. I think
she got that role partially because of her history with the Ginger Snaps
franchise, though, so I’m counting it as an extension. Let me fail at
justifying this. Please.
Each of these Canadian working actors have become synonymous
with one role from their careers. Some people might recognize them for a second
role, but it’s that one role that the general population remembers them for. It
could be a hockey goon, or a girl going through her teenage years with a
werewolf, or they could have let a dog play basketball in an important game. That’s
different from the fourth, and final, category.
4.
You Recognize Them As Soon As You See Them
and Can Name Things They Were In, Even If You Can’t Name the Characters
Excuse the long title for this fourth category, but it will
make sense in a second. There’s a difference between the working actors who fit
into this category and the actors who made it big and moved into consistent big
roles in Hollywood productions. The people in this level rarely got leading
roles, instead staying as a sidekick or a major supporting character. You would
know them as soon as you saw them and be able to point out a bunch of work that
they’ve done. Maybe you wouldn’t know their name. Maybe you wouldn’t know their
characters’ names. You would absolutely know what they were in and the
character they played, even without the name. You know?
One of the biggest ones, in my opinion, is Brendan Fletcher.
The name might ring something in your mind. I’m pulling from Trucks
again, where he played the son of the main character. I’ve brought up a few
movies he’s been in throughout this post. He was in Air Bud as the kid
who transferred to a different school and then fouled Buddy in the final game.
He was one of the telekinetic kids from the first two seasons of Supernatural.
He was in a whole bunch of Uwe Boll stuff, including as a taxi driver in Alone
in the Dark and the lead in all three Rampage movies. He even popped
up in the Ginger Snaps sequel and prequel. Oh, and I just saw him in
newest season of Reacher as a thug for the bad guy. There have been a
million other projects he was a part of. Brendan Fletcher was one of the first working
Canadian actors who stood out to me, before I even knew how many there were. That’s
why I was able to name so many projects he was in and who he played in them.
Next up, I want to present Keegan Connor Tracy to you. Kids
might know her from the Descendants movies. Most older people would
recognize her because her distinctive face has popped up in a whole slew of projects
over the years, particularly in the 00s. I first knew her from Final
Destination 2. She was the lady who got impaled by a PVC pipe, thanks to
the jaws of life and an air bag. She showed up three times in Supernatural
as different characters. I remember her playing the worker at a bookstore when
Sam and Dean found out there were books written about them. She also has an Uwe
Boll movie under her belt. She was in Blackwoods. She has been around. I’ll
always remember her for Final Destination 2 and Supernatural,
though.
Let’s transition through Blackwoods to get to our
next actor in this category, Michael Eklund. An Uwe Boll regular, he showed up
in Blackwoods, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, BloodRayne
2: Deliverance, and House of the Dead. With Michael Eklund, recognizing
him isn’t so much about recognizing his characters. I just happen to remember
him being in things and making them more entertaining. His presence was
memorable in his work, which elevated him beyond category 2. He was in The
Marine 3: Homefront as a henchman of the bad guy, I think. I know he’s in
there. Can’t remember what he did, but it was the movie that made me recognize
him. He was in Chokeslam in a major role. I just don’t remember much of
that movie, but I remember all the main actors being entertaining. He was in
all the usual television shows, including Supernatural and Smallville.
I remember him being in them. I don’t remember specifics. The actor is more
memorable than the roles he played, which is interesting.
I have two more actors that I want to mention in this
category. The great Jonathan Cherry should be brought up. This guy is always a
hoot. He’s another actor I first recognized from Final Destination 2. He
got killed right after Keegan Connor Tracy. Her cigarette fell out of her dead
hand into some gas which exploded a barbed wire fence that sliced Jonathan
Cherry into a few pieces. Crazy stuff. But he also showed up in House of the
Dead. Then there was his sidekick role in WolfCop and even more so
in Another WolfCop. He had one of my favourite lines in that sequel,
when he asked why the organ player wasn’t wearing pants. Most people probably
recognize him for either Final Destination 2 or for playing the goalie
in the Goon movies. I’ve seen him in a few other movies (The Novice,
Supergrid) because I’ll watch movies based on his appearances. I’d say
Jonathan Cherry is my favourite of the Canadian working actors.
Finally, we’re getting to Aleks Paunovic. This is another
recognizable face where, as soon as he comes on screen, you’re likely to be
like “Oh! It’s the guy from this and this and this!” That’s kind of who he is.
I don’t know that I could tell you a huge role people would know him from. But
he was in the Hawkeye Disney+ series, as well as the newest season of Reacher
as Russian gangster types. I know him more for stuff like The Christmas
Consultant (Russian businessman), Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled
(bouncer at a nightclub), The Marine 3: Homefront, In the Name of the
King: Two Worlds, and Kindergarten Cop 2. And guess what? He’s in
the two TV shows I probably don’t have to name anymore. This guy gets around
and he’s entertaining wherever he goes.
The actors I mentioned throughout this post aren’t nearly
all the Canadian working actors I could name. Let me list off a few more for
you. Ben Cotton, David Paetkau, Kris Lemche, Reese Alexander, Steve Bacic, and
Michael Teigen. I think I chose actors who could best exemplify the different
categories. Maybe, now that you know the names and things they’re in, you might
be able to start giving them more attention too. Maybe not. Wishful thinking.
Anyway, keep an eye out when you’re watching something that
was filmed in Canada. I know we’re more than a decade out from the peak of the
specific actors I’ve mentioned in this post. Some of them still show up,
though. You might still see them in the things you watch and enjoy. They
deserve some love for the work they’ve put into all the movies and television shows
you’ve seen. Why not give them that love?
Now let’s get to notes, and there will be a lot:
- Let’s start with the movies I mentioned in this post that were
previously featured in Sunday “Bad” Movies. We’ve got movies like Maximum Overdrive, Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell, Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled, The Marine 3: Homefront, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds, BloodRayne,
BloodRayne 2: Deliverance, Alone in the Dark, Far Cry, Blackwoods,
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, House of the Dead, WolfCop, Another
WolfCop, and The Christmas Consultant.
-
Jay Brazeau made his seventh Sunday “Bad” Movies appearance
in Trucks. His other six appearances were in House of the Dead, Warriors
of Virtue, Snow Dogs, Far Cry, Santa Paws 2: The Santa
Pups, and Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.
-
Brendan Fletcher joined the five-timer’s club with his
appearance in Trucks. His other movies were Alone in the Dark, Blubberella,
BloodRayne 2: Deliverance, and BloodRayne: The Third Reich.
-
Aidan Devine was in Iron Eagle IV, WolfCop,
and Trucks.
-
Terence Kelly appeared in both Trucks and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale.
-
Ice and Trucks each featured Erich Martin
Hicks.
-
You might have noticed Rick Skene in Trucks. He was
also in Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell.
-
Finally, Brenda Bakke had roles in Trucks and Hardbodies 2.
-
Have you seen Trucks? What do you think of all the
working Canadian actors of the late 90s through the early 10s? Were there any
that you thought I should mention that I missed? Let me know your thoughts in
the comments, or get a hold of me on Bluesky or Threads.
-
The comments, Bluesky, and Threads are places where you can
suggest movies for me to check out for future Sunday “Bad” Movies posts. I’m
starting to get out of my winter funk and should start writing more pretty soon.
-
I’ve already watched a movie for the next post. I’m not sure
if you know it. Bait Shop was a Bill Engvall vehicle from 2008 that also
featured Billy Ray Cyrus. You’ll find out more about it when I write the post
and get that up on this blog. See you then.
