JEREMY LARTER
Jeremy Larter is a talented storyteller who will make you laugh out loud and fall in love with Prince Edward Island.
Writer-Director Jeremy Larter with the cast and crew of Who’s Yer Father? All photos from Jeremy Larter.
You know the one about Bob from Canada?
Well, it’s not entirely true — we don’t all know each other in this country.
However, by the powers of social media and a connection to a coworker from a restaurant job I held 20 years ago, I was recently surprised to discover that I’m one degree of Kevin Bacon from P.E.I.-born Writer-Director Jeremy Larter.
Originally from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) and now living in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Jeremy is humble and funny — exemplifying two other (sometimes true) Canadian stereotypes. He’s also a family man and a talented writer and director who captures the spirit of P.E.I. and the comedic talent of an ensemble of Canadian actors in his latest film, Who’s Yer Father? (2023).
“Who’s yer father?” is an iconic greeting that Prince Edward Islanders use that allows them to pinpoint where exactly, and from which family they hail on the island. As Jeremy told CBC Q’s Host Tom Power, he thought it would be funny to make a movie about “P.E.I.’s only P.I.” who is hired to investigate a black market lobster ring:
The idea of being a private investigator on Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland or any other place in small-town Canada just was funny to me, because, like, how would you do it? I mean, the connections between people are so close.
With Who’s Yer Father?, Jeremy took this idea from script to screen and cast Chris Locke as Private Investigator Larry Constable and Susan Kent as convenience store owner Rhonda Perry. In this interview, Jeremy shares more about his experiences making the film, how he came to be a writer and director, and his deep appreciation for his island birthplace.
Heather Heagney: I’m curious about your journey – did you always know you wanted to be a writer and director? So many of us have dreams, but it can be scary to take that leap and start pursuing them. What gave you the confidence to do that?
Jeremy Larter:
This is probably going to sound weird, but I think it was Grade 2 creative writing class.
Our teacher allowed us to write stories and read them to the class. I was a pretty shy kid up to that point – and after – but having that outlet of expression to write those stories, and then to get the reaction of huge laughter from the class and to connect with my classmates, that really left an impression on me.
After that, I would sporadically write stories on my own, and the confidence from that initial reaction from my classmates stayed with me. Even through the highs and lows of pursuing writing and filmmaking, I thought no matter what, that I could be a decent writer and at least make people laugh in some way. I held on to that all those years, because as someone who wasn't a natural extrovert, it was hard, and I think it’s still – to some extent – an extrovert’s world. And if you're an introvert, it can be pretty tough.
The filmmaking process itself did scare me a lot. I was kind of nervous and terrified, initially, but it was a very gradual process. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker from the time I was 15 years old after watching Pulp Fiction, but it took about 10 years of helping on short films, working as a P.A. (production assistant) and an extra, and going to film school before I actually started to make films.
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