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But all that changed in an instant when they returned to Vancouver on March 9.

“By the time we got to mid-week all of a sudden things were changing at such a pace I was like, ‘I don’t know what we are going to do?’ It did come on very suddenly and took us all by surprise. Certainly we were monitoring the situation, then we reached the point when we just had to shut down. We made that decision, officially, over the weekend.”

Walker’s show, like many, will re-evaluate the situation in two-week’s time. Others are waiting a month, and some have just ended their shoots early. While two weeks seems like a short period, it isn’t in an industry that already comes packed with volatility and uncertainty.

“There are a lot people worried about their livelihood. For instance, a lot of actors and background performers I know that have said, ‘I’ve got five or six days of booked work and now I have nothing and I live paycheque-to-paycheque, what am I going to do?’ Walker said.

“From that standpoint, they are all nervous. They don’t know how long the industry is going to be suspended. There is no work and there won’t be for the foreseeable future. We’re all going to have to calm some nerves and figure out a plan to take care of each other.”

The plan now isn’t clear. Industry unions have sent messages to the federal and provincial governments reminding them not to forget about the arts when it comes time to distribute emergency funding. Union websites have posts suggesting members seek out groups that help artists and apply for government benefits. A lot of actors, in particular, are self-employed so they don’t qualify for unemployment benefits, however the Government of Canada just announced its COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The plan will provide up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses including those self-employed within the film industry. The unions have also told members that upcoming dues deadlines will be pushed back and reviewed over the course of this economic downturn.