Testimonials

ACTORS, DIRECTORS & CASTING DIRECTORS ENDORSE THE FOUNDRY

Cobie Smul­ders  | IMDB Pro file
How I Met Your Mother, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I have worked pri­vately with Matthew on sev­eral projects and he is truly a mas­ter of the text. He knows how to break down every speech and scene and make it work best for you.

Cameron Crowe   | IMDB Pro file
Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, We Bought A Zoo, Vanilla Sky
Matthew Harrison came highly recommended as an acting coach, and now I see why. His work on Roadies was unbelievably good. He clearly knows his stuff. Because of Matthew’s work, our lead actor’s performance was powerful and nuanced, with dialogue full of dynamics, and with a deep emotional undertone. He instilled an amazing learning curve in the actor. We were grateful to have Matthew on set. I am a big fan…and I look forward to working with him again!

Ron White   | IMDB Pro file
Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Horrible Bosses, Sex and the City 2
That Cameron Crowe chose Matthew Harrison to be my acting coach was the luckiest break in a long time. My acting in ROADIES is all because of him and and because of his extraordinary process and his magic with script. Matthew’s brilliant. Gave my character heart. Made me get real. AND I noticed that it did really improve my stage performance. My stand up. It kinda woke me up a little bit, got me really connected to my audience, and I felt I was finding some real humanity I never touched before. Matthew is unbelievably good at what he does. He’s like a doctor: he cares, he’s patient, and he’ll fix you!

Rufus Sewell   | IMDB Pro file
Dark City, A Knight’s Tale, The Illusionist, The Holiday
Matthew is a tal­ented coach… with great instinct and with the nat­ural dis­cre­tion and tim­ing that is so essen­tial work­ing on set. I know I ben­e­fit­ted from his abil­ity and under­stand­ing in all these areas. I should also like to add he’s great fun to hang out with and I look for­ward to work­ing with him again.

Bran­don Jay McLaren  | IMDB Pro file
Graceland, The Killing, Being Erica, She’s The Man
Matthew has a mas­ter­ful knowl­edge of the craft. and the intel­lect and insight to push you to the next level and get you work­ing.

Daniel Cud­more  | IMDB Pro file
X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men 2, The Twilight Saga
When I came to the Actor’s Foundry i was very guarded. I never really trusted myself to just be, to trust in, and do the work because I was wor­ried about judge­ment. When I came here, the judge­ment dis­ap­peared. I started to trust myself, and do the work. It gave me con­fi­dence, which was what I was search­ing for. I got all the ‘glass walls’ out of the way, became much more vul­ner­a­ble. I real­ized, “I’m not going to get judged. Everyone’s here to do the same thing.” That’s when my con­fi­dence started to grow.

Karen Hol­ness  | IMDB Pro file
Cashing In, Once Upon A Time, Psych, Arrow, Fringe, jPod, Chicago
I had come to study with Matthew just at the right time to take my work and suc­cess to another level – and I am now THE LEAD ACTOR OF A SERIES due to Matthew’s coaching!  Hav­ing stud­ied at Amer­i­can Acad­emy of Dra­matic Arts in Man­hat­tan, and with Larry Moss and Ivana Chub­buck in Los Ange­les, I can say that Matthew Harrison’s teach­ing is def­i­nitely on par with them all and that he deserves to be placed in the same group with these great teach­ers. Matthew is eas­ily the best teacher that I have come across in Canada. I can always draw on Matthew’s gifts which include a vast knowl­edge of script analy­sis and char­ac­ter devel­op­ment cou­pled with his com­pas­sion­ate insight into the human expe­ri­ence, and I am now con­fi­dent that I will be able to ATTAIN the goals that I have set for myself. So incred­i­bly grate­ful for your ded­i­ca­tion, Matthew. Thank you.

Gary Har­vey   | IMDB Pro file
Producer, Director (Arctic Air, Cold Squad, Cedar Cove)
The Actor’s Foundry is a tremen­dous fer­tile envi­ron­ment for actors of all lev­els. Matthew and Jeb suc­ceed in bridg­ing the craft and busi­ness of act­ing, mak­ing the big pic­ture eas­ier to see. I will con­tinue to rec­om­mend Actors Foundry to any­one inter­ested in doing some­thing inspir­ing for their careers.

Anne Wheeler  | IMDB Pro file
Filmmaker, Director, Writer
Thank you for intro­duc­ing me to the Actor’s Foundry – I love what you are doing and teach­ing there. I really think it’s an excit­ing idea and exactly what should be hap­pen­ing in Van­cou­ver. The bet­ter we get at what we do, the more it’s worth in dol­lars and sense.

Stu­art Aikins  | IMDB Pro file
Casting Director (Continuum, True Justice, The Killing, Human Target, Stargate SG-1, Reaper, Unforgiven, Elf, Stargate: Atlantis)
Every time I work with the Foundry, I am con­stantly impressed by how com­mit­ted the actors are. They con­front their fears and take huge leaps of faith, result­ing in work that improves beyond their expec­ta­tions. It’s not lost on me that con­fronting an estab­lished Cast­ing Direc­tor of 35 years, like me, who is partly respon­si­ble for their future takes guts. These actors have guts in spades. I can only thank the skills of their act­ing teach­ers and espe­cially Matthew Har­ri­son who strives on a daily basis to improve the lot of the actors in this com­mu­nity. The ded­i­ca­tion of his self and his teach­ers is a rar­ity in this busi­ness that should be truly appreciated.

Car­rie Wheeler  | IMDB Pro file
Pres­i­dent, Car­rie Wheeler Entertainment
The Actor’s Foundry is hands down *the* des­ti­na­tion that I send my pro­fes­sional teen and adult actors to. Whether they are just start­ing out of the gate or sea­soned vet­er­ans, Actor’s Foundry has the per­fect coach to push them through their own per­sonal bar­ri­ers and, ulti­mately, book the job. At the end of the day, the actors are stronger, more con­fi­dent, and have the leg up on their com­pe­ti­tion. In addi­tion, The Actor’s Foundry is an exem­plary sup­porter of all of their stu­dents and the act­ing com­mu­nity in gen­eral. They go above and beyond, help­ing cast, pro­duce, direct, pro­vide space, sup­port and expo­sure for their stu­dents to cre­ate their own mate­r­ial, either on cam­era or on stage. I know of no other school that does this out­side of the classroom.

Natasha Trisko  | IMDB Pro file
Owner, Trisko Talent Management Inc.
Matthew is the best in the city and is highly regarded by all in the film indus­try. Many of my actors train and coach with him and the results have always been extremely pos­i­tive.

Pamela Wise  
Talent Agent, Premiere Talent Managment
Matthew has taught many of my tal­ent. Every­one con­sis­tently raves about the hon­est pas­sion and com­mit­ment he has to every indi­vid­ual. I have noticed a marked improve­ment in con­fi­dence lev­els and vision. These pos­i­tives are essential to me as an agent. His knowl­edge of the real­ity of the busi­ness mixed with savvy advice, also gives the stu­dents a real insight to the biz. I think his influ­ence, not only pro­vides tech­ni­cal ben­e­fits, but also those of a true men­tor.

Paul Weber  | IMDB Pro file
Casting Director, Weber Casting
The Actor’s Foundry has a ter­rific pro­fes­sional pro­gram. It’s reas­sur­ing to know that Van­cou­ver has such a nur­tur­ing place for actors to grow in their craft.

Can­dice Elzinga   | IMDB Pro file
Owner, Candice Elzinga Casting Inc.
A pas­sion­ate teacher, Matthew’s ener­getic style chal­lenges his stu­dents to take risks, pro­vok­ing strong choices that trans­late into well rounded and empow­ered work.

Lisa Beach  | IMDB Pro file
Casting Director (Wedding Crashers, Horrible Bosses, We’re The Millers, Walk The Line, V, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
I have so much respect for what Matthew and the Actor’s Foundry are doing — they are con­sum­mate pro­fes­sion­als who give the actors extra­or­di­nary train­ing and and expe­ri­ence. I was wowed by what I saw, and really look for­ward to com­ing back to the Actor’s Foundry again…it’s an amaz­ing train­ing ground for any seri­ous Artist.

Deborah Gillam-Harry  | IMDB Pro file
Entertainment Coach, Fast Forward Coaching
Matthew is sim­ply a breath of “Fresh Air” when it comes to teach­ing and coach­ing – all our clients who
have spent time with Matthew in his classes have secured great roles – and all have told me that Matthew gave them the insight they needed to make a solid deci­sion to go into the audi­tion room and book the role…. that’s why I sup­port Matthew…he really gives our clients the tools to work with to book the work.

Lena Lees-Heidt  
Partner, PLAY Management Inc.
I have been an agent for over six years and I’ve had the plea­sure of work­ing with Matthew in var­i­ous capac­i­ties. I refer clients in dif­fer­ent stages of their careers to learn and coach with Matthew often because of the com­fort­able and unique learn­ing envi­ron­ment he pro­vides and because of the results that are pro­duced. The response from my actors and actresses alike is always pos­i­tive and they always look for­ward to con­tin­u­ing their train­ing with him.

Dylan Maher  | IMDB Pro file
Talent Agent, Trisko Talent Management Inc
I never hes­i­tate to refer Matthew for both coach­ing and class, I love his style and results. I’ll always refer all things Foundry to my clients.

Tara Wil­son  | IMDB Pro file
Law & Order, Snuffed Out, Pinero, Frame of Mind, Motive,
Matthew’s pas­sion­ate and encour­ag­ing coach­ing and teach­ing has been an inte­gral part of my growth as an artist and as a pro­fes­sional. Matthew under­stands actors. He empow­ers us to honor the script and find the truth in every scene. His tech­nique is clear and sim­ple, and he con­sis­tently breaks down bar­ri­ers to get actors to the next level. I trust his exper­tise and will work with him every chance I get.

Jacque­line Ann Steuart  | IMDB Pro file
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, V, Fringe, Flight 93, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Hav­ing Matthew as a coach is like hav­ing a secret weapon. He cuts right through to the core of every scene with script analy­sis so precisely…even the worst of scripts becomes ‘act’-able. I can audi­tion with con­fi­dence know­ing that I fully under­stand the text. Matthew’s skill as an act­ing coach cou­pled with his com­pas­sion­ate, hon­est and gen­er­ous nature makes him a pure gem of a coach and human being!

Bron­wen Smith   | IMDB Pro file
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Gunless, Love Seat, The Killing, Supernatural,
Matthew is an incred­i­bly pas­sion­ate, enthu­si­as­tic and focused teacher. His tremen­dous skills and expe­ri­ence as an actor, direc­tor and writer inform his teach­ing. He is demand­ing yet encour­ag­ing and he always pro­vides his stu­dents with a safe envi­ron­ment in which to learn and explore. He asks his stu­dents to ask more of themselves.

Alexis Kellum-Creer  | IMDB Pro file
The Returned, Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, The L Word
Matthew, I wanted to say thank so much for letting me (and the rest of us auditors) sit in on your amazing class last night – it was an incredible night of acting.  It is always such a shot in the arm to see the extraordinary commitment of your actors, and your own energy and dynamism. You are unfailingly generous with your passions and insight, which provides such terrific inspiration to the gifted actors who seek you out!  This whole community is hugely fortunate to have you sharing your generosity with us. Thank you for all you do.

Michael Karl Richards  | IMDB Pro file
The Big Year, Supernatural, Bringing Ashley Home, SGU Stargate Universe, V, Smallville,
Lying to Be Perfect
Matthew’s classes have been instru­men­tal in my devel­op­ment as a pro­fes­sional actor. I look for­ward to his work­shops where I know that I’ll find the cre­ative and ener­gized envi­ron­ment Matthew facil­i­tates with his pos­i­tive approach to teach­ing. Matthew’s scene analy­sis makes coach­ing with him for an audi­tion or a role a joy as he is always able to sim­plify the scenes in order to find the true objec­tive and then he uses his acute sense of what makes peo­ple tick to find how that objec­tive relates specif­i­cally to my life. He has been one of the guid­ing forces in my career since I met him and I feel lucky to have found some­one like him to work with.

Colby Johann­son  | IMDB Pro file
Freddy vs. Jason, Final Destination 3, Fringe, Iron Golem, Reaper, Battlestar Galactica, The Colt
Matthew’s coach­ing has played an impor­tant part in the devel­op­ment of my career. He’s a mas­ter at script analy­sis and has the uncanny abil­ity to uncover the true mean­ing beneath the text. Team that with his under­stand­ing of the human psy­che and his pas­sion to give his stu­dents the tools they need to give their best per­for­mance is unmatched and that’s why I keep going back.

Giles Pan­ton  | IMDB Pro file
If I Stay, Damage, Voodoo, Max Steel, Supernatural, Smallville, Human Target
Matthew brings a joy and lev­ity to the class­room that is rare these days. He’s cre­ated an atmos­phere rife with dis­cov­ery, debate and explo­ration that leaves you feel­ing accom­plished and com­pelled to work harder. His clear and suc­cinct meth­ods of script analy­sis cou­pled with intense knowl­edge of the human psy­che pro­vide a refresh­ing insight into the art behind our craft. It is a plea­sure and an honor to work with Matthew Harrison.

Tracy Spiri­dakos  | IMDB Pro file
Revolution, Being Human, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Hellcats,
The L Word, Supernatural
Matthew has given me the tools and knowl­edge to con­fi­dently go out and tackle my career. His love for teach­ing, along with his pas­sion and skill for this craft, is absolutely inspi­ra­tional. I have found the Actor’s Foundry to be a place each actor can call their own. Matthew has inspired me not only as an actress but as a per­son, to chase after my dreams, believe in myself, and succeed.

Leah Gib­son  | IMDB Pro file
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Watchmen, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Rogue, Arctic Air, Caprica
The sense of com­mu­nity here was just some­thing i responded to…you can’t go about this in any way alone and at the same time you can’t expect or hope that any­one will do the work for you so that being said it’s just so impor­tant to sur­round your­self with peo­ple that hold you account­able, that encour­age the dis­ci­pline, that live the dis­ci­pline and account­abil­ity them­selves. Com­mu­nity is just so important…how would I have had any of these answers and how would I have lived any of them myself so far if it hadn’t been for the Actor’s Foundry? I don’t know…

Christo­pher Shyer  | IMDB Pro file
V, CSI, Cold Squad, The Practice, The Core, Along Came A Spider, The Invitation, K-9: P.I.
Work was good, but I needed to push my poten­tial in audi­tions. Matthew took me to the lim­its of my under­stand­ing of story and text. Like magic, he clearly and artic­u­lately spells out script analy­sis, see­ing things oth­ers don’t, and then unblocks your per­sonal walls so you hurl your­self into your scenes.

Anthony Konechny  | IMDB Pro file
Fifty Shades of Grey, Godzilla, Witches of East End, Almost Human
I wanted to take the time to send out my utmost gratitude for Matthew and the Actor’s Foundry. I began studying with Matthew about 3 ½ years ago, and I can definitely say he has taken both my craft and ability to the next level. But more so, my confidence in and throughout the work.  He is an exceptionally intellectual, passionate teacher, that breaks down the craft of acting, to very specific, and understandable tools that any actor, at any level, can make applicable. I was very grateful to work with Matthew who coached me on my most recent film. Where we took an incredibly challenging and emotional role, and created a dynamic arc and levels with the character throughout the film. I’ve always been amazed at watching Matthew teach, and thoroughly enjoyed even just auditing his classes. The way he handles his actors, while instructing, separates him from the rest. Putting up a scene in class, performing, can be quite nerve racking for some, and puts them in an incredibly vulnerable place, open to self-destruction and embarrassment. But I’ve always been blown away with his incredible concentration, patience, and such a genuine heart. His notes are extremely nurturing for a growing actor, and therefore are able to make a positive and EMPOWERING impact. So many times have I seen teachers, who ‘yes’ know the answers, and what needed to be fixed or improved on. But they don’t know ‘how’ to get across the idea and lesson in an empowering way! At no given point do I believe an actor should ever leave a class feeling crappy about themselves. With Matthew, you’ll leave with your homework, but feel optimistic and motivated to do the work. Which I think is KEY and imperative. So for that, thank-you.