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 who have managed to capture that magic on screen.
This week we spoke with Vancouver actor, teacher and also writer/director: Matthew Harrison.
Matthew Harrison has over seventy-five professional film and acting credits including major films such as Watchmen and the Night at the Museum films.
Here is our conversation:
HNMAG: You studied at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York.
Matthew Harrison: I did! Initially, I didn’t have a huge interest in Film, TV, or theatre. In fact, I did my degree in Political Philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal while also studying classical music at McGill University – where I sang in the choir. The tenor next to me was a fantastic musician named James Higgins who was, at the time, the artistic director of Spontaneous Combustion Theatre in Montreal. He asked me to come by and build some sets for his latest production. I figured “why not!” And started painting sets for a bit. Then – a few weeks before their show was to open – the male lead booked TV work or something, and was no longer available. It being a musical, Sondheim’s Company, James says: “Matthew can sing, he knows all the words.” Boom. I find myself on stage. The experience of losing my self, losing my ego, connecting to the characters, connecting to the other performers and the audience …it was so emancipating.
A playwright in the audience was somehow impressed by my amateur acting and hired me to work for him as an assistant playwright for six months. And that allowed me to raise the money to go to New York and…then…I went to the Neighbourhood Playhouse. And acting became my whole life.
HNMAG: What was the interview like for that school?
Matthew Harrison: Ha! The morning of the interview, my car got broken into …and I lost everything! No longer had my letters, references, or anything to go to this meeting. I immediately told all my references to call in advance of my appointment. By the time I got there, they had ten phone calls. They were so sympathetic and apologetic the moment I walked through the door. I think maybe I got in through the sympathy vote…!
HNMAG: What style of acting is the playhouse?
Matthew Harrison: It’s the Meisner school. I worked with Richard Pinter…who was brilliant and life-changing. Top three experiences of my life. The other two are meeting my wife, Michelle – and having raising our two boys.
HNMAG: You worked while you were still in school.
Matthew Harrison: The summer between semesters, I was touring in Canada with Reefer Madness.
In the winter, while I was still in school, I performed in an off-Broadway Shakespeare production. You’re really not supposed to be working while you’re in school, but I had to work. Start my career. I was dead broke and desperate with no Plan B.
The National Theater hired me – and I toured the US for a year doing Shakespeare and Molière. I booked the Washington State Shakespeare festival…played Hamlet among other roles…and THAT is where I met Michelle. She came to see a rehearsal. I saw Michelle and it was crazy. I went blank, I dropped my lines, I was struck by her. It was absolute lightening.
We fell in love …and I didn’t go back to New York. She went back though, to attend The Circle in the Square.
Meantime, I came up to Vancouver, to see if we could live and work here. Michelle’s family is just over the BC border, so we got married in Vancouver. As soon as she got her permanent residence, instantly she started booking roles. She was amazing right from the get go.
HNMAG: Does Circle in the Square Theatre teach Meisner as well?
Matthew Harrison: They offer actors a platter of techniques. I think.
HNMAG: You were working as a professional actor and writer in Vancouver. How did you start teaching?
Matthew Harrison: I never thought about being a teacher – but a friend needed me to sub in for their class at some point. Just like the first time I stepped on stage and had that same type of epiphany of how much I loved teaching acting.
I taught for the first few years at the William Davis School – which was superb experience. They let me experiment and develop my teaching style and thoughts. I guess: “process”.
HNMAG: In 2005, you moved to Los Angeles. Did you continue teaching there?
Matthew Harrison: I had a thing called “The Matthew Harrison Workshops”. Stupidly vain title it seems to me now. Anyway, I would teach weekend intensives in LA, Vancouver, New York, and Toronto.
Then, when our son Ethan was going to be born, we moved back to Vancouver permanently…and the Actor’s Foundry was born as well.
HNMAG: Did his birth influence the school’s name?
Matthew Harrison: Yes! The Actor’s Foundry! When Michelle was pregnant, I took our dog Drew (a wonderful pit bull/black lab cross…genius dog) under the Hollywood sign to have a beer. One each. No kidding. And I told him: “I’m an actor – writer – director – teacher – husband… and now I’m going to be a father. That’s way too hyphenated! I’ll be a husband and father …but I have to pick just one other identity. What should it be? Who am I?” So, I looked at Drew… and it was obvious. Duh. He’s a dog. That’s who he is – and he’s good at it. He doesn’t need to be anything else…
I’m a teacher. That’s who I am. So I put my weight behind my teaching. I was a teacher first and foremost, and so acting and writing were on my off-time. Oddly, I have enjoyed some success and bth anyways.
The concept of the Actor’s Foundry title comes from the idea that we build the resource (the girder’s) – so the architect can make the building. In their words: we build the actor- so that when they on set, the director can make their project.
HNMAG: How did you move the Actor’s Foundry online?
Matthew Harrison: Part of the original idea of the Actor’s Foundry was always to have an online version called The Actor’s Campus.
Previously, I wrote a book called The Art of Life: The Craft of Acting but I knew that most actors weren’t going to read a book! HA! So we decided to shoot it…why not!?
An animator friend at CBC shot, animated, and edited the twelve hour documentary. I stood in front of a green screen and the animations would appear behind me for this instructional movie that brought my book to the screen. It’s a perfect introduction to my teaching and concepts of the Actor’s Foundry. Once the doc was made, we created a platform for it: The Actor’s Foundry online, which became the Actor’s Campus. We built resources, online library of scenes, scripts, plays, audition slides…assignments…interviews…webinars…the entire Campus became this one stop resource centre for the working and aspiring actor. Its’ what I wish I had had when I started out on my journey as an actor.
It’s been this lovely addition to my life. There are campus members from all over the world. And manny of them join the virtual class…with actors from NYC, London, LA, London, Cape Town…India, All across Europe and the Americas. It’s awesome. It was so long ago, that I was one of the first users of Zoom. I was teaching webinars and classes online and had to deal worth the flack from naysayers who said you couldn’t teach acting online. I get to teach actors in close up – from all over. Watching an actress in Atlanta do a scene with an actor from Birmingham…and absolutely believe that they are brother and sister – is awesome. It’s been a rich part of my reaching life.
HNMAG: How did Night of the Museum come about?
Matthew Harrison: I got this audition – with no lines – and all I knew is that it was for some Ben Stiller comedy. I was not that excited… and it has turned out to be one the biggest roles of my life! Three movies! I got to know Robin Williams personally. Worked with Owen Wilson and hung out with Ben Stiller. He came to the island to do a little movie with my six-year-old. It was by far, the biggest project I’ve ever done. I was hemming and hawing and Michelle said, “Honey, you’re perfect for that.” Ha! For the audition, I watched Quest for Fire and memorized the Neanderthalic speech when the fire gets extinguished. Since I’m a caveman, I would have no clothes, so I got undressed down to my undies. I let everyone in the audition room know that I would re-create the “Wata” speech. They were howling and laughing. Then they had me improv playing Trivial Pursuit. I grabbed the card and tried to read it but couldn’t …so I ate the card. Ha!
HNMAG: Are you working on a script right now?
Matthew Harrison: Yes, I had a meeting about it yesterday. It’s a gritty, trauma-based, TV show. Instead of a treatment, I wrote ten episodes and a show bible. I’m super proud of it…it’s very timely. That’s all I can say right now!!!
HNMAG: Years ago, you were directing theatre. When did you start directing film & TV?
Matthew Harrison: I really enjoy directing. It comes out of teaching. A client came to me from New York and she had a play she was working on and she needed advice to clean it up. I sat with her for months on Zoom as she hired me to script doctor it. When she got it produced, she got me to direct it. I directed it twice off-Broadway. A Girl Far From Normal.
I directed a lot of film shorts the same way. Clients and former students come to me with scripts they wrote – and, since I’m also their acting teacher, they would ask me to direct as well.
HNMAG: Do you have a specific film and TV directing style?
Matthew Harrison: I will make sure the actor has what they need to communicate their emotions and connection. Then the camera setups and moves work to express that to the audience to best tell the story. I will have a scene blocked in my head. Have the actors rehearse quite a bit before we shoot. The actors play then there is flexibility in what the actors bring to adapt the plan. The magic is when something happens that nobody could foresee that makes the story that much better. It’s the art of orchestrated surrender.
HNMAG: How can we have more films set in Canada?
Matthew Harrison: Well..Do it ourselves. Self produced. And Set here. We can make earnest and authentic films that people will love. It doesn’t matter if it’s set in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland or New York. People will watch quality entertainment. Take The Bear. It’s very specific to Chicago which adds to the feel and characters. It’s also very universal. You don’t have to be from Chicago to love it. When they are making The Bear, they’re not thinking let’s make a Chicago or American show. They just want to make a great show. We can make really amazing shows and movies in Vancouver that are also inexpensive and that is what the streaming services want. We have the talent here to make some great feature films and television shows that are market-competitive.
HNMAG: Where is the industry going?
Matthew Harrison: I saw Vancouver in the mid-90’s when it started to burst open. I watched this community grow. It’s been so wonderful. There is a shift that is happening like the music industry, twenty years ago. Our industry will shift to multiple, smaller productions getting content made. Getting self-produced projects done that can then. Be sold to streaming services. Vancouver is really well poised to facilitate that. Actors and young directors are realizing that they have to create their own content. It’s more do it yourself.
Matthew 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 instructor, writer, and director.
We need more people like Mathew Harrison that are obsessively dedicated to creating the best content.