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Former prime minister Justin Trudeau stopped by the set of Son of a Critch earlier this month with his youngest son, who, like his father, is a superfan of the show.
Eagle-eyed viewers may even spot Hadrien Trudeau when Season 5 of the CBC comedy debuts in the fall, as creator Mark Critch says the 12-year-old appears as an extra.
In the scene, classmates of the main character learn what role they got in a school play.
Critch says he did not put the elder Trudeau in any scenes, joking “sadly we already had a drama teacher” on the production.
The former prime minister and his youngest son are big fans of the CBC show, and creator Mark Critch says he invited the pair to visit the Newfoundland set, with the 12-year-old appearing as an extra in a school scene.
Trudeau posted photos from the set on his Instagram, thanking everyone for the experience and saying the show is “Canadiana in every sense of the word.”
Critch says Trudeau’s visit to the set in St. John’s lasted two days during which the pair met the cast and crew, and the father got to watch his son on the production monitors.
Hadrien even stumped Malcolm McDowell, who plays Pops, with some trivia about the description of his character’s teacup, the actor said.
“They have competitions about the minutia in the show; who’s paying attention,” McDowell said Monday, during a press event promoting the upcoming season.
British actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who portrays the young Mark Critch, says Hadrien spoke with him about acting decisions in scenes, blocking — the positioning of an actor — and tips for what to do in the background.
“Yeah, we were just having a chat about that, and yeah, he’s a lovely lad,” Ainsworth says.
Andrew Barnsley, producer of hit shows like Schitt’s Creek and Son of a Critch, says St. John’s is seeing a film boom that has province-wide potential. Barnsley told CBC’s Leila Beaudoin that shows with good characters and small towns are finding global audiences, and Newfoundland and Labrador has a lot of TV-making potential.
Critch has appeared with Trudeau several times on CBC’s political satire This Hour Has 22 Minutes, even landing a series of friendly jabs in an interview at the end of 2024, a tumultuous year for the politician who announced his resignation in January 2025.
Critch says he found out Trudeau and his son were fans of Son of a Critch when they attended his Ottawa book launch last fall for Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Makes Canada Worth Fighting For.
Trudeau has three children, including 18-year-old Xavier (Xav) and 17-year-old Ella-Grace.
Xav Trudeau pursued a music career and debuted his first R&B song Til The Nights Done in 2025. That track featured his younger sister performing background vocals.
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