Rogers recently released a (cringey) ad featuring U.S. actor John Krasinski (from the hit TV comedy The Office) dancing to Taylor Swift on a boat, and now Canadian actors part of union dispute have expressed outrage whenever they see it.
That’s according to a story from CBC News, citing details from the vice-president of Canada’s English-language acting union, Keith Martin Gordey. The Rogers ad was filmed during the ongoing labour dispute, and he said “every time I see that commercial, it makes my skin crawl.” Gordey is also the president of the Union of British Columbia Performers.
The agency Publis made the Rogers ad, and has locked out Canadian union actors.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has been in a labour dispute with Canadian ad agencies, preventing union actors from appearing in commercials from the country’s biggest companies, including Rogers.
ACTRA argues that the National Commercial Agreement, which expired in 2022, should be considered a collective agreement, while the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) says it has expired.
The bitter dispute is currently before the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), with hearings scheduled through December. Meanwhile, the ICA has shared its proposal for a new agreement, which ACTRA has criticized.
Actor Paloma Nuñez told CBC News, “I was infuriated,” when she first saw the ad. She called for solidarity from U.S. stars, hoping they would insist on working only with companies that employ union talent in Canada.
Hamilton actor Kate Ziegler, who was once the voice of Rogers in ads, said the same thing. She argued stars should support journeyman actors. The dispute has caused immense financial hardship and she said she’s preparing to sell her home, to stay afloat.
Many wondered why Krasinski was in the Rogers ad, and not a Canadian actor. Rogers could have employed a journeyman actor but it looks like Krasinski has more star power, especially when dancing to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off” while on a boat (Rogers is behind Swift’s upcoming tours in Canada taking place in Vancouver and Toronto).
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I guess it’s only the bigger fish that matter. Did I miss something or did nobody raise a stink when Virgin Plus cast the gone-too-soon Andre Braugher in their “obvious” campaign shortly before his passing? Of course Jon Dore has since taken over.
Who care? They go with the one that will sell more, not some nobodies.
Ah, good old unions….always productive and efficient.