FERNE DOWNEY:
2023 ACTRA National Woman of the Year

For eight years, Ferne Downey served as ACTRA’s trusted National President (making her the longest-serving National President). She put ACTRA on the international stage by serving as the first North American President of the International Federation of Actors (FIA). She raised the bar for women in our screen industry and she has been a tremendous force of change in the labour movement. In her candid Q & A, Ferne shares why one of the greatest joys in her life has been to play a part in our dynamic evolution as a progressive union.

Q: Over the four decades you’ve been an ACTRA member, how would you say the industry has changed? 

Ha! How hasn’t it? Everything has changed. Nascent diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives were springing up inside the union but there was little industry-wide support. Obviously, distribution platforms, the online universe and streaming were pretty fabulous disruptors.

In the mid-‘80s there were a miniscule number of women directing television, fewer still running the show or being number one on the call sheet. In any key creative decision-making roles, men ruled. And gender equity was just one of the big problems. Back then the common business practice was for U.S. studios to fly-in day players for shows shooting in Canada.

ACTRA had a huge, positive impact on getting our members hired on any show that shot here – domestic or service production.

ACTRA had a huge, positive impact on getting our members hired on any show that shot here, domestic or service production. Because ACTRA fought for work for Canadian actors, we counted. We reported. We held up the mirror. We told the truth. We were out front in a lot of arenas. Not that being first makes it easy. But our TV and film, animation and video game collective bargaining agreements were forward looking. Of that, I am very proud.

When we tried to apply the same forward-looking energy to the advertising industry, we met more resistance. And still are.

The most seismic shifts are the result of advocacy work we did not just as a union but as part of a tight, Canadian industry-wide coalition working to create more space for more voices and opportunities in the whole system. And that work is accomplished by many, many, many activists over many, many decades. The work is non-stop. And will be until we’ve changed the film and TV sector into a healthier version of itself. Things have changed profoundly, yet not enough. When we tried to apply the same forward-looking energy to the advertising industry, we were met with more resistance. And still are.

Q: What advice do you have for performers in the commercial sector facing union-busting employers?

We have been attacked vis-à-vis one of our biggest collective agreements – the National Commercial Agreement – and have been locked out since April 2022. It’s brutal. Most who have had the good fortune to work under the NCA have seen their earnings disappear or dwindle beyond recognition. We feel disrespected and undervalued by the creative agencies that have chosen an ugly path of attacking ACTRA. After 60 years of labour peace in the advertising industry, we deserve better.

We want to bring our A-game to the performances that build brands. But first we must survive the attack.

We would rather be expending our energies to fight for work opportunities that better reflect the wide-variety of humanity on our screens and in our sound booths. We want to bring our A-game to the performances that build brands. But first we must survive the attack.

Stay strong. Stay connected. Strive to understand the chessboard. Most of all, keep fanning the flames of ACTRA solidarity. It is your superpower.

To do that, we have to stay strong. Stay connected. Strive to understand the chessboard. Most of all, keep fanning the flames of ACTRA solidarity. It is your superpower. As hard as it may be when the world has grown so complicated and deliberately antagonistic. I think the isolation of the last three-and-a-half years has taken a great toll on our ability to meet face to face and hash things out. Our collective spirit is stressed. Worried. We are human – we want so many things, but we need to stay in the game. As National President Eleanor Noble says, “We’re in it to win it.” And win it we must.

I am impressed by the rise in member engagement and the palpable yearning to understand collective bargaining and representative union democracy. Bring it on! Step up.

There needs to be a societal belief that the cultural fabric of a nation is worth building and protecting. I wish society had more respect for artists and our collective contributions.

Q: What keeps you up at night?

The future – how will future generations of performers thrive. AI makes me apprehensive. How will our whole creative community fare? Many of us are multi-hyphenates already. We need to be. Because the North American screen-based entertainment business is highly unionized, we’ve been able to make progress. But there needs to be a societal belief that the cultural fabric of a nation is worth building and protecting. I wish society had more respect for artists and our collective contributions.

Will all the change-makers have the resilience and strength to keep fighting? Renewal breathes life into renewal. The contact high we get when working together needs nourishment. It’s a relay race, a complete team effort.

What makes me happiest is when we inspire each other with an action-oriented desire to galvanize others… to achieve a collective goal.

Q: What brings you joy? 

I have always found that building a reputation for being a truth-teller is a great source of strength. On sets, in advocacy, in leadership. Isn’t that what we strive to find as actors? Truth.

What makes me happiest is when we inspire each other with an action-oriented desire to galvanize others – not for personal benefit – but to achieve a collective goal. And to tell the truth.

I believe in the power of storytelling. Stories are not just a mirror that reflects our world; our stories shape our world. They bind us together because we all have our own stories to share. They say, ‘Here I am. This is what I see, what I fear, what I dream and who we are together.’ 

I love seeing more women of all ages and experiences make cool work on screen, in studios, on podcasts… I love seeing more women step up as leaders, in their unions… in every part of society.

I love seeing more women of all ages and experiences make cool work on screen, in studios, on podcasts. I’m especially enjoying seeing more stories told through a female lens, particularly over the last decade or so. I love seeing more women step up as leaders, in their unions, in the political realm, in every part of society. More women are willing to take up their space and use their voice to challenge systems ingrained against our fulsome participation.

We’ve learned how individuals in a brutally competitive business can come together to create a community of interests and stand up against some of the powerful economic forces that dominate our society.

Seeing more young people willing to use their power to fight for causes close to their hearts makes my heart palpitate with hope. Its not easy out there with war mongering, climate crisis, aggression against the trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ people and violence overall deepening their roots in society. Inequality is widening. But we’ve learned how individuals in a brutally competitive business can come together to create a community of interests and stand up against some of the powerful economic forces that dominate our society.

Although we’re a relatively small union, ACTRA has 80 years of wisdom on the life and workplace of a precarious freelance artist.

Although we’re a relatively small union, ACTRA has 80 years of wisdom on the life and workplace of a precarious freelance artist. You may think you’re just doing something small in your little corner of the world, but it can turn out that you’re a part of something bigger and more powerful than you could imagine.

My adventures in 30 years of union leadership… absolutely brought me joy, even when it was hard and exhausting, because there was a clear purpose – to make life better for performers. That was always my jet fuel.

My adventures in 30 years of union leadership – including nine years as President of the International Federation of Actors (FIA) – absolutely brought me joy, even when it was hard and exhausting, because there was a clear purpose: To make life better for performers. That was always my jet fuel.

What does being honoured as the ACTRA Woman of the Year 2023 mean to you?

I am proud to be a member of this beautiful and strong union, ACTRA. I am deeply grateful to receive this honour from my peers across the country. You are the community I love. My heart is full. Now, I need to update my reel. Yes, I am over [age] 50, yes, I have glorious silver hair (I was an early adopter) and I can do comedy. See you on set.