“I think, truly, you have to be ready to go wherever the career takes you. If you’re too rigid in what you think your trajectory is going to be, you’re going to stunt your own growth. And success is what you make it… your greatest asset is your voice — your point of view on the world, how you see things, and how you communicate that.”
I had the pleasure of talking with Matthew Finlan. Matthew is a Canadian actor, writer, and producer whose rising presence in the world of genre entertainment has been marked by a blend of theatrical rigor and a flair for offbeat, character-driven storytelling. With credits spanning horror films, television dramas, and a self-created paranormal comedy series, Finlan has emerged as a distinct voice in contemporary screen acting, known for bringing emotional range and comedic timing to his roles.
Born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario — a town perhaps best known for its hydraulic lift locks — Finlan’s early years were shaped by a deep involvement in community theatre and an internal tug-of-war between a future in dance or drama. A self-proclaimed underachiever in academic subjects, he gravitated toward performance, eventually opting to study classical theatre at a conservatory in Toronto. Rather than lean into his musical theatre comfort zone, Finlan deliberately chose a text-based program to challenge himself and expand his range. That decision laid the foundation for a career that has grown from regional theatre productions to film festivals and streaming platforms.
Finlan’s initial forays into professional acting were onstage, often alongside former instructors, which led to early professional credits and representation. His entry into the film and television world came through commercial work — most memorably, a Head & Shoulders advertisement in which he played a mime — before landing a speaking role that became recurring. That role, secured partly due to another actor’s height, was a reminder of the industry’s unpredictability and the role that serendipity often plays.
In 2022, Finlan attracted wider attention with his performance in Orphan: First Kill, a prequel to the 2009 cult horror film Orphan. Cast as a member of the film’s central family, Finlan’s role offered a breakout moment, not just because of its visibility but due to his personal connection to the original film, which he had seen in theaters as a teenager. The experience proved formative, steering his career toward horror and thriller projects — genres he had long admired. He has since gone on to appear in Brazen, a Netflix crime mystery in which he played a concealed serial killer, and All the Lost Ones, a science-fiction thriller on Amazon Prime.
The past year has seen Finlan expand his reach both in front of and behind the camera. He co-created and stars in Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan, a hybrid paranormal investigation and comedy series on CBC Gem. Now in its second season, the show follows Finlan and Hutchie — joined by actors from across the horror landscape — as they explore some of Canada’s most haunted and folklore-rich locations. The project marks a significant step in Finlan’s career as a producer, requiring a shift in focus from performance to logistics, casting, and the day-to-day problem-solving of unscripted television.
Finlan’s theatrical background continues to influence his screen work. In Hell of a Summer, a slasher-comedy directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, he plays Ezra, a drama camp counselor whose flamboyant love of performance art injects levity into an otherwise blood-soaked setting. The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and held it’s U.S. theatrical release in April 2025. Critics praised the ensemble cast and the film’s ability to simultaneously pay homage to and subvert the slasher genre.
Off-screen, Finlan is candid about the realities of his profession — from the anxieties of auditioning to the physical toll of fight scenes and the uncertainty of freelance life. He recalls moments of mentorship from fellow actors on early projects, including advice that helped him transition from stage to screen. He has also spoken about the challenges of balancing intensity with safety during physical scenes, referencing a stage mishap in which he accidentally injured a co-star with a real knife during rehearsal. These experiences, he says, have informed his approach to on-set collaboration and his emphasis on trust and communication.
In addition to his on-camera work, Finlan has remained active in Canadian theatre. He earned multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations and won in 2020 for Life in a Box, a musical he co-wrote and performed. That creative impulse to make his own work continues to drive him. He advocates for actors to maintain artistic outlets that exist outside the pressures of the industry — whether through running, painting, or playing piano — and frequently emphasizes the value of community and mutual support in a field that often fosters competition.
Finlan’s upcoming projects include promoting the second season of Ghosting and the U.S. release of Hell of a Summer. While no new roles have been announced, he remains a visible and active presence in both the Canadian and international entertainment spheres, balancing genre work with personal storytelling.
Whether portraying vampires, killers, or camp counselors — or chasing ghosts in unscripted locations — Matthew Finlan brings a mixture of theatrical discipline and wry humor to the screen. His career continues to evolve in multiple directions, shaped by a commitment to craft, collaboration, and finding levity in even the most terrifying scenes.
Yitzi: Matthew, it’s a delight to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Matthew: Yes, okay. I was born on a dark, stormy night in a deep, dark cave, and I was greeted by three spirits — no, I’m kidding. I have a much less interesting story than that. I’m from a place called Peterborough, Ontario. It actually does have the world’s tallest hydraulic lift locks, if anybody’s interested in that.
I started, like many actors do, in church basements and community theater. I did plays for years. The real question for me growing up was whether I was going to be a dancer or an actor. That was a big one. I remember having to make that choice in high school because I had basically doomed myself academically — I’m awful at math, not great at geography, and the sciences escaped me. The only thing I could really do was speak other people’s words.
So I thought, okay, I have to be on stage. But is it going to be moving or speaking? I actually did something kind of crazy — I was more comfortable dancing and doing musicals, so I decided to study Shakespeare, which was what I was less comfortable with. I figured it would make me a more well-rounded performer.
I made the call to go to a classical, text-based conservatory in Toronto. I studied there for three years, graduated, and I’m still here in the city — working internationally now — and that is, I guess, in a nutshell, my origin story. And yeah, still fighting the good fight.
Yitzi: So, please tell us about the next chapter. Tell us about your first entrees or your first breaks into the entertainment industry.
Matthew: You know, my first breaks were still in theater. But I was lucky enough to work with some of my professors from college in a few professional companies in Toronto. That helped me get my foot in the door and eventually led to getting represented and landing an agent.
Once that happened, I’d say my big break was joining the union, which is a huge milestone for any actor. Funny enough, it was a Head & Shoulders commercial that got me in. I still laugh about that — I played a mime in it. That’s how I forged my way in.
After joining the union, the auditions got better, but the competition got way tougher. I remember walking into a room full of guys who looked just like me. I actually thought for a second, “Wait, is that Timothée Chalamet over there?” Not really, but it was wild to see how many versions of me were in a five-mile radius of that casting office. That’s when I knew I had to come in fully prepared and bring something different.
Then I booked my first speaking role, and honestly, I got it because the actor they originally cast was too tall and looked too old. Sometimes you get a break for the weirdest reasons. That role ended up becoming a recurring character on the show, and I was like, “What are the chances?”
It kind of snowballed from there. That led to booking some new series and movies. Then the pandemic hit, and it was a curveball for sure, but it actually helped in a weird way. Productions started looking locally for actors so, when Orphan: First Kill was filming in Winnipeg, they were looking for local talent. Being in Toronto, I was just a short flight away, so I counted as “local enough.”
That was a huge break for me. Not only was it my first movie, but it was a horror franchise, which really steered my career in that direction — into horror and thriller projects. I’m super grateful for that because I literally grew up loving the genre.
I remember seeing the original Orphan in theaters back in 2009 with my best friend Maggie. We were both blown away by it. So to land the sequel felt incredibly validating. I thought, “Wow, I loved the original, and now I’m in the franchise? That must mean something.”
When I found out Isabelle was coming back to reprise her role, I was like, “Wait, I actually get to look at Esther, say my lines, and do the scene?” It just blew my mind. And from there, it’s kept going — the roles have been amazing, and the projects have been rich.
Now, I’m so excited to say that the second season just came out of a show I created with my friend Luke. It’s called Ghosting, and we investigate haunted locations with other actors from the horror genre. It’s been a full-circle moment — taking people you’ve met on set and bringing them onto your own show.
It’s the crossover the world didn’t know it needed, and I didn’t know I’d be lucky enough to experience. That’s kind of the long-winded way of saying that all of these breaks and opportunities — this whole trajectory — I never could have guessed where it would go. But looking back, every step made sense and led me to where I am now.
Yitzi: Beautiful. You have some amazing stories and experiences from your fascinating career. Can you share with our readers one or two stories that really stand out in your mind from your professional journey?
Matthew: Okay, well, the first story that comes to mind is always a crazy one. It just blows my mind when I think about what actors go through sometimes.
I was filming a movie called All the Lost Ones — shout out, it’s on Amazon Prime right now — and we were shooting in Northern Ontario. I do a lot of work there. This particular scene was on a dock, and before we started filming, I remember asking, “Has anybody checked the dock for dock spiders?”
If you’re not familiar with dock spiders, you should Google them. They’re basically the Canadian tarantula. They get big — especially the females when they’re pregnant, which they are that time of year.
So, you can probably guess where this is going. My scene partner and I were standing at the edge of this dock for a really beautiful, intimate scene. It started with the camera far away in a wide shot. It was all naturally lit, so we had to get it in one go, or else the lighting would change and it’d look like a different day. We had a limited window to make it work.
Then we moved into the over-the-shoulder shots. Now there’s a camera right there on the dock with us, a guy holding a boom mic, and a couple others holding flags to block light. The dock sank just enough to be level with the water — and that’s when it happened.
About 40 dock spiders came crawling up out of the dock. They started moving over everything — our gear, our legs, everything. We all jumped up so fast the camera almost fell into the lake. We saved it — thankfully — because another production filming on that same lake had just lost a camera the day before. So we knew, whatever happens, don’t let the camera go.
While we were shooting, you can literally see the spiders crawling on us in the footage. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Between takes, I’d stand up, brush myself off, and be like, “Stop, stop, stop, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” Then the moment they called “Action,” it was like, okay — back into the scene. It was a huge challenge.
Another crazy story that comes to mind was from a film I shot before that, Hell of a Summer. I play Ezra, the drama camp counselor. There was this scene where Finn and Billy — the directors and writers — told me, “Okay, Ezra’s going to be on stage right now.” The scene was tense, like someone might be stalking them, and there’s this mystery in the air. They said, “We just need you on stage. Do anything.”
I asked, “What do you want me to do?” And they were like, “We don’t know — perform anything you want.”
I looked around and saw a poster that said Ezra’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. And I had actually done A Midsummer Night’s Dream before, so I asked, “Can I do a monologue from it?” They were like, “Wait — you know a monologue from that?”
I said, “Yeah, I’ve got one right now, off the top of my head.” And they told me, “If you know it, go for it.”
It turned into what I call my Slumdog Millionaire moment. This piece of text that I had memorized back in high school — because I haven’t done the play since then — was just sitting in the back of my brain. And we were in the woods, with no cell service, so I couldn’t just look it up.
I went off to a corner, dug deep, and pulled the words out of memory. And then I performed it — and it made it into the movie.
Those are the moments I live for as an actor. When you bring something personal to the piece and it expands the original vision. Huge kudos to Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk for trusting me like that.
It also reminded me how important it is to keep your “party pieces” in your back pocket. Always have those monologues ready, because you never know when you’ll need them. The fact that I knew the piece, saw the poster, got the green light, and it made it into the film — that’s just wild. It was such a cool, full-circle moment.
Yitzi: That’s an amazing story. I’ve never heard anything like that.
Matthew: It was wild. Actually wild. I was like, “What?” And then I freaking remembered it all! That was insane. Iambic pentameter, too — and I kept it. That’s the thing about Shakespeare — you can’t paraphrase. You’ve got to have it exactly.
Yitzi: It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you first started acting, and the lesson you learned from it?
Matthew: Yes! Okay, this reminds me of something.
So, the first movie I ever shot — Orphan, which I mentioned earlier — it was one of the first days on set, and Rossif Sutherland, who played my dad, was there. I just didn’t know what I was doing. This makes me sound like such a rookie, but I didn’t realize I was supposed to walk into a scene.
I was so used to theater, where you stand on your mark — which they tape on the stage — and then the lights come up and you go. So I figured film was kind of the same. I was just standing on my mark, waiting, and then going from there.
Rossif came up to me and said, “Hey, you know you can walk into this. When they call action, you don’t have to start standing there. You can already be moving — it’ll feel more natural.”
That small piece of advice changed everything. He was so gracious about it. And honestly, he was kind throughout the whole filming process. I think he could see how nervous I was, even though I was trying to act confident. He just kind of dropped little bits of wisdom here and there.
Same thing happened on another movie I did called Brazen. Sam, who played the lead, took me out for coffee to talk about managers and the industry. That conversation actually came out of me messing up a few times on set. I flubbed some lines, and I was so embarrassed — I thought I’d ruined the take and that they were going to fire me.
But he was like, “Dude, don’t worry about it. Just chill.”
And that really stuck with me. Because the truth is, everyone’s nervous on day one. Even a week into a shoot, people are still figuring things out. Sometimes you forget that everyone’s in the same boat.
That reassurance, from someone higher up on the call sheet, was like a sigh of relief.
Also, here’s a funny thing from Orphan. All the actors who were supposed to be family members to Esther had to wear these six-inch platform boots to make us look taller than her — since she’s supposed to appear so young.
Rossif didn’t know how to walk in the boots, so I had to teach him how to make it look natural. So in the end, it was like the student becoming the teacher. I got to pay him back with a little knowledge of my own.
Yitzi: Great story. What has been the most challenging role or project you’ve taken on so far, and why?
Matthew: Hmm, okay. I think those are actually two different things — most challenging role and most challenging project.
The most challenging role would probably be Brazen, the Netflix film I mentioned earlier. It’s based on the book Deadly Desires by Nora Roberts — it’s a romance novel — and it stars Alyssa Milano. Spoiler alert: I play a serial killer.
But the twist is, you don’t really know it’s me. I mean, if you’ve read the book, you might. But in the film, a lot of my character’s crimes are committed while wearing a balaclava, so it’s not obvious.
Monica, the director, said she felt it was important for my performance to physically go through everything. So she had me do all the fight scenes myself, in full gear. That mask was so hot — I was sweating buckets under it. Trust me, it wasn’t a glamorous look.
It was a real challenge. I remember one scene in particular where my character is being violent and aggressive toward another student. I was terrified to shoot it because I wasn’t sure if I even believed myself in that moment. But Monica said, “Don’t worry about it. Just go for it. You’ve got it inside you.” So I really let go, trusted the process, and went all in. That made it the hardest role I’ve done so far.
The hardest project, though, is a different story. That would be Ghosting, the show I created, produce, and host. Actually, as of today, it’s available in the U.S. on YouTube — so everyone can go check it out!
Producing a series from the ground up is a whole different beast. We’ve done two seasons now, so it’s getting a little easier, but producing is a constant juggling act. From what I’ve learned, there’s always a fire burning somewhere — it’s just a matter of which one’s the biggest and which one you have to put out first. That’s just how it goes.
So yeah, hardest role? Gerald in Brazen. Hardest project? Definitely Ghosting.
Yitzi: Great. I’m just curious — when you do a fight scene, are you ever worried about hurting your counterpart?
Matthew: Yes! All the time. I’m so afraid of that.
Okay, crazy story — I learned this early on. I was doing a play called The Mouse House, and at the end of it, my character comes back with a switchblade. I’m supposed to open it and stab it into a table so it wobbles.
Terrible decision — we used a real knife because the prop knife wasn’t sharp enough to stick into the wood. During one dress rehearsal, I was feeling especially energized. In the scene, I’m supposed to run at another character, and someone else is meant to stop me. But they missed their mark — hands went too low — and the knife was out. I ended up stabbing my scene partner in the hand.
I will never forget the sound they made. I felt so awful. Thankfully, it wasn’t deep enough to need stitches, but the fact that I injured someone on stage was horrifying.
So now, it’s always top of mind. I’d rather ruin a take than hurt someone I’m working with. And honestly, I usually end up hurting myself instead. You pull a muscle, or strain your shoulder — it happens.
Yitzi: That’s great. You mentioned a bunch of your projects — Ghosting, the films. Is there anything else you’re working on that you want to share? Anything coming up in the near future we should know about?
Matthew: I don’t think there’s anything announceable just yet. Yeah, no — I think I’ve mentioned everything that’s noteworthy and worth highlighting right now.
But definitely, people should check out Hell of a Summer, and Ghosting on YouTube. Give us some love there. And we’re also doing well on TikTok — we’ve got some nice viral moments brewing!
Yitzi: Amazing. So, you’ve been in five episodes of Ezra. Can you tell us why we should watch the show? What makes it compelling?
Matthew: Well, Ezra is the story of a gay vampire trying to live in the mortal world. He falls in love with a mortal — which is strictly against vampire code.
It’s actually the project where I met my producing partner Luke. He created the series and auditioned me for it — that’s how we met.
But that show is so fun. And I actually did one of the boldest things I’ve ever done as an actor. I had really long hair when I auditioned, and I hated it. I was ready to chop it all off. Luke was like, “No, no, no — keep the hair!” And I was like, “Really? I was just about to cut it.” He said, “We love the look. Do anything you want to it — just don’t cut it.”
Well, I think he might’ve regretted that. Because I went and bleached it blonde without asking. Two days before we started filming. I figured if I did it right before the shoot, they’d have no choice but to use it. So I showed up with this bleached blonde surfer look.
I’d never do that again, but I knew two things: one, I was never going to have long hair again, and two, I was never going to book a role with bleached hair — so I might as well go all in with a role I already had.
So that’s one reason to watch — I look like a beach bum vampire hunter. But more importantly, it’s just such a fun, campy show.
There’s such a cool intersection between horror, queerness, and the supernatural — anything that lives in the “other.” And Ezra does a great job playing with that. It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s bloody.
Yitzi: How would you compare and contrast your personal character, Matthew, with the character you played, Kade Walton? How are you similar, and how are you different?
Matthew: Okay, I’d say we’re similar in that I’ve been a barista, and Kade is a barista. So we both know how to rock an apron pretty well.
But we’re different in a lot of ways. Kade is very duplicitous — he’s putting on a front the whole time and definitely has an ulterior motive that doesn’t get revealed until later.
I’d like to think I’m pretty “what you see is what you get.” I’ve had people tell me they can read my face really easily, which I didn’t realize was so obvious — but I guess that’s the opposite of Kade.
Also, there wasn’t a second season of Ezra, but if there had been, we would’ve learned more about Kade. To my knowledge — though Luke might contradict me — Kade is part of a really old bloodline. Like, a couple hundred years old.
I’m not that old, despite what the rumors say.
Yitzi: So you mentioned Orphan: First Kill. What do you think are the lessons you want society to take from the themes of Orphan: First Kill?
Matthew: Ooh, I mean, okay — that’s kind of a tricky question, because Orphan is one of those movies where your protagonist is kind of also the antagonist. But also, the family — the characters we played — are awful people too.
So, it’s really like you’re watching a group of… I don’t know… evil people trying to outdo each other. It becomes this game of one-upping, and that’s part of what makes it so wild.
Obviously, a lot of the buzz around the original movie was the twist — that she’s actually a 30-year-old woman. And so with the prequel, people were like, “Okay, we already know the twist, so what now?”
Without giving it all away for those who haven’t seen it, part of the twist in First Kill is that the family is just as messed up as Esther. So the movie becomes this match of who’s going to make the first move.
As far as lessons go, maybe one of the bigger takeaways is: you never really know who you’re living next to. Especially in places like upstate New York — maybe check the wells, see who’s buried there.
Another one might be: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. That really applies here. Also, thoroughly read those adoption papers. Seriously.
Yitzi: Great. So, in the series Ghosting, you know as well as I do that “ghosting” also has another meaning these days. Is that kind of ghosting in there too?
Matthew: You know, it’s funny you bring that up.
When we came up with the name Ghosting, I was very adamant that it should be called that. We had a couple of other names floating around, but the reason we landed on Ghosting was because there’s no real verb for ghost hunting.
Like, when you hunt fish, it’s called fishing. When you move on the dance floor, it’s called dancing. When you’re bowling, it’s bowling. But there’s no “ghosting” — so we made that the verb. This is the act of ghost hunting: ghosting.
But yes, you’re totally right — people definitely think it’s a dating show at first. We constantly run into that.
In a way, though, it’s kind of fitting. We never go back to the locations we investigate. We show up, give them one wild night, and then we’re out. We ghost them.
Yitzi: So, this is our signature question. Matthew, you’ve been blessed with a lot of success now. Looking back to when you first started, I’m sure you’ve learned a lot from your experiences. Can you share five things that you’ve learned now that you wish you knew when you first started acting?
Matthew: Mm, okay. Yeah, I’ll probably struggle to find five, and then I’ll struggle to stop talking. One of them is, I really wish I knew — truly — nobody knows what they’re doing. Everybody’s making it up.
Two, be prepared to be broke. Like, actually broke. Learn how to live frugally and smart, pinch your pennies, and really budget everything.
Three, do your taxes. Always, always, always do your taxes. You cannot outrun the government, no matter what. Death and taxes are the two things that get you.
Four, work with your friends and really celebrate their successes. Because somebody’s win is everybody’s win. When your friend does well, you all do well, and there is no room for pettiness or jealousy. And if that starts showing up, maybe you’re with the wrong group of people. That’s huge.
And then number five, nobody is going to be as big a cheerleader for you as you. You really do have to be your own cheerleader. Not your agent, not your manager, not your mom. Those are lovely people and great support systems, but it’s you alone in the bathtub learning those lines. It’s you who has to look at yourself in the mirror and get ready for that audition. It’s you who has to pick yourself up when you’re having ramen for the third time that week. You know what I mean? It’s going to be you.
It’s lovely to have someone a phone call away, but if you can’t pick yourself up… RuPaul says it best: if you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love anybody else? You know? Can I get an amen?
Yitzi: Feel free to riff off if you want.
Matthew: I think, truly, you have to be ready to go wherever the career takes you. If you’re too rigid in what you think your trajectory is going to be, you’re going to stunt your own growth. And success is what you make it.
And then maybe the last thing I’ll say is: make your own work. Try to make your own work. Even if that project never comes to fruition and it never becomes the dream, it was still the thing that kept your creativity alive and brewing. As an artist, your greatest asset is your voice — your point of view on the world, how you see things, and how you communicate that. So you should always have a little something going.
Even if it’s not in your main art form, do something that’s just for you, that keeps the little artist inside alive. Because it’s rough out there, and you just need something. Even baking, or reading, or drawing, or working out — if that’s your thing — do it. But do it for you, not because you think it’s going to get you the job.
Yitzi: Great, well said. Okay, this is our final aspirational question. Matthew, because of your great work and the platform that you’ve built, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Matthew: This might be a bit of a divergence from what we thought I was going to say, but I’ve always wanted there to be an app on our phones — not that we need another app, God love us. But I’ve heard that if enough people focus and meditate at the same time, you can energetically change the vibration of a space. And they say it only takes about 7,000 people to make a massive difference on a global scale.
So, I’ve always thought it’d be really cool if there was some kind of channel or group or way that, around the world, 24 hours a day, there was a tally of how many people were thinking positive thoughts. And if it ever dipped below 7,000, we — as a global community — would need to stop what we’re doing and put more positivity into the world. Just think kinder thoughts about our fellow human beings.
Because I think with the news cycle, even in a lot of the content we’re watching — scripted, unscripted — it’s a dark, scary place out there. I work in that realm a lot. And I think we have to pump more light into this world however we can. It starts with our internal landscape, and then we can project it outward.
So, my message to the greater world would be: let’s find a way to raise our vibration. And if we can do it in an analog way that doesn’t involve technology, even better. But if we can turn a flaw into a feature — maybe we do it in the metaverse, or on TikTok, or Instagram, or whatever new app comes out in five years — then I think we can find a way to make this network, which sometimes feels like the demise of our society, into something that lifts us up.
Yitzi: Brilliant, Matthew. It’s been amazing meeting you. And I hope we can do this again next year. I wish you continued success. You’re a rising star, and I’m looking forward to watching your star rise.
Matthew: That is so kind. I can’t wait for you to move to Toronto. It’d be so great. I’ll show you around.
Matthew Finlan on ‘Ghosting,’ Genre Fame and the Joy of Making His Own Weird Work was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.