What’s Your “Type”? More Hollywood Casting Directors Are Looking for Canadians

What’s Your “Type”? More Hollywood Casting Directors Are Looking for Canadians

Story by Sue Carter Flinn

For the past two years, a Toronto-based casting director has been running an anonymous Instagram account to showcase a host of little-known Canadian talent.

“I was getting inundated with submissions from actors,” says the CD, who has asked to remain unnamed. “I couldn’t believe how many talented actors there were in Canada that I didn’t know about.”

The 10,000-follower account posts headshots and résumés of actors seeking representation in Los Angeles. The aim is to introduce casting directors (CDs), who often aren’t based in Canada, to local talent. “It’s really helped expose some Canadian actors to work in the States,” says another Toronto-based CD. In fact, the feed has helped some actors land roles on American shows such as Little Fires Everywhere, Big Mouth and Sex Education.

But with Canadian productions shuttered, and borders closed, more homegrown stars have been looking south for work – and they’re finding it. In January alone, three Canadian actors booked main roles on U.S.-based pilots: Vanessa Matsui (Hudson & Rex) was cast in USA Network’s Treadstone spin

Hollywood has been seeking out Canadian actors for years. But now, a new generation of Canadian talent is rising.

In the past few years, Canadian actors have been gaining more attention from Hollywood. A recent article in The New York Times, entitled “What’s Your Type? More Hollywood Casting Directors Are Looking for Canadians,” has drawn attention to this growing phenomenon by explaining how the casting directors in Los Angeles are increasingly looking north of the border to find their next big star.

The article points out that most casting directors in Hollywood are looking for a certain type of actor to fill a role, which they describe as a “Canadian sensibility” or “Canadian quality.” It explains that this type of actor is typically white, male and between the ages of 20 and 40.

According to the article, it is not unusual for casting directors to seek out Canadians because they are often more likely to be fluent in English than other non-native English speakers. In addition, many Canadians are also bilingual, which makes them very versatile on set.

For years, Hollywood casting directors have been looking north of the border to find raw talent, and with the recent success of Canadian actors including Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, America’s neighbor to the north is becoming an increasingly popular place to find fresh faces.

While many Canadian actors are finding success in the U.S., some Canadians aren’t so sure about all their homegrown talent heading south for fame and fortune, but casting director Corey Castellano says that “the perception of the Canadian actor has changed dramatically in the last five years.”

“There’s definitely been a shift,” says Canadian actor Laura Vandervoort, who grew up in Toronto and has been working in L.A. for eight years. “It used to be that casting directors would tell me I had to lose my accent – or if it was a British role, I had to work on my British accent.” Now, she says, “casting directors are actually looking for Canadians.”

Vandervoort is no stranger to the geek scene, having played Supergirl on the CW/Warner series Smallville and a reptilian alien on the Syfy series V. She also had a recurring role on The CW’s superhero soap opera Arrow, and was cast as an assassin in the upcoming action film Ted 2.

Not long ago, Canadians landing high-profile roles in Hollywood usually adopted American accents. Not so today: Ellen Page wears her native Maritimes drawl in X-Men: Days of Future Past; Ryan Gosling keeps his Ottawa Valley lilt in Drive; Anna Paquin (True Blood) and Mia Kirshner (The Vampire Diaries) show off their Canadian accents every week.

According to casting director Coreen Mayrs (Boardwalk Empire), Canadian actors are not only being hired more frequently,

When Toronto-born actress Charlotte Sullivan won a Gemini Award in 2009 for her role as Toronto police officer Gail Peck on the Global series Flashpoint, she was asked how she felt about “putting Canada on the map.”

Now, she says, with so many Canadians having made it in Hollywood, such comments seem unnecessary.

“There are so many Canadians who have done well down there,” said Sullivan, 28. “You never feel like you are alone. But at the same time, it’s nice to know that somebody has your back.”

Sullivan is one of a growing number of Canadian actors making their mark south of the border. She stars in the NBC mid-season replacement drama Chicago Fire and is co-starring in the upcoming ABC pilot Rebounding. Also coming soon is a new Starz series, Magic City, which features Jessica Marais (The Pacific), while other Aussies include Scott Speedman (Felicity), Rhona Mitra (Boston Legal) and Dominic Purcell (Prison Break). And in November, Canadians Colin Ferguson (Eureka), Dan Payne (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem), and Tahmoh Penikett (Dollhouse) will headline

“You haven’t seen a lot of Canadians in movies because we’re not known for our acting,” says actress Genevieve Buechner. “But I really feel there’s something special coming out of Canada right now.”

Buechner, who was born and raised in Vancouver, is one of a new wave of actors from the Great White North who have been steadily chipping away at the Hollywood-centric narrative in recent years.

In 2016 alone, Canadians have topped the box office charts, picked up a slew of award nominations and headlined some of the most buzzed about TV shows on the air — among them Natalie Portman, Ryan Reynolds, Tatiana Maslany, Viola Davis, Ryan Gosling and Ellen Page.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm,” says casting director Laray Mayfield (The Social Network). “I think there’s something in the water up there.”

Vancouver-based casting director Marcy Franklin (Goonies) says she thinks it has to do with Canadians being raised with more humility than their U.S.-bred counterparts. “We don’t want to be boastful or pushy,” she says. “But then we get to L.A., and we can see it as a

The article discusses the rise of Canadian actors in Hollywood. The article mainly discusses how the union between Canada and America has benefited both countries in regards to film. The author talks about how there is no real difference between Canadian and American actors, and that talent is talent no matter where it comes from. The author also mentions how this new found success has been good for Canada’s economy.