Casting calls in Ontario: Ontario is one of the densest production markets in North America, and Toronto carries most of it. Amazon holds an exclusive long-term lease on five stages at Pinewood Toronto Studios, roughly 160,000 square feet.
Ontario is one of the busiest production markets in North America, and in 2026 the streamers have been treating Toronto as a primary base rather than an overflow location. Amazon holds an exclusive long-term lease on five stages at Pinewood Toronto Studios — roughly 160,000 square feet — and shot Reacher season five across southern Ontario through 2026.
That matters because productions on long runs hire locally and rebook the same reliable people. A series shooting in one place for five or six months is worth far more to a background performer than a one-week feature passing through.
This guide covers where the casting work is in Ontario, how pay actually works here (it is not the US system), what has been shooting, and how to tell a real casting call from a fake one.
Where the casting work is in Ontario
Toronto
The centre of the Canadian industry and one of the largest production cities on the continent. Pinewood Toronto Studios anchors it, with Amazon leasing five stages there. Recent work includes Prime Video's Reacher season five, which shot from July into December 2026 across Toronto and southern Ontario including Oshawa and Minden; the Boys prequel Vought Rising; and HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, which shot its second season here in early 2026.
Start with casting calls in Toronto, or go straight to Toronto extras casting, acting roles, commercials or reality TV.
Ottawa
A separate market with its own rhythm: government, institutional and corporate video, documentary, regional commercials and a steady independent film scene. Far less competition than Toronto. See casting calls in Ottawa and Ottawa extras work.
Beyond the two cities
Southern Ontario towns get used constantly as locations — Reacher alone shot in Oshawa and Minden during its 2026 run. Productions working outside Toronto frequently need local background at short notice, and those calls fill from a much smaller pool.
How casting pay works in Ontario
Do not use US rate tables here. SAG-AFTRA minimums apply to American productions. Work in Ontario is covered by ACTRA agreements, and the figures are different. Any guide that quotes you $231 per 8 hours for Canadian background work is reprinting the wrong country's contract.
What that means practically:
- Check the rate written in each individual notice. Canadian casting calls generally post the rate, and that posted figure is the one that applies to you.
- Union and non-union work both exist. ACTRA covers performers on signatory productions; plenty of commercial, corporate and independent work is non-union.
- Payment usually arrives weeks after the shoot, from a payroll company rather than from the production, the same as in the US.
- Overtime, wardrobe and special-ability adjustments exist on union productions here too. Read what you are owed before the shoot day rather than after.
If you also work in the US market, our guide to extras pay covers the SAG-AFTRA side in full so you can keep the two straight.
What kinds of roles get cast in Ontario?
Background and extras
The largest and most accessible category, and the one long-running Toronto series need continuously. No agent, no audition, no experience — you are cast from photos, measurements and availability. See open extras casting calls.
Co-stars and small speaking roles
Series shooting in Toronto cast Canadian performers for small speaking roles throughout a season. These go out through casting directors, so representation helps, but the local pool is smaller than Los Angeles and new faces get looked at. See acting casting calls.
Commercials and corporate
Toronto is the centre of Canadian advertising production, and Ottawa runs a steady institutional and corporate market. See commercial casting calls.
Stunt, specialty and skilled performers
The action-heavy titles shooting in Ontario — the Reacher and Boys universes among them — create steady demand for stunt-capable performers, trained fighters, drivers and riders. Specialty background competes against a far smaller field than general background.
Popular casting categories in Ontario
You need the right to work in Canada
This is the single most common reason an Ontario application goes nowhere, and it is worth being blunt about.
Productions shooting in Ontario hire locally because local hires are cheaper for them — no travel, no accommodation, no immigration paperwork. That is precisely why the market is worth applying to if you are Canadian or already hold a work permit. It is also why a Toronto production will almost always choose an equally suitable local performer over an American applicant.
If you are in the US and want streaming work, you will do better applying in the markets where those same companies shoot domestically — see our guides to Amazon Prime casting calls and HBO casting calls for where each one films.
How to spot a fake Ontario casting call
You never pay to register with a casting company or to audition. Legitimate casting companies are paid by productions, not by performers.
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert on virtual casting call scams in December 2025, and the pattern it describes crosses the border unchanged: an unexpected text from a supposed talent scout, a fast-turnaround "virtual audition" for a real and recognisable title, and then a sales pitch for photos or classes.
- Any request for money — registration, "processing", mandatory headshot packages, classes bundled with a promised audition.
- Unexpected texts or DMs naming a real Toronto production. Legitimate casting does not cold-text strangers.
- Anyone offering to arrange a work permit in exchange for a fee, or asking you to pay travel or visa costs up front. This one targets international applicants specifically.
- Impersonation of real casting directors through lookalike domains and new social accounts.
- Requests for banking details or identity documents before a signed booking with a named production.
- Guaranteed roles. Nobody can promise one.
Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and check any casting director's name against the casting office independently before you reply.
10/15/20269/20/20269/16/20269/14/20269/4/2026Casting calls in nearby provinces and states: New York · British Columbia · Alberta · Illinois · Indiana · Quebec · Manitoba
Find casting calls in Ontario on allcasting
allcasting is a casting marketplace: verified casting professionals post roles and talent applies directly. Applying is free, and nobody on the platform can promise you a part.
- Browse live Toronto and Ottawa casting calls
- Start with Toronto extras casting — no experience, no agent, no audition
- Move into speaking roles, commercials or reality TV as you build credits
- Keep current photos, accurate stats and real skills in one profile casting directors can search
For the broader career picture, see how to become a background actor.
How To
Sort Out Your Right to Work Before You Apply
This is the step people skip and it is the one that ends bookings. Productions shooting in Ontario hire locally because local hires cost them less, which is the whole reason this market is worth your time — but it also means they need you to be legally able to work in Canada. Before you apply, be clear on your status: Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or holding a valid work permit. If you are applying from the United States, a Toronto production will almost always choose an equally suitable local performer over the paperwork and expense of bringing you in. Sort this out first, then apply with confidence.
- 1Build a Complete Profile and Put Your Real Location InCasting here filters hard on geography because the entire reason productions shoot in Ontario is local hiring. Put your actual city in, not just “Ontario” — a production basing out of Pinewood needs people who can reach a Toronto call time before dawn, and one shooting in Oshawa or Minden needs people near there. Add accurate height and sizes, playable age range, real availability, and every skill you could demonstrate tomorrow.Pro Tip: List stunt, fight, driving and riding skills honestly if you have them. The action-heavy series shooting in Ontario need specialty performers continuously, and that pool is small.
- 2Target the Long-Running SeriesA feature passing through town hires once. A series shooting in Ontario for five or six months rebooks the same dependable background performers week after week, which is how a single day turns into steady work. Watch for the productions with long runs and apply to everything they post, then make yourself easy to rebook: answer fast, arrive early, follow the assistant director, and do not complain in holding.Pro Tip: Never leave set until an AD has told you that you are wrapped. Walking off early is the fastest way to come off a casting company’s list.
- 3Read the Posted Rate on Every Single NoticeThis is the Ontario-specific habit worth building. Canadian work is covered by ACTRA agreements rather than SAG-AFTRA, so the US figures circulating online simply do not apply here — and rates vary between union and non-union productions. Canadian notices generally state the rate. Read it, and know what you have agreed to before the shoot day rather than after.Pro Tip: If a guide quotes you $231 per 8 hours for Canadian background work, it is reprinting the American contract. Treat that as a signal the source has not checked anything.
Q&A
Are there casting calls in Ontario?
How much do background actors get paid in Ontario?
Do I need to be Canadian to get cast in Ontario?
What is filming in Toronto in 2026?
Do I need an agent to get cast in Toronto?
How do I become an extra in Toronto?
Is there casting work in Ottawa?
How do I avoid casting scams in Ontario?
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