Saskatoon man lands first movie speaking role

A Saskatoon man has landed his first speaking role in a movie.

Chris Okkerse appears in the Pure Flix film “Love is on the Air.”

He plays a chef in the restaurant the movie takes place in.

It’s a role he almost stumbled into. His day job is in irrigation but he’s been a fan of the Christian movie company for some time. He developed a relationship with Pure Flix by reaching out and helping them to get their service into Canada.

When they asked him what he’d like for payment, it was an easy answer.

“I said, ‘Well, I really don’t need a whole money, but …’ I just threw it out it there. I didn’t think they would actually say yes. ‘If you want to put me in a movie as an extra or give me a shot at a screen test, that would be cool.’ And they actually agreed to that,” he explained.

He’s been an extra in a film before, but this was his first time getting to speak.

The movie is about a radio host who gives relationship advice over the air. It’s a light-hearted comedy.

“I play a short appearance as the cook at a restaurant. I kind of have a comic relief type of line … but you can’t really say that in a comedy because everybody’s trying to be funny,” he said with a laugh.

The film was shot last September in Modesto, California.

It was quite the experience for Okkerse to travel in the middle of the pandemic.

“It was really wild. They basically wanted to get you in and out as fast as they could, and less contacts with the other actors as possible. So you only get to meet the ones who are associated with your filming that day,” he explained.

While he only has about three lines in the film, he feels like it’s a great start to what could end up being more work as an actor in the future.

“It’s a bit surreal right now. I’ve had a few people say they should ask me for my autograph. I think that’s a bit overkill,” he laughed.

The movie is being streamed on some satellite TV channels now. It’s set to release on platforms like Amazon this week, and they’re planning on streaming and DVD releases in the future.