Renowned Vancouver actor "desperate" to find job amidst industry slowdown

Vancouver actor Paul Anthony has known since a young age that he was meant for the spotlight.

“Acting has always felt like my preferred way to experience the world,” said Anthony to Daily Hive. “I think I was 16 when I was in my first film, and a few years before that, I was in my first play.

“I never liked the whole ‘you only live once’ thing. Becoming other people who are often very different from me is a fun way to game the system and live multiple lives.”

Anthony’s current path has veered from where he thought it would take him. After decades in the Vancouver film space, he has been forced to find work off-screen due to the industry being the “slowest and most uncertain” he has ever seen.

The Talent Time host recently posted a video where he asks his friends, colleagues and community a simple question that can be difficult to answer: how do you make money?

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“How do you make money,” asks Anthony in a personal and vulnerable video. “I’ve been lucky enough to primarily squeak by as an actor and entertainer. But over the years, it’s just gotten harder and harder and now everything is so expensive.

“I can’t just keep waiting for work to come that’s not coming. I’ve got lots of skills.”

Anthony, who has over 50 credits on IMDb on shows like The Flash, iZombie, Stargate: Atlantis, and The L Word, said he made the video out of pure desperation.

“I have no idea how to even get other work because this is all I’ve ever done,” the Riverdale alum said. “I’ve had slow periods in the past but something about this feels very different. Maybe the people in power want the majority broke and desperate while they get even more obscenely rich. I don’t see that changing unless we all come together and demand it and I’m not holding my breath for that.

“I wouldn’t have let it get so bad for me but I really believed a nice acting job was just around the corner.”

There has been a steep decline in the number of productions in BC for two consecutive years, resulting in far less local economic spending.

A Creative BC July 2024 report revealed a 29% year-over-year drop in overall production spending by film and television projects in BC in 2023 — down from $3.3 billion by 511 projects in 2022 to $2.3 billion by 346 projects in 2023. This represents a two-year decrease from the all-time record of $3.74 billion across 499 projects in 2021, including $3.15 billion by 309 foreign productions and $593 million by 190 domestic productions.

Correspondingly, the number of jobs in BC supported by the film and television production industry fell from 37,000 in 2022 to 26,000 in 2023.

“Live Action Production levels are lower than they were two years ago, reflecting a global reduction in motion picture production worldwide as well as increased competitiveness among filming jurisdictions,” said Marnie Gee, BC Film Commissioner at Creative BC, to Daily Hive.

“A reduction in motion picture production worldwide, as well as increased competitiveness among filming jurisdictions, means the global industry is in a state of change. The Province of BC recently announced an increase in B.C.’s tax credit rates to strengthen B.C.’s competitive position. The BC Film Commission at Creative BC is working closely with local industry, our L.A. studio partners, and the government to bring business back to BC in support of our workforce of over 70,000 crew members.”

Anthony shared that he has heard from many other actors and crew members who have lost work and are considering transitioning from the industry — even ones who seem to be working the most.

“We are creative in our work, so we should be able to be creative when looking for other work as well,” he added. “I’m an ideas man. I know I would be an asset to any business needing a boost in creativity.

“I’m a seasoned host and can find connections with anybody. Certainly, some of my skills and who I naturally am can translate to work of some kind. I need something immediately and any help would be greatly appreciated.”

The inaugural recipient of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame award for most promising newcomer has had dozens of people reach out with job leads and their own work search woes on his video posted to Instagram and Facebook.

“Thanks for posting about the struggles that so many of us are enduring right now,” said one person.

“I don’t have an answer for you, but this was an excellent way to request help,” added another commenter. “The reality is that you are a magnetic personality and when you get the right opportunity you will thrive in that new field.”

Anthony, who has shared the screen with legends like Robin Williams, Parker Posey, Alice Cooper, Jason Momoa, and Woody Harrelson, said that he was overwhelmed by the response to his video.

“I haven’t even been able to read all the DMs yet. When I posted it, I was hoping for more immediate work to help me get out of this hole.

“I was teaching at an acting school sporadically over the last two years or so. I really enjoyed that but that has seemed to dry out as well. Other than that I worked a couple of months at my friend’s hair salon, six months at my friend’s clothing store, and did some promo work. That’s about it.”

While Anthony remains hopeful that the right opportunity will come his way soon, he remains uncertain if the film industry can bounce back to where it once was.

He also wonders how people afford to live in an expensive city like Vancouver.

“How do you make money,” Anthony asked to wrap up his video. “I’m so curious. I really don’t know how most of the people I know get by in this city.”

Are you also struggling to find work in Vancouver at the moment? Do you find that the cost of living makes it hard to get ahead? Let us know in the comments or send us an email with your story.