What to know
- The Stunt Driver tells the true story of Ken Carter, the 1970s Canadian daredevil known as “The Mad Canadian.”
- The film stars Jay Baruchel and is directed by Michael Dowse, focusing on Carter’s quest to jump a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River in a rocket-powered car.
- Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film opens in Landmark Cinemas and Cineplex theatres across Canada on September 25.
- Both Baruchel and Dowse see parallels between Carter’s ambition and the challenges of making Canadian films, highlighting the importance of telling homegrown stories.
Canadian stories are getting their moment in the spotlight. The Stunt Driver is bringing a larger-than-life Canadian story to the big screen, spotlighting the true story of a stuntman who dared to dream big — and fly even higher.
The latest film from Michael Dowse, The Stunt Driver, features Jay Baruchel acting as Ken Carter: “The Mad Canadian” from the 1970s golden age of daredevils.
The heartfelt comedy follows the man behind the wheel’s experience, repeatedly risking his life in a series of car stunts—culminating in his historic jump in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental across a mile-wide expanse of the St. Lawrence River.
The film held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and is expected to come out to the public in Landmark Cinemas and Cineplex theatres in Canada on Friday, Sept. 25.
Ahead of the release, Now Toronto spoke with actor Jay Baruchel and Director Micheal Dowse in the Belvedere suite for the tea on the movie.
‘Believing in something that feels impossible at times’: Why Ken Carter is a relatable character to many
Ken Carter always dreamed of accomplishing a seemingly unrealistic goal. Baruchel followed a similar trajectory in his acting career.
“There’s very little chance of doing it, right. Less than 20 per cent of actors can feed themselves from acting alone… The chances of it not happening or being a sort of failure are far greater than the chances of you being able to figure it out,” Baruchel told Now Toronto.
Sometimes, he becomes his own worst enemy by reading hate comments.
“I’ll be honest, I am not like, you know, once a year, in my more kind of masochistic moments, I will go to like just letterboxed and see what kids are saying about my s*** for some reason. Yeah, and it seems this is terrible. It’s a bad habit,” he told Now Toronto.
Still, the movie has premiered, and he’s acting in it — but judgement is often inevitable.
Director Dowse also sees himself in the character, saying launching a dream can sometimes feel unattainable.
“There’s a lot of similarities between dreaming about making a film and being a film director or writer. Getting something launched and believing in something that feels impossible at times,” he said. “I think Ken Carter can be inspiring to many people in that situation.”
‘There are way more Canadian stories to be told’: Canadian film is having a moment
The success of TV series like Heated Rivalry illustrates the great Canadian shows and talent (such as Hudson Williams) the country has to tell. Now, The Stunt Driver is telling a Canadian story from a Canadian daredevil who dreamed of flying.
Dowse believes directors are already producing incredible work, earning Oscars and other awards. He named Denny Vilnius and Jean-Marc Vallée as key examples.
“We’re in a great position, and I think there are way more Canadian stories to be told,” Dowse said. “It’s about telling a great story, and I’m Canadian — that’s just where the source comes from.”
Baruchel adds that Canadian film is often underrated or unknown.
“I think we’ve been making wonderful stuff the entire time. I just don’t think that English Canada has known these movies have been there,” he explained.
‘Remember what he sacrificed’: Baruchel on the importance of this film
Baruchel says that the film is great for sharing Carter’s story.
“A mark of a great film is something that takes you from one place and lands you in another. That’s the goal… The fact that people get emotional watching the film is the goal. The goal is to remember what he sacrificed,” he said.
Baruchel added that with a great script, it wasn’t hard to make the film great — and thankfully, Dowse made it right.
Dowse said that knowing Baruchel helped with the script’s construction.
“Jay was the perfect and the only choice for me to play the character. So it made a tonne of sense for the reasons that he just said that you know he’s from the same area. He understands Anglo Montreal, and he was the same age now,” Dowse explained.
Baruchel added that his background had significantly helped.
“We both have an unearned sort of belief in ourselves… something to prove, and we’re both kind of patriotic… That made him a guy that I thought I understood pretty good,” he said.
