The New Hollywood North

We’ve all felt that twinge of annoyance when Toronto masquerades as someplace else on screen. But, lately, the city has been starring as itself. This year, Turning Red beamed cotton-candy-coloured animations of Kensington Market to audiences across the globe. Sort Of took viewers inside Parkdale art galleries and King West bars. Hell, one of Netflix’s biggest blockbusters was called The Man From Toronto.

It’s not just our skyline in the spotlight but also the city’s actors, directors, showrunners, writers and producers. Whatever the genre, network or streaming service, it’s impossible to avoid the tidal wave of film and TV talent flowing from the GTA right now, wowing critics and enchanting audiences.

Below, you’ll find a selection of brilliant local stars: Marvel heroes, sitcom leads, queer icons, teen prodigies and irresistible bad boys. They’re already sweeping up awards, landing new projects and telling fresh stories that reflect Toronto’s electrifying diversity. And the average age among them is 26, which means that, for all their successes, they’re just getting started.

1.

The Actors

Up close and personal with the city’s new superstars

Iman Vellani

Just a few years ago, she was a superhero-loving high schooler in Markham. Today, she’s a global superstar. Inside the rise of Ms. Marvel

Mae Martin

The creator and star of the queer Netflix dramedy Feel Good has a glut of new projects on the way

Bilal Baig

The story behind Sort Of, the big-hearted CBC series that turned the rookie TV actor into a star

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai

He’s the sensitive, scrappy heartthrob at the centre of the FX comedy Reservation Dogs, one of the best shows of the year

Shayla Brown

The 18-year-old Midland actor was so good that Sarah Polley wrote a new character for her in the upcoming film Women Talking

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

She beat out 15,000 other young women to play the star of Mindy Kaling’s hit rom-com series Never Have I Ever

Alex Mallari Jr.

The Scarborough actor has already worked with Simu Liu and Ryan Reynolds. Up next, a big-budget rom-com with Jennifer Lopez

Kevin Alves

A Q&A with the Yellowjackets star before he heads back into the woods to shoot season two

Hamza Haq

A Q&A with the star of the award-winning medical drama Transplant

2.

The Directors

Toronto filmmakers on their big breaks, favourite films and the movies they’d make if they had $1 billion

Danis Goulet

“Somebody needs to do a better job telling Indigenous stories”

Kelly Fyffe-Marshall

“Audiences, not awards bodies, should decide what’s good”

Tiffany Hsiung

“Every film is like your child. Finishing is like watching them leave home”

Randall “R.T.” Thorne

“I met Prince while I was working at MuchMusic”

Deborah Chow

“I’d love to see filmmakers take more risks”

Thyrone Tommy

“I want the Oscar for best director. No Black director has ever won one”

Stephen Dunn

“Everyone has something to say. Don’t be afraid to access that”

Renuka Jeyapalan

“The Godfather broke open the craft of filmmaking for me”

Molly McGlynn

“Catherine Reitman had me direct an episode of Workin’ Moms. I haven’t looked back”

Daniel Roher

“Jim Carrey emailed me saying he admired my documentary”

3.

The Showrunners

The Toronto talent behind some of TV’s buzziest shows

4.

The Indie Hit

The story behind Scarborough’s big screen success

5.

The Schitt’s Phenomenon

The runaway success of Schitt’s Creek sent the careers of its cast and creators into overdrive. Here’s what they’re up to now