A while back, I said how it helps that actors have a lot of skill sets to guarantee them a lot of roles in a lot of films. It’s always an adventure for me when I find an actor who has so much experience and is living such an exciting life. Recently, I got the opportunity to speak to a man of many talents, Douglas Vermereen. He’s been all over the world, but has had a fair amount of work in Canada, and even been around this neck of the woods in my locally based area.
Douglas has had offices in Vancouver and even lives part-time out here too. During the times of COVID, he had a feeling that so many people pulled their writing pencils out and came up with some great scripts while doing all the pre-production planning and raising a little bit of money. He’s had a very busy 2 years of his whole career because of that and I had to ask him some questions about his career and these past 2 years. Specifically the Canadian content. There was so much I learned that day.
HNMAG: You’ve really gotten a lot of roles lately. How have you managed to keep on a roll with them?
Douglas Vermereen: I think a lot of it has to do with building a really strong network and having a very strong work ethic so that you can really submit effective auditions and build a really good body of work that shows that you’re solid.
HNMAG: You have a lot of work experience as a director, producer, writer, and stuntman. How do you balance all those abilities?
Douglas Vermereen: Well, it’s interesting because I’ve only directed 4 times. Obviously, I’m open to it again in the future. I have produced and co-produced and sometimes executive produced. The majority of my time is acting. Stunt activities are becoming rare. From time to time, insurance companies will allow me to do stunts on the films that I’m acting in as well. I have an extensive background in martial arts, race car driving, motorcycle driving, explosions, gunplay, falling off of buildings, falling down stairs, and all that kind of stuff. (laughs) Every once in a while when the crew says something like, “AH! We should do this” I’ll say, “I can do THAT.” Most times it works out painlessly. Just kidding.
HNMAG: Tell me a little more about Canadian productions you’re in. Are there any particular ones you’ve enjoyed working on?
Douglas Vermereen: I always enjoy working in Canada because it’s my home country. I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. I think the landscape for Canadian cinema is changing dramatically, obviously during COVID it was just people difficult. No one saw the pandemic coming. Everyone had projects on the go, now that it’s done I think everyone is excited to be back to work. The industry has changed a lot over the last few years. Technology has made it so easy not just to make films but also distribution. We saw that during the pandemic as well. everyone watched things on the streaming services and upgraded their home theatre systems. Now those same streaming services are just hungry for content. I’ve been doing a lot of major productions based out of the United States coming to Canada and working with a lot of independent filmmakers from Canada. Just last week I was in Toronto doing a project with an independent producer based in Toronto, and then in Alberta, I’ve done a couple of films. One was called Necropolis 1935 that had an Edmonton-based producer, did one for Aaron Glanfield who’s an award-winning filmmaker based out of Okotoks, called The Awakening, and last summer I was also the bad guy in a poker film called Freeplay.
HNMAG: Do you hope to do even more in the future?
Douglas Vermereen: Yes! I’m always looking for good Canadian productions to be a part of. Right now I have project commitments all over Canada, the US, and the UK. I’m really excited about two very unique productions, How to Be a Hitman 101, which gives a very unique perspective on the career choice of being a hitman. And the second is a silent movie based on recreating an old movie look with modern equipment, the film is made to look like it was done in the 1900s. It’s called Recreating 1912. That’s kind of a neat thing and I think it will be quite fun.
Douglas confesses that the Hitman project is his favourite. In the past, he has played a lot of cops, gunslingers, and military guys. This however is the first one that takes the unique view of a hitman and the humanistic nature of why they make the choices that they do, and what it feels like to end human life as a career. Doug feels the script provides a good approach to answering questions we never really think about. Such as what would it be like to be married to a hitman.
HNMAG: How do Canadian productions differ from US, England, and even the Philippines?
Douglas Vermereen: I’ve done a variety of productions including places in places in Asia, I even co-hosted a show in China and then I did all the audio for the Chinese tourism board. I’ve had the opportunity to work all over the world. But Canada is my home and there are so many talented people here. When American or other international productions come up to Canada, they’re crewing with a lot of Canadian people, and it just seems like Canadians are just so talented and good at collaborating with anyone. Whereas in some of the other countries, it can feel a little less collaborative at times. That’s the feeling I get from a lot of those films. Also, it’s us as Canadians, we’re really kind to each other. We look out for each other and that’s great. I have seen that elsewhere, but not as often.
HNMAG: You’ve also done some pretty diverse films directing and producing. What is your favourite genre to work on?
Douglas Vermereen: Wow, that’s a great question. I think more so than the genre, I’m looking at what’s the story that needs to be told. I’ve done action, science fiction, dramatic pieces and thrillers, and horror movies. Action is easily dismissed as you rarely see an action-type thriller get an award. But I think that’s changing and we’re seeing more people who are committed to creating great character-type situations and stories that have much more depth and substance. I’m not sure I have a favorite genre, but I just look for what will stretch me as an actor and what story needs to be told.
HNMAG: Do you prefer being behind the camera or in front of the camera?
Douglas Vermereen: I think in front of the camera is really where I shine. But whiter in front of the camera or behind the camera I’m only as good as the team that you put me with. I think the magic of movies is a collaborative effort and I don’t think that you can take for granted the expertise on both sides of the camera. You can’t create movie magic with just one or the other.
HNMAG: You’ve also done a lot of stunt work. Is there any kind of stunt you wouldn’t dare do?
Douglas Vermereen: Often as stunt people we have a team that works with us. I have had some stunts that I wanted to do but were vetoed. Or, they’ll make suggestions on how to achieve the same effect more safely. I think most of the stunts I’ve had experience in, we’ve tried to be smart and safe. I think everybody looks at stunts and says they’re so dangerous, you could die, or get hurt. I’ve got friends who are professional athletes and they’ve been injured far more than I’ve ever been on a movie set. They call it movie magic for a reason, we want it to look good and often it looks far more dangerous than what we’ve really done. I think there are some stunts that you have to be more cautious about. Certainly, anything involving firearms, pyrotechnics, explosions, motorcycle or high-speed work, or any elements that have an element of risk. Quite frankly, I think they are super fun to do and give quite the adrenaline rush. But you have to be careful and have a good team.
HNMAG: What would your dream role be?
Douglas Vermereen: There are two that I would love to do: One, I would love to a James Bond movie. I do have a British accent. On my mother’s side, I have Scottish Ancestry. I would be the guy to do the role AND do my own stunts. Kind of what Tom Cruise has done in Mission Impossible. This could bring some incredible freshness to it. I also speak multiple languages and kind of live that lifestyle already. So, it could be fun. The second one I would love to do: I’m a big Star Wars fan, A Massive Star Wars fan! I would specifically love to do something on the series, Mandalorian. I’ve got a really good idea for a storyline that I think would be really cool to see and the fans would love to see it.
HNMAG: And what kind of films do you hope to make in the future?
Douglas Vermereen: Some that would win some Academy Awards (laughs). Seriously it’s always a blessing to be recognized by your peers. But I think is more important to tell character-driven stories that are powerful. I’m looking for some things that have character depth. While I think it’s exciting to be part of big blockbuster movies and those are wonderful and I would love to do those. But I would also love to do some things that get remembered as a legacy piece for cinema. My background is different compared to many actors out there. I went to film school, and film analysis classes. I did film appreciation classes, I studied cinema, and I have lived everywhere around the world including France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, I’ve lived in the UK, China, and other parts of Asia. I have lived literally all over. That gave me an appreciation for the cinema of the world, and I think sometimes as a North American, cinema is often focused on what comes out of Hollywood. Certainly, there’s a lot of great stuff there and I love it, but I think there’s so much that we’re still missing, films that never really get explored. I’d love to participate in some cinema that explores these wonders that we don’t see a lot of.
Douglas then mentioned that’s a reason he loves our technology because with cinema even if you don’t have the big distributors and the money for marketing, people can create films that will find an audience through streaming services and the Internet. Those kinds of films don’t have to be big budgets either. Some films are being made for under a million dollars and have found great audiences already.
It’s amazing what he has managed to accomplish. I’m very impressed with what Douglas has done and can’t wait to see what roles he’ll take on next.