CHROMA caught up with Canadian screen legend – and Saskatchewan’s own – Kim Coates for a chat about the country, the craft, cocktails and much more. Kim Coates everyone…
Hi, Kim Coates here. Proud Canadian boy. And ACTRA, thank you for having me.
Q: What Canadian film or TV show do you wish you’d been part of?
Kim Coates: Boy, I’m 107 years old now, so I’ve been around a bit. I don’t look it, of course. A good vampire never gives away his secrets.
I was lucky early on – Night Heat, the original Street Legal, ENG. Those shows were a real launching pad for me. I was still going hard in the theatre, and every one of those jobs taught me something about this business that I’ve carried with me ever since.
But the show I would have loved to do? Republic of Doyle. Allan Hawco and that whole incredible team out on The Rock – Newfoundland – were just killing it. I think there may have been a moment where something was being discussed, but I was busy. That happens. But I know someday, somewhere, I will work with Hawco. Big, big fan.
Q: From Sons of Anarchy, Bad Blood, Anna Pigeon and beyond, you’ve brought some legendary characters to life. Which one would you bring back to complete their story?
Kim Coates: I would have to say Bad Blood. “Declan Gardiner”.
Mark Montefiore brought that project to me around 2016 or ’17, and we had visions that we were doing one season – six episodes – based on Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War. I got to co-produce with Nataline Rodriguez and Mark and their incredible team over there, and to play “Declan” was incredible. Then it took off. It became a big hit in Canada and on Netflix, so we got to come back for a second season, which was even more special in many ways.
We had plans for a third and final season. Michael Konyves and Simon Barry had a real ending in mind – a proper finish to the whole thing. Then COVID came along, the world shifted, the business shifted, and we just couldn’t quite get it back to the starting line to finish it off.
That’s the one I’d love to finish. The story we had planned was wild. It would have been shocking, emotional, and a hell of a way to close Declan’s book. Anyway, Bad Blood. There you go.
Q: What’s the most “Canadian” thing about you?
Kim Coates: Everything. No guff. You know what I’m saying? EVERYTHING.
I don’t have tattoos – could never quite pull the trigger. Love putting the fake ones on, but I don’t have any real ones. But if I did, there’d be a Canadian flag right over my heart. That’s just the truth.
“Unions matter. Especially now.”
Q: What would you say to a young performer who is wondering if they should join a union?
Kim Coates: Coming out of Saskatoon, I worked at Safeway, and that union took care of us. The wages were good, the healthcare was good, and in the ’70s, that kind of protection meant everything to a young guy trying to find his way.
Then I moved into acting, segued from Saskatoon to Toronto, joined Equity, joined ACTRA, and joined the other unions as my career propelled forward, from theatre into film and television.
Early on, if you’re not yet able to get into a union or land that first union job, there is nothing wrong with taking non-union work and building your craft. You grow that way – you learn, you meet people, you find your voice.
So early on, it’s fine, but then eventually you need unions, because that’s where the big fish play in the big pond – where the big work is. That’s where the great writers, directors, crews, and productions are – and unions protect us. They protect your wages, your safety, your working conditions, all of it. I truly don’t know where I’d be without ACTRA, SAG, Canadian Actors’ Equity, and American Equity. They’ve helped me through a lot of speed bumps.
Unions matter. Especially now.
Q: You’ve had a successful career on both sides of the border. What does Canadian film and television do exceptionally well, and what American industry trait would you import home?
Kim Coates: I knew this was coming. Look. You all know this about me. I wear the Canadian flag on my heart, and, and I always will until I’m gone. Canada’s work ethic is second to none. Our kindness, our professionalism, our willingness to work together – people notice it.
My American friends come up to work in Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, wherever, and they call me saying, “Why is everyone so nice? Why is everyone working so hard? Why is someone bringing me coffee and asking if I want a double-double?” That’s us. There’s no “I” in team, and Canadians understand that. We want the whole production to succeed. Canada has been putting out spectacular work for decades. We’re at the top of the mountain in so many ways, and I’m so proud to be Canadian. And when I hear Americans talk about Canada that way, it makes me feel so good.
What America does exceptionally well is build a star system. They commit to publicity, marketing, premieres, and making audiences feel that something is an event. Here’s an example – I just did Anna Pigeon in Alberta with the wonderful Tracy Spiridakos, and when we premiered in Los Angeles, USA Network went all in. They flew everybody in, put everybody up, created a major moment around the show – and it paid off. Anna Pigeon opened as one of the largest hits USA Network has had in eight years.
That kind of (financial) investment in talent, visibility, and audience excitement is something Canada could always use more of.
“I’ve never been afraid to fail, and maybe that’s why I keep taking chances.”
Q: You’ve played tough guys, bad guys and complicated guys. What role would your friends and family say, “That is definitely NOT Kim”?
Kim Coates: That’s a tough one, because I’ve been fortunate to play so many different kinds of people – bad boys, complicated guys, heroes, funny guys, all of it. And I’ve been lucky enough to work with incredible actors and real icons in this business – people who have taught me a great deal along the way.
What I’m most proud of is when somebody says, “Boy, you really lose yourself in your parts,” or “I didn’t see any Kim in that.” That means a lot to me. I’ve never been afraid to fail, and maybe that’s why I keep taking chances. I love a director who says, “No, no, that’s not where we’re going. What do you think about this?” I love being challenged. I love taking direction. Good direction is something every actor needs.
But the one role where I think people really couldn’t believe it was me was Johnny “Rooster” Byron in Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth.
I went back to the stage with Philip Riccio, Mitchell Cushman, and the incredible team at Crow’s Theatre in Toronto. Sir Mark Rylance made that role famous, and for a long time, nobody else was given the opportunity to take it on. When Mark heard that Mitchell, Philip, and their team wanted me to play Rooster, and Jez gave it his blessing, it was a huge moment for all of us.
The accent, the posture, the unpredictability, the madness of him – it was a whole other world. I had close to a year to get ready for that three-hour-and-twenty-minute marathon, and I was grateful every night I made it to the finish line.
We sold out, were nominated for eight Dora Awards, and won all eight. Awards aren’t what it’s about, but boy, that was a special night. And having my daughter Brenna onstage with me, after coming off Broadway to do the show, made it something I’ll carry with me forever.
Q: What Canadian food do you have to sneak over the border when you’re in the US?
Kim Coates: Thank you, ACTRA. Trying to get me in trouble with all my incredible customs people! Way to go, ACTRA. Wow. So ballsy.
Ketchup chips and Smarties, for sure. My daughters and their husbands expect them when I get back to L.A.
And those maple cookies at the airport? Forget about it. If there’s a buy-two-get-one deal, I’ve been known to show up in Los Angeles with ten boxes. People expect me at the door with cookies under my arm, singing “O Canada.” Darn tootin’.
“Put that in your pipe and smoke it.”
Q: Fill in the blank: “If I weren’t an actor, I would be ________”
Kim Coates: A history teacher. One thousand percent.
That was the plan at the University of Saskatchewan before acting got a hold of me – Shakespeare, sonnets, soliloquies, and Tennessee Williams. Then everything changed.
But yes: history teacher. Maybe with a pipe by now. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Q: Is there a historical Canadian figure from any era that you would love to play on screen?
Kim Coates: Hmm. Tough question. Gordie Howe has been done, and he’s my favourite hockey player. Tommy Douglas has been done too, and I’m not sure I’m exactly the Tommy Douglas type.
But bring me a great Canadian story – something funny, dark, moving, strange, whatever it is – and I’m in. If it’s written well, and it has heart, especially Canadian funny with a strong dose of heart, I’m all over it. There are still so many stories out there waiting to be told.
Q: Finally, if Kim Coates were a Canadian cocktail, what would be in it? Name the ingredients and, most importantly, give it a name.
Kim Coates: If I were a cocktail, what would be in it, and what would I call it? You ready? It would be called The KC Saski.
“I want a KC Saski, bartender.”
Then I’d say, “Do you know what’s in it?” And the bartender would say, “I sure do. I get a nice, big, tall cocktail glass and fill it full of ice. Then I put a double of the best Canadian whisky I’ve got behind the bar, and I load it up – it’s called a press – with a little Diet Coke and a little water, right to the top. No straw. There you go, sir.”
I would take that drink, sip it with my own lips, and feel real, real good for the rest of the day.
Well, thank you, ACTRA. All right. O Canada. Mwah.