Quebecers who have succeeded abroad

Sugar Sammy is one of the few Quebec comedians who manages to make crowds of many countries laugh. Local artists who have found their audience elsewhere and who have conquered international markets inspire him. Here are three of them, who briefly tell us about their journey.

Jay Baruchel, actor, screenwriter, director

Jay Baruchel has been playing since he was a young teenager. In 1995, he landed a small role in the popular series Are You Afraid of the Dark? The following year, he shot the first of 40 episodes of My Hometown, as the main character, Thomas Thompson. His Hollywood debut followed soon after. We see it among others in Almost Famous in 2000. However, he struggles to find work in his own country.

“In English Canada, you’re worth nothing until you succeed in the United States,” says Jay Baruchel. I was in Los Angeles, I had just worked with Clint Eastwood on [Million Dollar Baby] which was going to win the Best Picture Oscar and the cast managers in Toronto weren’t taking me seriously enough to let me audition. »

Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, She’s Out of My Leagueanimated films How To Train Your Dragon and many others have changed the game. “Today I’m 41 and I’ve played in a lot of stuff that made a lot of money in the United States, so they can’t ignore me anymore,” says the man who grew up in the Notre-Dame neighborhood. -Dame-de-Grâce, in Montreal.

“I dream of the day when English Canada will do like Quebec and realize that it is possible to make its own films and its own series and to have its own stars. There are exceptions like Trailer Park Boys, FUBAR, goon, but Quebec’s cultural ecosystem is much healthier. »

Jay Baruchel termine l’entrevue en disant qu’il espère que plus de « ça » aidera, en montrant du doigt l’affiche de son film entièrement canadien BlackBerry, qui vient d’arriver en salle.

Chloe Wise, artiste visuelle

Chloe Wise était de retour à Montréal en mars dernier afin de présenter sa plus récente exposition à la galerie Blouin Division. « C’est la ville où j’ai grandi, alors c’est nostalgique. C’est un endroit que j’adore et j’ai de la gratitude pour cette ville, même si je n’y ai pas passé de vrai temps depuis 10 ans », raconte-t-elle au téléphone dans un français un peu cassé mais bien clair.

En effet, elle habite New York depuis une décennie après un arrêt à Toronto à la suite de ses études à Concordia. L’artiste, qui a entre autres travaillé avec Kent Monkman avant de s’établir aux États-Unis, a constaté des différences entre les milieux artistiques dès qu’elle s’y est installée.

« À Montréal et à Toronto, tout le monde me disait : “Prends ton temps, attends ton tour, il faut que tu deserve, il faut que tu te prouves.” Et je comprends, c’est comme ça dans beaucoup d’endroits où il n’y a pas assez d’opportunités, explique-t-elle. Mais à New York, il y a tellement de nouveauté, tellement de possibilités. Quand je suis arrivée, l’attitude que j’ai perçue était : “Bienvenue, tu fais quoi ? On est intéressés. Montre-nous !” Personne n’a besoin de savoir si les autres aiment [ce que tu fais] before accepting you. »

“I started doing exhibitions and two months after my arrival in New York, my Canadian gallery invited me to do an exhibition in Montreal. It’s a bit like we need theapproval from New York to have a chance in Canada. »

Chloe Wise says that since her mother is American, moving was very easy for her. But it is his talent and his originality that really allowed him to present his works to the whole world. She will also participate in the Art Basel fair in Switzerland next month.

Dave 1, from Chromeo, musician

Besides Kaytranada, Chromeo was the only Quebec presence at the renowned Coachella festival a month ago in California. David Macklovitch, alias Dave 1, half of the funk-electro duo, says on the phone that this fifth participation was probably his favorite and that being among the only ones to represent his part of the country has something to do with it.

“There are plenty of things we do that make us proud of our uniqueness, and I hope that the press and the Montreal public will not forget that we still consider ourselves emissaries of the city who trained us, says the singer. That a Jew and a Lebanese are in a French high school and discover funk by checking Get out of here at MusiquePlus would not have been possible without Montreal. »

Dave 1 and Patrick Gemayel, aka P-Thugg, formed Chromeo at the turn of the 2000s with backing from Tiga and his Turbo label, but it was David’s subsequent move to New York that allowed the band to make its mark. first shows in the United States. “Our first album [She’s in Control] came out in 2004 with a deal of an international company, so we were doing shows pretty much everywhere. After, when I was working on the album Fancy Footwork, I lived in Paris. It’s a bit my travels that helped us to be known internationally, but we never felt that we lacked support from Montreal. »

This feeling of pride and this love for his hometown comes back throughout our conversation. “I never wanted to propose this idea that we had to be known internationally to be recognized in Montreal, assures Dave 1. On the contrary, we have always, in a subtle or surreptitious way, tried to pay homage to a Quebec tradition. Whenever we do the press in Montreal and we are asked about our influences, we always say Les BB. Patrick Bourgeois is my idol, for real. For me, it’s the Hall & Oates of Quebec. My whole style, even my style of dress, is based on a Quebec band from the 1980s called Madame. They’re the first ones I’ve seen wearing Ray-Bans and perfectos. »

These influences can be seen at the MTelus on October 19. The release date of Chromeo’s new album will be announced shortly.