Kenneth Branagh might secretly want to be Canadian after appearing at TIFF

Kenneth Branagh isn’t just an actor, director and writer...he’s a downright thespian. He's been a fixture of the big screen for 40 years, spearheading projects that run the gamut from Marvel to Shakespeare (although many fans still know him best as Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter). But if Branagh's recent comments during the Toronto International Film Festival are any indication, there's one big project he may still have in the works: becoming an honourary Canadian.

The actor was on hand at TIFF this week to discuss the premiere of his film memoir, Belfast. The movie, which he wrote in quarantine and directed, stars newcomer Jude Hill as a young boy in 1960s Ireland. His parents are played by Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan.

Following the premiere (during which he broke down in tears), Branagh sat down for an In Conversation With… panel with moderator Keith Bennie, the director of audience and community at TIFF. During the 50-minute chat, Branagh made several references to his love of the Great White North, leading us to believe he secretly wants citizenship… or at least his own residence.

Canadians know their movies

Branagh opened the conversation by addressing his emotional time at the Belfast premiere and calling out the savvy Canadian audiences that made it so special. “To be in a magnificent auditorium and to see so many people… in a darkened room, watching a film together, it was very moving, very moving, indeed. Very overwhelming,” he said.

“As I remember from all of my experiences at TIFF, they are a very smart audience, Canadians. I’m not just saying that. They are very quick-witted, they know their movies, they know their Shakespeare… [there] were a lot of people who seemed to connect with [Belfast there.]”

He’s been a regular at the Stratford Festival

One reason Branagh may believe that Canadians know their Shakespeare is thanks to his past experiences with the Stratford Festival, the annual theatre festival that runs in Stratford, Ont. each April to October. Branagh definitely took a moment to mention his love for that shindig as well.

“I love to go to the Stratford, Ontario festival,” he said about midway through the conversation. “It’s been a magical place for me to watch things over the years. I love to see Shakespeare, and you do it very, very well here.”

He’s buddies with a notable Canadian thespian, too

Branagh has worked with pretty much everyone over the past three decades, but the name he dropped like a hot potato during his In Conversation With… was Colm Feore, the Canadian actor and stage personality. Feore has also been a regular at the Stratford Festival over the years, and he’s starred in a ton of TV and films, including Canadian series like The Borgias and Sensitive Skin.

When Bennie asked Branagh whether there were any dream Shakespeare characters he still wanted to try, he laughed and said that he’s a subscriber to the Irish superstition of “never believing anything is necessarily on my dance card.” But then he admitted he posed the same question to Feore when the actor came to the Belfast premiere.

“He’s done all the great parts,” Branagh gushed. “I think he was similarly stumped!”

He’s sorry for his past King Lear performances

One Shakespeare play Branagh admitted he’d love to sink his teeth into again is King Lear, which he directed and starred in as Edgar in Toronto more than 30 years ago. “I began the process of trying to learn a little bit about that play,” he said. “I’m sorry for experimenting on Canadian audiences with that process,” he added with a laugh.

Branagh then revealed the other actors in the play were “very good” but that he “wasn’t very good as Edgar” in it. Today, he writes it all off as a “fantastic experience.”

It seems like Branagh’s time in Toronto this year was also a fantastic experience, or at least it was judging by the guy’s reactions this week. And while he might consider his Irish roots close enough to Canadian for the time being, we’re not totally convinced he won’t be applying for some kind of citizenship soon.

Following its TIFF run, Belfast is scheduled to hit theatres November 22. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 9 to 18.