Photo by Lane Dorsey
We chatted with actor Marcus Rosner about starring in the new LGBTQ+ romantic comedy film My Fake Boyfriend which premiered June 17 on Prime Video. We asked Marcus about the new film, his journey into storytelling and some of his upcoming projects. Check out our conversation below.

When did you decide that storytelling and acting were something you wanted to do?

Marcus Rosner (MR): When I was 18 years old my mom and I took a trip to New York City as a graduation gift. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and so this was the first time I had really seen one of these places I had watched on TV and in Films my whole life. We were walking down Broadway Boulevard and I saw a banner for the “New York Film Academy”. Intrigued we ducked our heads in and they told us it was the Acting Campus for the school. This was literally the first time it had ever dawned on me that acting could be taught. Coming from where I come from it seemed like an unattainable dream that people must be born into or had god-given talent for. After this trip I researched the closest and most reputable acting school to myself which turned out to be the Vancouver Film School. I worked construction for a while and saved up the money to go to the school and eventually moved out to Vancouver. I guess the rest is history.

What advice would you give to people pursuing acting?

MR: I would say that first – find out if you LOVE it. If you HAVE TO do it. Decide if 20 years from now you’ll be content being a broke artist if all the fame and fortune we are lead to believe is on offer doesn’t actually present itself on a silver platter. Then, IF the answer is yes…go after it with every ounce of your being.

What can you tell us about My Fake Boyfriend?

MR: My Fake Boyfriend is an absolutely nuts, over-the-top, LGBTQ Rom-Com with a lot of heart. It was directed by Rose Troche and it stars Keiynan Lonsdale, Dylan Sprouse, and Sarah Hyland along with Samer Salem and myself. It’s about an up and coming stuntman played by Keiynan who is in an extremely toxic relationship with the star of the hit TV series he works on. I play the insanely toxic aforementioned TV star. His best friends played by Dylan and Sarah are desperate to get him out of this relationship and in an effort to do so they create a fake online persona for Keiynan to appear to be dating. The whole thing explores the complexities of modern relationships, particularly in the LGBTQ community and it doesn’t shy away from pushing the boundaries.

What is so appealing about the Rom-Com genre in your opinion?

MR: It’s funny, in the history of cinema there has to be no genre that has a greater quantity of films at this point than the Romantic Comedy. I’m not sure why that is but I’d guess it has something to do with how aspirational the basic construct is. We’re all looking for love in this life and we’re all trying to have fun while doing it. That’s what these films deliver and I think that’s what keeps people coming back time and time again.

Outside of acting, do you have any other interests or passions?

MR: Over the past couple years I’ve been transitioning into producing actually. While I love acting I found that the extensive time between takes on set, the time between gigs themselves, and the time between auditions was torturous. As someone who would consider themselves a self-starter and a bit of a control freak it was agonizing having no control over creative aspects of the projects I was working on and especially agonizing having little control over my own career. Making this transition has helped quell both those needs.

What has been the best advice someone has given you about acting?

MR: My first acting coach and long-time mentor –  Andrew McIlroy has given me countless pieces of extremely valuable advice over the years but one that sticks out? Maybe – “Craft Not Crap”. He used to say this and it really connected with me. Essentially it means focus on the craft of acting, the art form, as opposed to the business of “fame”. That’s where long-term success lay. When I heard this it helped me decide that ultimately I just loved the craft and I was either going to be a broke actor or one with a roof over my head but either way I was going to be an actor because I loved it.

Can you tell us about other upcoming projects you are working on?

MR: Aside from My Fake Boyfriend, I’ll have a more traditional Rom-Com airing this summer titled “From Italy With Amore.” I produced this film in my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta and it stars myself alongside Rebecca Dalton and a cast of extremely talented supporting players. On top of that I’ll be leading the first of four interconnected Rom Coms later this year titled “The Love Club”. I star alongside Brittany Bristow in that one. And then I have a Christmas flic airing this winter as well called “Christmas In Maple Hills”. Then, lastly, we are about to go into production on our next two films in Edmonton. Both are Rom-Coms that I’ll be producing and starring in as well. Oh, and I’ll appear very briefly in the next season of Netflix’s Sex/Life. So, lots going on!

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