Jay Baruchel finds what he’s seeking in Toronto-shot show
Juggling TV series and movie was ‘greatest year of my life,’ Ottawa-born actor says
This week, the Canadian film and television industries will celebrate outstanding achievements at the annual Canadian Screen Awards (airing Sunday night on CBC).
Many TV shows shot in Canada are not eligible. These are the so-called “service” shows, programs made by American networks and studios but shot in cities such as Vancouver (where Supernatural and The Flash are produced for the CW), Calgary (FX’s Fargo) and Toronto (FX’s The Strain).
Toronto is also home to Man Seeking Woman, which airs on FXX Canada. The outrageous comedy stars Jay Baruchel as hopeless nerd Josh, who has no luck with the ladies.
In recent weeks, Josh has been competing with his cool roommate Mike (Eric Andre) for the affections of perky office mate Rosa (Rosa Salazar). It all came to a head Wednesday on the second-season finale.
Born in Ottawa and raised in Montreal, Baruchel is an exception to the rule. He’s a Canadian starring in an American series shooting in Canada.
The 33-year-old says the past year has been “the greatest year of my life.” Speaking with reporters at the TV networks’ press tour in Pasadena, Calif., in January, Baruchel described balancing Man Seeking Woman with his own big-screen pet project, Goon: Last of the Enforcers. The sequel to 2012’s hockey comedy Goon will be released in the fall.
Besides starring in the movie, Baruchel also wrote and directed. “(The workload) really beat me up,” he says, “but I’m just so bloody excited to show the world this movie.”
Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber return from the first Goon, while a Canadian-born actress who broke into TV with Baruchel nearly 20 years ago — Elisha Cuthbert, in the series Popular Mechanics for Kids — is also in the movie.
Cuthbert is married to former To- ronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. He’s not in the movie; “I am a Habs fan, after all,” says Baruchel.
But several NHLers past and present do get in on the action — including Georges Laraque, Tyler Seguin and Colton Orr — along with Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy.
Besides great local crews and the low Canadian dollar, Rich says there are two other important reasons to shoot his show in Toronto.
“From a casting perspective, you can find a lot of talented people, but also it’s very important that there are so many ethnicities represented in Toronto,” he says. “You can actually cast a wide net and it looks like the real world.”
“We’re excited by the esthetic of the city,” Simon adds.
“Our show is very strange. Sometimes we need a cabin in the woods or to be at the top of Mount Olympus. Sometimes we need to be in downtown Chicago, sometimes we need to be in the suburbs. Toronto is one of the few places where we can pull all that off within a 40-mile radius.”
Simon, 31, grew up a fan of The Simpsons and The Kids in the Hall. He fulfilled a dream by becoming a writer on The Simpsons in his early 20s and, so far, he’s managed to bring “60 per cent” of the Kids comedy troupe into his series.
Mark McKinney plays Josh’s stepdad opposite Robin Duke. The former Saturday Night Live player was pulled into the Man Seeking Woman writers’ room last year and found it “one of the smartest rooms ever.” Among the writers is former Simpsons scribe Ian Maxtone Graham.
In Season 2, his sketch mates Scott Thompson and Kevin McDonald both make guest appearances.
“All we need now,” says Simon, “are Dave Foley and Bruce McCulloch.” Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton.