Canada has many talented actors, writers, directors, and other content creators. To help our industry grow, we would like to introduce you to some of those talented folks that have managed to capture that magic on screen.
This week we spoke with Vancouver, writer, director, artist, and performer Anthony Harrison.
Anthony Harrison has over ninety professional film and acting credits including major films such as Snow Falling on Cedars, White Noise, The Core, Sixth Day, Alien Vs Predator 2, and Little Man.
HNMAG: What was your first experience in film and TV?
Anthony Harrison: In grade five, I was the lead in a short fun documentary about superheroes.
HNMAG: Was that when you were first bitten by the acting bug?
Anthony Harrison: No, in grade nine, I saw a play about Helen Keller with June B. Wilde. It was terrific and I decided that I would audition for the high school play the next year. That went well and a couple of years later I booked the lead as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
HNMAG: Is that when you started working as a Film and TV actor?
Anthony Harrison: I continued studying theatre. After high school, I had a very tedious job working on a conveyer belt at Sears. Six months later I was accepted into the Studio 58 theatre program at Langara.
HNMAG: So, Studio 58 lead to a theatre career?
Anthony Harrison: Right before working on stage in 1984, I was fortunate enough to book a role in a movie of the week, called Secrets of a Married Man with William Shatner and Cybill Shepherd. I then was hired by Shakespeare Plus in Nanaimo. One non-Shakespearean part I had was Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret. The company promoted me using the TV credit I had just shot with Shatner. I also played Count Paris in Romeo and Juliet.
HNMAG: Did you continue with theatre after Shakespeare Plus?
Anthony Harrison: For a couple of years, yes. I was in Three Wise Men at the Arts Club and then played Dracula in an original play called Forever Yours at the Firehall.
HNMAG: Was it difficult to get into Film and TV acting?
Anthony Harrison: Because I worked in theatre, it was very easy to get a film and TV agent, especially after graduating from Studio 58. In 1983 I signed with Dot Bristow Management.
HNMAG: So you were consistently working in Film and TV after you worked for two to three years in theatre?
Anthony Harrison: I went to LA in ’87. However, because I’m not American, I could not legally work there without a permit. At meetings, I was told that they would hire me if they had something shooting in Canada. So I went back home after a year.
HNMAG: How did you go from being a steady working actor to becoming a filmmaker?
Anthony Harrison: I made a short film called Wickie’s World in 1992. It was claymation. That’s when I fell in love with the entire process of filmmaking.
HNMAG: That makes sense since you are a talented visual artist.
Anthony Harrison: When it comes to art, I’m obsessive-compulsive. When I was a kid, I would sit for six hours with my sketchbook. I had to get things done just right, and tons of practice was the best approach for it.
HNMAG: Did you make your first feature after that?
Anthony Harrison: Not yet. I made a live-action short film with Ron Chartier and Michael Dobson called Ordinary Man but it was not released. I also started writing scripts, then and I got the literary agent Donna Wong-Juliani in 1993 when she read Blue Murder, which was a TV cop drama.
HNMAG: Was it at that point that you started working on Joe Finds Grace?
Anthony Harrison: Yes, we started shooting in 1995 and completed it in a year, but then it was shelved because we needed around forty thousand dollars for post and didn’t have it.
HNMAG: How did you raise the funds?
Anthony Harrison: Didn’t. Thankfully, over time, the technology changed. The digital world came alive and I was able to do it myself. I spent three years re-editing and animating Joe Finds Grace and it was finally released in 2017.
HNMAG: Have you produced any other feature films?
Anthony Harrison: We made Dark Water in 1998, which I wrote and produced, and it was directed by Ron Chartier. In 2018 I finished making Exuvia, but it has not been distributed yet. It was a huge amount of work and joy as I wrote, directed, photographed, edited, and produced that film. After making Exuvia, I discovered that ninety-five percent of my satisfaction comes from writing and directing. Doing the creative work.
HNMAG: What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Anthony Harrison: Get an idea that gives you a passionate impulse to do something. Jump into it with something that emotionally motivates you and gives you a giant feeling of joy, because you may not get rich from it. Also, don’t wait for others to finance it. Do it yourself.
Anthony Harrison is very creative and prolific. He has a long career of acting in US film and TV productions that are shot in Vancouver. He’s an inventor, artist, writer, director, editor, and cinematographer. He was just cast as Bill Robinson and will perform with Bill Pullman in The Murdaugh Murders.
We need more people like Anthony Harrison that are obsessively dedicated to creating Canadian content.