MONTREAL – He may be more polite and mild-mannered than the foul-mouthed title character in Shoresy, but Montrealer Eric Fleising fit in just fine when he joined the hit show for its fourth season, earning accolades from the likes of actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas for his performance.
We recently caught up with the actor and filmmaker to learn more about his experience on Shoresy, including working with former Canadiens player Terry Ryan, the importance of including French dialogue on an English show, and to find out about his new film, Older Every Day.
Please note questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.
Shoresy has become a cult classic on both sides of the border and elsewhere. What’s it been like joining the show for season four?
It was an amazing experience from the get-go. I feel so grateful to be on a show that's actually good. It’s a Canadian-born show that is top quality and can compete with shows from all around the world. It's such an honor to be part of a show that people love, and that fans react so positively to.
Tell us about your character, Caleb.
Caleb is part of a group of four Lakers who are a AAA Sudbury team that are each about to join the OHL. They're in the offseason, and summer in Sudbury is pretty crazy. There are lots of distractions everywhere, so one particular mom decides that they need to get reined in before they go to the OHL. So, they get set up into a buddy system with none other than the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs. Throughout the season, we learn about the importance of hockey: it's more than just a sport.
Caleb is a goalie, and goalies tend to be quirky characters or enigmatic. Do you have any quirks that make you qualified for the position?
I would self-describe myself as a weird guy. Goalies in the world of Shoresy, and probably in the real world too, are all pretty weird. It's something I was happy to lean more into. What's really funny is, I didn't audition to play Caleb the goalie; I auditioned to play Jack, who was described in the audition as just, like, a cool hockey bro. I tried to do my version of that, and they didn't even ask me to change anything. They just said, “We're offering you the weird goalie.” So clearly, they saw it in me – maybe something in my eyes that they knew: this kid’s weird.
You’re originally from Montreal, and the goalie position is revered by fans here. Are there any Canadiens goalies you’ve looked up to?
I grew up in the era of [Carey] Price, so definitely, I looked up to Price for my entire childhood, until very recently. He's a mainstay of the Montreal Canadiens.
You recently got a shoutout from Jason Mantzoukas, who said he found Caleb to be really funny. What was it like to see that?
It felt very unreal, because I really grew up watching Jason Mantzoukas and consider him one of the funniest comedians. He's an incredible improv artist. I watched him on The League, and he cameos in a ton of different TV shows. He seems to be constantly working and has this really refined palate [in terms of] what is good entertainment, what's good TV, what are good movies. So, to hear him talk about, first of all, Shoresy in such glowing terms – he talks about how he cried multiple times watching season four. It really made me feel like I'm part of a project that's elevated compared to other things. And then he delved deeper into finding my character particularly funny. It was just surreal.
Tell us about getting to work with former Hab Terry Ryan.
Terry Ryan might be the funniest human being I've met in my life. He has endless story after story. He's such an energetic guy, so welcoming. He was a real pleasure to work with. And God, he is so funny in the show. It's great that not only is he funny in real life, but he harnesses funniness and put it on the show – all his Newfoundlander expressions that really came out a lot in season four. It was lovely to work with him.
You also got to work with a fellow Montrealer and a former pro hockey player, Jonathan Diaby (JoDolo). What was it like working with him, and what does it mean for you to see the show feature so much French dialogue?
It is amazing that Shoresy showcases the bilingualism of Canada and that the entire cast understands Dolo. It's like, everyone can understand French. [Diaby] is also an amazing guy. We did bond a bit about being from Montreal. He was, as well, incredibly welcoming to the four new guys. They were so, so supportive of us, giving us advice… they actually threw us a rookie party – a very hockey thing to do. They were all amazing.
You’ve just released your first full-length film, Older Every Day, about a lost university student who finds his purpose when he takes care of the brother of a friend after the friend and his parents die in a car crash. You wore many hats for the production, serving as writer, producer, location scout, and casting director, on top of the starring role. What kind of perspective did that give you on the industry?
It definitely gives you a lot of perspectives into every single job that is required to make a film or TV show happen, when you're the one who has to do all those jobs. As an actor, it's easy to lose appreciation for all the hard work that goes on before you show up. Really, most of the work is in preproduction. So, it's just learning about all the preparation that goes into it. It [gave me] a huge appreciation for film.
