Canada warms up to Thomas Middleditch
Emmy-nominated Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch has taken the opposite career path of many Canadian actors.
Instead of starting his career here and then moving to the U.S., the Nelson, B.C., native went south first about a decade ago and is finally finding his footing on this side of the border with the new Canadian film Entanglement.
Opening Friday in select Cineplex theatres, the drama stars Middleditch as a divorcee who’s lifted out of his depression after a chance encounter with an adventurous woman, played by Jess Weixler.
“Believe it or not, that’s the first thing I’ve ever shot in Canada,” Middleditch said in a recent phone interview.
“I’m kind of like, ‘Canada, why won’t you cast me? I’ve got to come down to the United States to work. I’ve got to steal these people’s jobs over the border.’ ”
As Middleditch explains, it was out of necessity that he had to look to American projects for onscreen work.
“I auditioned for Second City in Toronto and was not accepted,” he said.
“After a year and a half of doing the indie sketch-comedy world in Toronto, I was like, ‘You know what? I think they were wrong. I’m going to try (Second City) Chicago,’ and I was right.”
His Second City Chicago stint was followed by a slew of film and TV comedy roles, most notably as a software designer in HBO’s Silicon Valley, for which he was nominated for a best actor Emmy.
Through his work at the Improvised Shakespeare Company in Chicago, he’s also become good friends with veteran actor Patrick Stewart.
“He and I just got along really well, so we’ve hung out from time to time and despite the age gap and despite him spending a lot of time in England, we’re good friends,” Middleditch said.
Vancouver-based Jason James directs Entanglement, written by Jason Filiatrault of Calgary.
“It was just one of these scripts that caught me by surprise,” Middleditch said.
The film includes some fantastical elements as it touches on the theme of how one’s choices in life lead to a tapestry of connections with others.