Canadian commercial actors are not pleased with Jim Halpert right now. (And you do not want to make an enemy of Canadians!)
If you’re a Canadian reader—if so: hi budday!—there’s a chance you’ve seen a recent commercial for communications and media giant Rogers featuring Krasinski dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” on a boat.
Well, a lot of Canadian commercial actors have, and they’re not thrilled with John Krasinski, a very American actor, essentially crossing metaphorical picket lines.
Why does John Krasinski's commercial upset actors in Canada?
But what’s actually going on here? Welp, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has been in a labor dispute with the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) and the Association of Canadian Advertisers over the sixty-plus-year-old National Commercial Agreement (NCA). The talks broke down in 2022, and it's been a rough stretch for Canadian commercial actors.
The conflict basically boils down to this: the ICA wants to weaken the contract’s language, allowing the agency to opt in and out all willy-nilly, claiming that, in practice, ACTRA was allowing work with parties outside the initial agreement.
ACTRA, on the other hand, claims that the ICA's proposals would result in lost pay for members, a claim the ICA denies. Sides also clash on whether the NCA is a collective agreement, with ACTRA claiming it is and has always been. On the other hand, the ICA claims it's an expired contract.
The whole thing has left unionized Canadian commercial actors with far fewer opportunities.
How does the impact manifest in Canada's entertainment industry?
According to the ACTRA, a lockout is in effect, but the ICA blames the union for instructing actors not to accept work from the agencies, which brings us to the Krasinski boat-y dance.
“Those of us who have careers, it’s fallen off a cliff,” commercial actor Kate Ziegler tells the CBC. “There just isn’t enough work.”
“The irony of watching [the Krasinski] commercial and it being almost like a metaphor for what’s happening right now, is that he’s like, dancing on our rights and our livelihood,” says Canadian commercial actor Paloma Nunez.
Indeed, seeing Krasinski in the Rogers ad has to be a kick of mud to the face of ACTRA, which fully supported the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year in the U.S.
Thus, to see a successful American actor like Krasinski appearing in a Canadian commercial is not only demoralizing but also just kind of a bad look. But hey, IF 2 ain’t gonna fund itself!
Here’s hoping the ICA and ACTRA can work something out soon. Otherwise, get ready for Rainn Wilson for Steeves Maple!
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