Most of the public knows that Tom Cruise has a new movie. We’ve seen him on the covers of magazines, on talk shows, in movie trailers. But does the average person know what our English Canadian actors are up to? Not likely.

While it appears measured strides have been made in raising the profile of some of our indigenous talent, the megastars to the south still dominate our media. It’s no wonder. Canadian films make up less than 3% of our screen time, while 80% of what Canadians watch on television is from the States. Even some of our Canadian magazines tend to put Americans on the cover because they often sell more copies.

And while many actors are choosing to stay in Canada, picking up a mixed bag of parts in local productions and the growing roles from offshore producers, many are still going south, hoping to get a career boost from the media machine that is Hollywood.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, through the Gemini and Genie awards, has tried to bring some recognition and star status to our talent.

‘In overall awareness of our actors, the greatest strides have been made in the last five or 10 years through television,’ says Maria Topalovich, executive president of the acct. ‘Dramatic series and comedy have established some familiar faces.’

Shows like Road to Avonlea, Street Legal and North of 60 have done a good job of identifying stay-at-home stars.

An example of a recognizable star who has at least some clout in the entertainment world is Sonja Smits, who became a familiar face as a lead in Street Legal. Later, it was her name that drew viewers to the tv movie The Diviners. Currently, she is given top billing for Traders.

Of course, when compared to, say, the cast of Friends, the amount of publicity, profile and power of a actor like Smits is almost negligible.

actra national president Sandy Crawley feels the production community could do more to promote actors.

‘They haven’t taken full advantage of using their performers to promote product,’ he says. Still, Fecan maintains, ‘There is a star system, we just need to get more of it going. It’s all a matter of volume.’

On the feature film side, it’s difficult to be optimistic. Topalovich admits, ‘It’s an ongoing battle. There’s still a lack of distribution of our films. The fundamental problem in establishing a star system for both (tv and film) is the lack of media infrastructure. Publicists and marketing campaigns have to buy ads, on-air time or rely on editorial. In English Canada, we don’t have a USA Today, Entertainment Tonight, talk shows. In Quebec, the star system is thriving – they’re light years ahead of us.’

Crawley agrees. ‘It’s an ongoing problem. What we need and what we have tried to get is a bill from the government that would protect us.’

From the actor’s perspective, it seems that with much American production here and new specialty channels, there is more work than in the past. But getting established, being known, getting offers for the good parts is another matter. ‘The Canadian mantra seems to be, `If I want to make it I have to make it outside Canada,’ ‘ says Topalovich.

But unlike 10 years ago when people were doing what they could to get to Hollywood, now they don’t have to live there. They do the commute and stay here for lifestyle reasons.

One actor who chose, at least for the time being, to take up that Canadian mantra is Justin Louis. The lead in the Montreal-filmed Urban Angel, among other credits such as David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch, Louis was lauded for his talent and had all the ingredients for success. But, while living in Toronto, it just didn’t happen for him. So for the past eight months he’s been living in l.a. It’s a move that paid off. First, he got a role in Fox’s series Local Heroes. Now, he’s busy doing the press circuit promoting his new romantic-lead role in Stephen Bochco’s Public Morals, an ensemble comedy airing on cbs this fall.

‘When I first got here,’ says Louis, ‘and casting directors would see all the credits I had (in Canada), they’d say, `You’ve had so much work. You should be a star. You must suck.’ ‘

But, like many Canuck actors, Louis left Canada with some misgivings. He says he misses his Toronto home and hopes to be back here in a few years. ‘Canada does provide opportunities and a real training ground. But then you hit a ceiling. I’m hoping to get myself into a position to go back to Toronto and do what I want to do. I’ll say, `Now will you look at me?’ Really, I’m very optimistic about the future there.’

Wendy Crewson (Lives of Girls & Women, Getting Married in Buffalo Jump, The Santa Clause) left Canada in part for her career and also for personal reasons – she is married to actor Michael Murphy. Residing in San Francisco, Crewson, an Ontario native, goes both north and south for work.

‘It’s definitely tougher, harder to make it in Canada,’ she says. ‘You may do something and then it’s another two years before you do something else.’

Crewson, who recently played opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in To Gillian on her 37th Birthday, says for many actors, staying in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver is a good choice. ‘A lot of people stay for the lifestyle. It’s the same reason we don’t live in l.a. It’s a one-industry town. If you go to a dinner party that’s what everyone talks about.’

Grand Falls, Nfld. native Gordon Pinsent has built his life and acting/writing career in Canada, appearing on the stage and radio, and in tv and films.

Heat and serve

‘I think there are more opportunities now,’ he says. ‘But the way packages are put together today, everything is mainstream. You feel you have to fit into that stream, fit into those formulas created by the States. Heat and serve. In Canada, we don’t have as much opportunity to create our own mainstream. It seemed years ago there was more of a variety of projects.’

Some actors and tv types are optimistic that expanding broadcasters like Global and Baton will improve the opportunity for actors, while most have minimal expectations that the growing landscape of specialty channels will result in more gigs.

‘The specialty channels are still fledgling,’ says Crawley. ‘They are recycling programs mostly, which is not helpful for our actors. When they produce, it’s often very cheaply, with non-union workers.’

For Pinsent, though, specialty channel Bravo! has given him an opportunity he says he is thrilled with. He is the one-man show in the Spoken Art episode entitled ‘The Clumsy One.’ ‘This is just the type of thing I’ve wanted to get my hands on,’ he says.

‘The opportunities are growing,’ says Crawley. ‘We’re the second largest exporter of television in the world. We just have to face that the center of the business is in l.a. While I see a growing trend of people staying here, no one begrudges anyone going south.’

There are, of course, those who go south and turn around and go north again several times each year. Henry Czerny is one such actor. Like Tom Cruise, he appears in Mission Impossible; before that he was in Clear and Present Danger. In fact, he’s becoming quite a celebrity in the States – and even in Canada.

It would be nice to think that that’s because of the great work he did in The Boys of St. Vincent, Buried on Sunday and I Love a Man in Uniform. But as sure as Canadian actors contemplate picking up stakes, it’s that old Hollywood media machine again.