by Madeleine Kane
Jay Baruchel
by Kalya Ramu
Jay Baruchel:
all-Canadian charmer
15 QUESTIONS
with JAY BARUCHEL
5.2
Sifting through any genre-defining comedy of the last decade, you’d almost certainly find the scruffy yet relaxed charismatic magnet personified by the all-Canadian charmer, Jay Baruchel. As a familiar onscreen staple, with a career spanning over two decades, Baruchel’s performances range from box-office hits to raucous blockbuster comedies, to acclaimed and poignant dramas.
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In recent years, Baruchel has delved fully into his life behind the camera as a writer and director. His author’s debut, Born Into It: A Fan’s Life, a memoir of lifelong devotion to the Montreal Canadiens, was published in 2018. In 2020, amidst
the chaotic reshuffling of pandemic cinema, Baruchel released his directorial debut Random Acts of Violence, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay. A savory summer-road slasher inspired by brusque graphic-novel gore, Random Acts pumped fresh blood into the Canadian horror scene, and solidified Baruchel as a no-holds-barred director with even more up his sleeve.
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Inspired by our Proust Questionnaire, Jay Baruchel joins us for a special Q&A and unveils the secret facets of what motivates his multi-talented creative mind, and the private inspiration behind an enduring career.