Marcus Craig might be one of the only first-years at Mac with an IMDb profile.  

Ironically enough, Craig said, he got into acting from a hospital visit.  

Craig was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and hearing loss when he was six months old. He grew up in Toronto and used to go to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for specialized pediatric appointments. On one visit, a doctor mentioned that a friend of hers who was in acting needed someone in a wheelchair to represent an authentic wheelchair character.  

“The industry was shifting at that point toward authentic casting,” Craig said. “So we were like, ‘OK, I guess we’ll give it a shot.’”  

Craig auditioned and got it: A voice role as Mikey on the The Magic School Bus Rides Again, the Netflix sequel series to the The Magic School Bus of 90’s kids’ nostalgia. The experience was a lot of fun, so he kept going, landing more roles, including live–action ones.  

His acting credits have since included Dino Dana –  filmed inside the Royal Ontario Museum – and Women Talking.  

Based on the novel by Miriam Toews and adapted for the screen and directed by Sarah Polley, Women Talking was the largest scale production that Craig was involved in. He had one day of shooting, which involved waking up at 2 a.m. to drive to location on a farm near Stouffville. They were using the sunrise as a stand-in for a sunset scene: “’We’re losing our light,’ was the common phrase.”  

Women Talking follows a group of American Mennonite women as they discuss their future, trying to reconcile a brutal reality with their faith. When Craig arrived on set, they cut his long hair, “because they needed me to look more Mennonite.”  

He took out his hearing aids and swapped his modern-day wheelchair for one that barely worked, to keep it authentic to the technology they would be using. 

“It was really fun. It was an interesting experience to be there for that day,” Craig said. He got to see the movie at the premiere, and it went on to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.  

“It’s cool when people are like, ‘Oh, you were in an Oscar-winning film,’” he jokes. “I was. For one line.”  

He’d love to do more acting, but he may be quite busy for the next few years: Craig has just started his first year at McMaster, as part of the inaugural class of Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.  

Choosing McMaster 

“When I make decisions in life, they kind of always have to be in accordance with what’s physically possible,” Craig said. McMaster checked all the boxes: He could get the experience of being at university as a residence student, was still close to home in case anything went wrong, and it was a great school.  

He was originally going to apply for a Humanities program, but then he heard about Wilson College at an open house. They talked about leadership, engagement with community, and being with a tight-knit group of people. It appealed to him as something different than a regular degree. “It’ll be really exciting to see what happens next with the program,” Craig said. 

Craig plans to major in Greek and Roman Studies. He’s a fan of Percy Jackson and what the series has done to pique people’s interest in mythology – but notes that “classics will always interest people, because of the allure that history, especially ancient history, has.” He also plans to take courses across political science, philosophy, economics and more. “I’ve basically just filled my timetable with things I’m interested in.” 

He’s excited to see where the next few years take him: Whether that’s more acting, something in the field of Greek and Roman Studies, or just making memories around Mac. 

He’s also keen to see what he can do with Wilson College through advocacy, leadership and community. “As a person with a disability, the way I see the world… sometimes things are not designed entirely sufficiently for people with disabilities,” he said.  

That’s not to say that places don’t try – it’s just that when they do, it’s often about checking a box, and not actually reviewing the user experience of someone with a disability, Craig said.  

For example, a building might have an accessible entrance, but it’s often on the opposite side of the building from the main door, or getting to it feels like navigating a maze.  

“In the future, it’s better to create something that’s just built to work for everyone.” 

L.R. “Red” Wilson, namesake of Wilson College, is an accomplished Canadian business and public service leader and philanthropist. He has been an extraordinary champion of McMaster University for six decades. His $50 million gift to create the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement is the single biggest gift to the liberal arts in Canada.