Jay Baruchel: All-Canadian Charmer

15 questions with Jay Baruchel

WORDS BY MADELEINE KANE | PERFORMANCE - Issue 5

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.

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,

Jay Baruchel by Kalya Ramu

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.

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

sM | What is your idea of perfect happiness?

JB — Reading books on the porch with nowhere to be.

sM | Your greatest fear?

JB — Dying young.

sM | The trait you most deplore in yourself?

JB — Bad temper.

sM | Trait you most deplore in others?

JB — Feeling sorry for yourself.

sM | What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

JB — Being true to one's self.

sM | What do you most dislike about your apprearance?

JB — My smile.