AC alumnus makes debut on hit TV show
Posted on Monday, November 12th, 2018
Yanik Ethier is a Canadian actor and Algonquin College Theatre Arts alumnus (class of ’03). From small-town Cochrane, Ont., he currently resides in Vancouver, where he films for his upcoming role as the newest supervillain on the DC Comics-inspired show, Arrow. While tight-lipped about his character, Ethier was more than willing to talk about his previous experience in Theatre Arts at Algonquin College.
Q: What can you tell us about your character?
Absolutely nothing! What I can tell you is he’s part of the DC comics canon. He may or may not return, and that I’m doing everything in my badassery handbook to make sure he does. That’s all I can say about that. You’ll have to watch and see how things play out.
Q: Who is your favourite supervillain and why?
I like antiheroes. I like when it is not just black and white, good versus evil, but when films are about a human struggle. I like when there are a series of choices someone has to make concerning their powers. As for my favourite supervillain from the DC world, I really liked Bane from Batman. He was portrayed by Tom Hardy, who I thought played the role well. I liked the portrayal of his dark past, as well as his big and threatening physicality.
Q: How did Algonquin College affect the trajectory of your career?
Algonquin is where I laid my roots, I cherish those beginning days. I was very green when I started acting at Algonquin. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Coming from small-town Cochrane, I had no idea what acting was, or how the film, television, or theatre industries operated. We had no drama class at our high school. My heart just told me I had to study in a creative field. My high school counsellor recommended that I go into theatre arts, and lucky for me I discovered a passion. I found that acting had many parallels with competitive sports and being a hockey goaltender for most of my life up until then, I liked that. It felt familiar. Algonquin was the beginning to step, to play, to dare, to feel, and to learn for me. It was a platform to discover this interest and this passion.
Q: How did the Theatre Arts program prepare you for a role like this one on Arrow?
This is a tough question. It’s hard for me to recall my early wins and lessons at Algonquin, but it gave me enough confidence to walk into any agency or audition room and completely embarrass myself. Which is what I believe you must do at first.
Q: What are some of your other favourite roles from your career?
Having an intense two-minute scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt without uttering a single word. In The Limping Man in David Lindsey-Abaire’s play, I played Fuddy Meers. He was a half-blind, half-deaf, lisping, limping prison escapee who kidnaps his ex-wife who suffers from amnesia by telling her he’s actually her brother. It was a joy to play, it was a hoot. And stepping into my then alter ego, Freddy Dylan Etheridge, through my two one-man shows. Basically Yanik, but dramified for the stage. Performing is where I am in flow.
Q: What does being cast on Arrow mean for your career?
The exciting, and sometimes frustrating, part of this career as that as actors we rarely know what’s going on up there, in the higher echelons of this hierarchical industry. Personally, this role means to me that it is confirmation and affirmation that it is where I need to be. That’s why I live by the creed, “Be prepared. So you don’t have to prepare.” Sometimes opportunity swoops by you, just like auditions and if you don’t seize them by putting forward your best, you have no idea of the scope of those missed opportunities. I have no idea what plans the writers and producers have for this character. I’ll keep building characters, fine-tuning my instrument, and self-producing work that speaks my truth. I’ll keep growing by doing things that are within my circle of influence, building my brand, and putting myself out there. As actors, that’s the name of the game.
Q: What advice would you give someone starting in the Theatre Arts program?
I spent the better of the decade after graduating from Algonquin in and out of acting classes. In Montreal six or seven years ago, Michael Fassbender said to me, “You gotta surround yourself with people you can work with.” It’s only sinking in to me now, and I didn’t know how important this was. I cannot stress enough the fact that as actors we are a business, we offer a certain product. If you want to scale your business, you’ll need help. Surround yourself with people that lift you up. Start with getting an agent you feel comfortable calling, with which there is open communication. Collaborate with people that have similar interests, with whom you can see projects through to completion. When it’s time to grow and reach out, find a publicist. Most of the roles I booked, I didn’t audition for. The producers saw me audition for something else, and I might have killed it but wasn’t right for the role, so they kept me in mind, and called me in for something else. You never know where your next gig will come from. Maintaining good relationships is a key to success.
To learn more about Yanik, visit his website and his IMDb page here.
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