Rogers ad featuring John Krasinski comes under fire from Canadian actors

A Rogers ad featuring American actor John Krasinski has sparked outrage among Canadian actors.

The ad, which debuted last month, sees The Office star and A Quiet Place filmmaker dancing on a boat on Lake Simcoe, Ontario to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” in promotion of Rogers’ 5G network. (Rogers is also the presenting sponsor of Swift’s Eras Tour.)

Speaking to CBC News, Keith Martin Gordey, the vice president of Canada’s English language acting union, said the ad “makes his skin crawl” because it features a big-name American actor. This comes amid a two-plus-year labour dispute between Canada’s actors union, the The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), and a group of Canadian ad agencies, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Without an agreement, union actors have not been appearing in ads for most of Canada’s major companies — something which has, of course, not applied to someone like Krasinski.

Essentially, ACTRA argues that the National Commercial Agreement, which expired in 2022, contends that this is a collective agreement. The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), which represents Canadian brands, signed on to a series of extensions, opening the door for advertisers for agencies using union talent.

However, the ICA says the deal having expired means it can use non-union actors like Krasinski. While the group proposed a new agreement last September, ACTRA declined, arguing that the deal would result in concessions and rate cuts of up to 59 percent.

In the CBC piece, several actors — including, ironically, former Rogers ad narrator Kate Ziegler — have said they’ve been struggling for work amid the lockout and are planning to sell their homes.

For now, the dispute remains before Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), with hearings scheduled through December.

Source: CBC News

Update: 13/08/2024 at 2:37pm ET — This story previously mentioned the actors are on “strike,” but it’s actually a “lockout.” We’ve updated this story accordingly.