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Canucks Break Big in Hollywood
July 25th, 2005BEVERLY HILLS — On every TV press tour, the words of a U.S. network programming executive come ringing back: “If you want to find the next all-American boy or girl, cast a Canadian.”
It is true again this year as several young Canadian actors and actresses have landed key roles on U.S. network shows premiering this fall.
Montreal’s Jennifer Finnigan stars in CBS’s Close To Home, and Calgary native Kari Matchett headlines CTV’s Invasion.
Here are two more with one other thing in common: neither worked a day of their young lives on a Canadian-produced series.
They’re London, Ont., native Luke MacFarlane and Cobie Smulders of Vancouver.
MacFarlane is front and centre on one of the most red, white and blue shows on the schedule: Over There, an unflinching look at the soldiers on the front lines in the on-going war in Iraq. (The FX series premieres Sept. 6 in Canada on History Television).
“We love Luke, he’s a very gifted young guy,” says veteran executive producer Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue).
The Emmy-winning producer looked at hundreds of young actors before choosing MacFarlane for the part of Frank “Dim” Dumphy.
There’s a refreshing “No, sir, yes ma’am” civility to MacFarlane that really does seem to fit some modest, all-American ideal. He really didn’t think much about an acting career while attending Central Secondary School in London, although his drama teacher was encouraging.
The acting bug really bit him at Julliard in New York. A daring role in director Bill Condon’s Kinsey jump-started his career. After missing out on on a part in a “terrible film” he won’t name, he decided to give L.A. a shot.
Within months, he found himself in army fatigues in a sun-drenched California canyon, working alongside ER’s Erik Palladino and others in Over There’s fit young ensemble.
“I’m very lucky, I really haven’t struggled too much, which is probably both a blessing and a curse,” MacFarlane told the Sun from the war zone-like set of his series, shot about an hour north of L.A.
Why does he think young Canadians are so prized in Hollywood? “Maybe we take things a little bit slower,” he muses. “Maybe we’re a little less blinded by the big lights, big city.”
Brightening yesterday’s CBS press sessions was Smulders, the 23-year-old Vancouver native who plays a dream date on CBS’s upcoming Monday night romantic comedy How I Met Your Mother (coming this fall to CBS, and Global in Canada).
Like fellow B.C. babe Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), Smulders smoulders. “Is everyone in Vancouver this beautiful?” asked the reporter from Philadelphia.
Smulders dabbled in modelling before taking a chance on Hollywood, landing How I Met Your Mother — CBS’s big comedy hope for next season — just months after moving to L.A.
“We all said, ‘Okay, that’s Robin,’ ” said executive producer Craig Thomas, a former Letterman writer, of her audition. “She was just perfect.”
Why does Smulders think Canucks score so well in Hollywood?
Growing up in Vancouver helps, she says. Actors can get roles (and southern exposure) on locally-shot U.S. shows such as Smallville without auditioning against the usual Hollywood hordes.
Plus, “Canadians are just great,” she said enthusiastically. “We’re just very good-natured.”
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