Rob Michaels: Please, After You

Canada has many talented actors, writers, directors, and other content creators. To help our industry grow, we would like to introduce you to some of those talented folks who have managed to capture that magic on screen. 

This week, we spoke with Toronto actor, writer, and director, Rob Michaels. 

Rob directed the new comedy feature film Please, After You.  

HNMAG: Was Please, After You mostly shot in London, Ontario?

Rob Michaels: We filmed there because of the tax credits. The city is like Hamilton trying to generate more business with film productions.

 

HNMAG: What did you study at Waterloo?

Rob Michaels: Something completely unrelated to what I’m doing now. I went to school for math. I was in a completely overachieving program where, at the end of five years, you get a math degree from Waterloo and a business degree from Laurier. Now I’m in a career that requires neither.

 

HNMAG: Were your parents Canadian?

Rob Michaels: My family is from Iraq. They left after the Iran-Iraq War. I was born in Jordan and moved to Toronto when I was two. When I was approached to direct the script, I let them know that I’m not from Iran. I was very comfortable and familiar with the nuances as the cultures are very similar, but I made it a condition that we had a Farsi translator on set. It was also fortunate that the writer and the two leads were completely fluent. 

 

HNMAG: Please, After You is very much about Canada and what it means to be part of this country. We do have a good democracy that can work here.

Rob Michaels: Canada is not perfect, but it’s a long way from Iran. You have the freedom to dress the way you like and voice your opinion. It’s pretty much everything that Ali says in his monologue at the strip club. My family certainly has their complaints about Canada, too, but at the end of the day, they stayed here. Canada is more stable than Iraq. While this is a refugee story, it’s more about the relationship between these two characters. I haven’t seen a refugee-immigration story done as a comedy before. Humanity is about making jokes in tough moments. We need the comedy to disarm us.

 

HNMAG: It’s a buddy comedy. We know characters like that in our lives. We root for the lovable goof because he has a good heart.

Rob Michaels: Any mistake he makes comes from good intentions, not malice. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was a big influence. It’s finding that heart in the buddy comedy. We have all been Ali who want to get something done and have experienced the Omid who unintentionally throws a wrench into those plans. 

 

HNMAG: Many popular movies are not specific in the location where they’re set. In Please, After You, Toronto is essential to the story. We don’t see that too often.

Rob Michaels: You almost never see it. Look at the most recent Canadian TV comedy sensation, Schitt’s Creek. They never say what country it takes place in. In Orphan Black, CGI’d the CN Tower out of the shots of the city. Why not have a production that is unapologetically set in Toronto?

 

HNMAG: Producers and studios have been hesitant to set films and TV shows in Canada, but that is changing because audiences around the world are proving that if something is authentic, it will have universal appeal. 

Rob Michaels: I hope it changes. My Old Ass from Margot Robbie’s production company and starring Aubrey Plaza was set in Muskoka. The characters had conversations about the Prime Minister, and there were Canadian flags in the background. Audiences are realizing that they can watch international stories and care about them. 

 

HNMAG: Fifteen years ago, there was a successful feature film that showed how cool Toronto is, starring Michael Cera…

Rob Michaels: Yeah, Scott Pilgrim vs The World. It was so nice that all these A-listers are in this movie, and Toronto is Toronto. 

 

HNMAG: You were involved in Second City after university?

Rob Michaels: After I finished school, I got a job in finance, but I had this dream of being a comedy writer without any idea of how to do that. I read Tina Fey’s book…

 

HNMAG: Bossy Pants?

Rob Michaels: Yeah, she had no connection to the industry, so she signed up with Second City and then…SNL. I figured that I should do that too. I worked my way up. I performed and taught there. I would not have the comedy chops I have without that experience. 

Improv was a really important discovery. Not just as a comedian. It generally teaches you to be in the moment, stay positive, and be open to possibilities. After it’s done, you never see it again, so who cares if you fail? You can take those lessons creatively, but even everyday things like approaching someone in a bar. You’re able to take that risk and embrace failure because you know, if it doesn’t work, you’ll never see them again. But if it does work, you could discover something pretty amazing. 

I eventually moved from improv to sketch and started filming sketches and putting them up on YouTube. We were making high production value stuff to prove we could translate well to TV & film. One of those sketches eventually led to me being offered this movie. 

 

HNMAG: What was the short film you made earlier?

Rob Michaels: The one that got the most attention was Habib. It was a Marvel Parody about the first Arab superhero who was saving the world, but struggling to impress his parents, who wanted him to be a doctor instead. Marvel saw it, and they loved it, and I got to meet with them. 

 

We hope that readers are not doing this, but it’s possible to skip to this paragraph just to get a gist of the article, then just skim through. Of course, you should look for and watch Please, After You. It’s available digitally to rent or buy on Apple TV+, and will be broadcast on Superchannel Fuse. If you are reading this first, this article contains great information about Canadian TV shows and movies to watch, and improv comedy. We are not going to say much more, you’ll just have to read the article from start to finish. Rob Michaels is great to talk to. His intelligence, humour, and good heart come across well in his work. 



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