Behind-the-scenes: CBC actors who also direct
“You're always having to keep the constraints of time in mind when you're directing on a television set.”
Creating the magic that we see on screen is not easy. Directors have the complicated job of portraying the written word visually in order to create a whole world and transport it to our living rooms — while also eliciting the best performance out of the on-screen talent and providing space for them and the rest of the crew to flourish.
We've seen many actors make the transition from their on-screen roles to one behind the camera: from the early days of cinema and Charlie Chaplin to today's plethora of talent, including some of our CBC Gem stars from Murdoch Mysteries, Heartland, Workin' Moms, Schitt's Creek and more.
Imagine having to act while directing everyone on set, and yourself as well! These talented actor-turned-directors are doing it all.
Yannick Bisson
Yannick Bisson is a multi-award-winning actor, best known for his long-running role as Detective William Murdoch on our hit CBC drama Murdoch Mysteries, which is currently in its 13th season.
With over 80 film and TV acting credits to his name, Bisson decided to branch out into directing back in 2011 and has collected six episodes of Murdoch Mysteries under his directorial belt — debuting with the third episode of season four, "Buffalo Shuffle".
About acting and directing at the same time, Bisson says: "That's when it gets hard, because you've also got to remain objective about your own performance and the other actor that you're acting opposite. Sometimes I feel bad, I'll be in the middle of the scene, I'll be saying lines and I'll be looking at the other actor thinking, 'No, I'm going to have to change that,' so I must just be this zombie face wondering where I am in the scene."
Though he says he's selective in the episodes he chooses to direct, the actor seems to be taken by the craft and has continued to explore it. The latest episode he directed is the recently aired fourth episode of season 13, "Prodigal Father", starring Colm Feore.
Watch Bisson break down a scene from "Prodigal Father".
Megan Follows
Megan Follows has been in the public eye since childhood and has come a long way since Avonlea. Her resume is seasoned with everything from writing and producing, theatre acting and directing to appearing in hit shows such as The X Files, Law and Order, CSI and our CBC dramas: Republic of Doyle, Murdoch Mysteries and Heartland.
Follows' television directorial trajectory began in 2016 on the series Reign. "You're always having to keep the constraints of time in mind when you're directing on a television set, so you can't just stay in the character for too long. But ultimately I was pretty comfortable acting and directing on Reign because it was a world I knew and I knew the cast and crew so well by the time I started directing," said Follows to Stuff Limited, in 2017.
And of course, the actress-turned-director hasn't stopped since. She went on to direct many shows, including two episodes of Murdoch Mysteries from season 11: "Biffers and Blockers" and "Mary Wept", and five episodes of Heartland — with two poignant episodes from season 13: "Rearview Mirror" and "The Eye of the Storm".
Chris Potter
An early start in theatre and music ultimately led to Chris Potter's calling in film and television. Now, as an acclaimed actor of great versatility, Potter has accumulated an impressive volume of credits in his 30-year career — among many, starring in shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, One Tree Hill and CBC's Heartland circa 2007.
Potter is also an accomplished producer and a director with directorial credits for over 20 Heartland episodes — approximately two episodes per season, the latest two being episodes seven and eight of season 13, "The Art of Trust" and "Legacy".
Dan Levy
Dan Levy began his career co-hosting MTV's flagship show MTV Live and made his acting debut in 2009 on Degrassi: The Next Generation, followed by a few films including Admissions, where he starred opposite Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Most notably, Levy is a showrunner, writer, producer and actor in Schitt's Creek which he co-created with his father Eugene Levy.
The show's remarkable success is a testament to his talent and naturally led to Levy's directorial debut in 2018. He directed his favourite Schitt's Creek episodes, the season three and four finales: "Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose" and "Life is a Cabaret".
"I feel like Dan is always, kind of, our super-director. Captain!" says Emily Hampshire who plays Stevie Budd in Schitt's Creek.
Catherine Reitman
Catherine Reitman is a Canadian-American writer, producer and actress known for her roles in films and popular television series such as Knocked Up, How I Met Your Mother, Black-ish and most recently Workin' Moms, where she stars as Kate Foster.
Not only is she the creator, executive producer, writer and actress on Workin' Moms, Reitman also directed most season premieres — including the upcoming Season 4 premiere — as well as the first three season finales.
Andrew Bush
Andrew Bush's directorial credits more than double his acting or writing credits. He has written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Robson Arms and Canadian Idol, and directed "Weird Al" Yankovic's Sports Song, 11 episodes of The Beaverton and, recently, spent time in L.A. as one of the resident directors at Funny or Die — writing and directing dozens of sketches featuring some of the top actors in the world, and so much more.
Bush also created and was the lead supporting actor in CBC's Cavendish where he directed the last two episodes, "The Story of Ruth" and "It's an Andyful Life".
Michelle Morgan
Despite initial plans to be a screenwriter, Michelle Morgan's success came through acting first. She has been featured in numerous television series and feature films such as The Good Doctor, Supernatural, The L Word, Stargate: Atlantis and, of course, the drama Heartland where she's played the role of Lou Fleming since 2007.
Along the way, her career has evolved into what she's truly passionate about: screenwriting, producing and directing short films and TV series — including Mi Madre, My Father, Save Yourself and the new CBC digital series Hudson, a spin off of Heartland.
Nicholas Campbell
Nicholas Campbell is a decorated actor with almost 170 acting credits over a 40-something-year career. He is known for movies and TV shows like Cinderella Man, A Bridge Too Far, The Englishman's Boy and CBC's Da Vinci's Inquest, which brought him critical acclaim. He is also one of the recurring actors on many other CBC shows like Intelligence, Republic of Doyle, Cracked, Murdoch Mysteries, Heartland and most recently Coroner, where he plays Jenny Cooper's father.
Campbell's mastery in writing and directing the 1992 documentary, Stepping Razor: Red X, earned him a Genie nomination for Best Documentary. Though the process, he garnered a greater appreciation for the craft and went on to direct a number of episodes of Da Vinci's Inquest and Intelligence.
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is an actress, writer, director, producer and political activist who first found her success acting in children's CBC series, Ramona, followed by her Avonlea adventure. Subsequently, she starred in many films from Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter to Mr. Nobody, but left acting to work behind the camera as a director and writer.
Polley's directorial debut was in 2006 with Away From Her, for which she won a Genie for achievement in direction and received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay. She later went on to direct Take This Waltz starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, and Luke Kirby, and create Alias Grace, based on Margaret Atwood's novel of the same name.
Most recently, she executive produced and directed some episodes of the upcoming CBC digital original series, Hey Lady!, which will premiere in a special screening at Sundance and be available for streaming on CBC Gem in January of 2020.
Paul Gross
You can see Paul Gross, one of Canada's most popular actors on stage and on screen, in many CBC dramas — including Caught, Alias Grace and Republic of Doyle — and comedies like Gunless. But he also has a number of directorial credits to his name.
Gross wrote, directed and starred in movies Hyena Road, Men with Brooms — the highest-grossing English-language Canadian film of the previous 20 years — and Passchendaele, which was the highest grossing Canadian film of 2008 and won five Genie Awards, including Best Picture. Then, in 2009 he won the National Arts Centre Award for Passchendaele, an honour complementary to the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.
Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee is the host of the new game show, Family Feud Canada premiering December 16th on CBC and CBC Gem. However, before Family Feud Canada, Dee drew inspiration from his years as a high school teacher and co-created and starred in the hit CBC sitcom Mr. D (eight seasons). He also dabbled in directing on the show — four episodes to be exact, from 2016–2018.
You can stream all of the aforementioned CBC shows on CBC Gem!