Yeah, I know…it’s been a month since the last time I wrote anything. I didn’t even talk about my last two days on set of “Clean Break” either… Well, time to catch up!

The last few days were great, just like the rest of the time I had on set. The only exception is that it all came to an end. Had days from 12 to 15 hours, shorter if I was only be needed for part of a day, for two and a half weeks with weekends off. That’s a lot of time to spend with the same core group of people. So on our final day, we all said our goodbyes, or rather see you later, had kind of a group huddle where a few speeches were made and cake was served. I volunteered to cut the cake after the first stroke was made by the director and female lead actor.

It was bittersweet as a lot of us grew fond of working together, while we all felt like we accomplished something great. A few of us even gathered around a computer as we looked at a few stills… Let me tell you they looked amazing! Really look forward to seeing this edited and all put together. I really think it’ll turn out to be a great film, especially for an independent production.

Since we finished, I had a bit of a break followed by a few of jobs here and there. Mostly corporate stuff…and today, you guessed it, another Harlequin book cover! The one you see here is actually something that was shot back in February. This is Meddling with a Millionaire by Cat Schield. It was my first time working with photographer Michael Alberstat and his team; went very smoothly!

I can’t find the words to describe how I felt about the end of this week. I think it’s safe to say that on Friday, we shot the most intense scene of my acting career. I brought something I was never asked or expected to bring before and surprised myself, along with other cast/crew members. It was one emotionally charged scene which followed a lot of physical pain caused to my character; you could call it a physical and emotional breakdown. Honestly, the end of this film will probably be what makes it…how it all comes together. The way it was written, shot and directed is a gift. It’s a big part of why I was able to do what I did. That, and a great co-star to work along with. She brought it on every take and I can’t imagine anyone else having played that character.

For me to go into details I’d not only give away part of the film, I’d also end up writing pages. It’s one of those days where you wish you could share with everyone. You wish that they were there to experience it with you. But when I think about it, I did share it with a lot of people. Amazing cast and crew members who I’ve gotten to know and befriended over the past two weeks. I’m so grateful for having them involved.

As for the rest of the week, it was also great, but that last day just eclipses the whole week. Again, long days, not a lot of time to sleep in between…but the experience is well worth it. Being a part of this film and the people involved further validates my choice to change careers and start acting…all this happening about six years ago. The journey has been incredible, and look forward to future experiences without neglecting to enjoy the ride. It definitely isn’t for everyone, requires a lot of sacrifices and is something completely different than anything else, but as of now, I’m happy and thankful to be doing this.

I almost talk as if the film is over… Yes, the ending has been shot, but we still have a few key scenes to get through. In a way, I’m looking forward to the film being complete, but going from hanging out with all these people Monday to Friday, for hours and hours a day, to barely seeing any of them is a bit sad. Although of course I’ll be seeing and keeping in touch with a lot of people, it’s obviously not going to be the same, unless a lot of us end up on another set together. Been getting a lot of love from a lot of people on this one…

I’ve put up a few pictures of stills/behind the scenes shots from set which you can check out here.

A week after my last update, I had an audition for a feature film called “The Roommate”. There were two scenes to read for, and one was quite intense. I was really looking forward to see how I’d do, never really been requested to do something at that level (at least not that I can remember). As I prepared and rehearsed it, I never went full out, wanting to save it for the actual audition. Well, let’s just say I came out of that audition really satisfied with what I did. I was so happy that it wasn’t about getting the role, but more about having done that audition. To me, I had already gotten something amazing out of it.

Well the next day, I got a call from one of the producers offering the lead male role! After a few calls, discussing all the details, I was officially on board. Right away we started by getting the principle actors, director, writer and producers together to do a read through of the script, making some small changes with everyone’s feedback. It was great having that flexibility in with the writer and director. After this meeting, we did a few rehearsals, meetings to further discuss the character and script, etc. The name was eventually changed to “Clean Break” and finally on the 18th of April, we started our first day of shooting.

We’ve now completed our first week of filming and I have to say it’s been a great experience. Despite being an independent film set, everyone’s a pro! We got a full crew and they’re awesome, the cast all know what they’re doing; things are going really well. Whenever we run into speed bumps, we work together and smooth things out. We’re shooting a lot of pages per day, which means little room for many takes but also means working efficiently with everyone being on the ball and well prepared. The director is both focused and flexible, not to mention so easy to work and get along with, while the producers are on set everyday in their makeshift office; the team is outstanding.

Did I mention how much fun we’re having? Yes it’s work, yes we’re shooting full time (every weekday until completion, 12+ hour days), yes there isn’t always time for sleep, yes I still work off set to prepare for the next days and yes I love doing this! There’s something special about so many people working together, meeting those people and getting to know them a little better every day. All this to say I look forward to the next week!

Let’s start with a video! I had posted about this two months ago; my role in a promo video for a new show. Well, the promo has been released, the show has premiered and started it’s first season. I’m not in the show (but you never know, maybe one day), however, you can catch me a few times in the video. Check it out, see how many times you can spot me!

How many times did you see me? Well, you can go straight to the YouTube video page‘s description and actually have clickable time references to every part. The most obvious one is when he starts saying “crime of passion, boyfriend…” at around 0:18 seconds. I think it’s the angriest I’ve ever appeared on TV!

Also, not completely related to acting, but somehow it turned out that way… My friend needed some help setting up and working his booth at the 2nd Toronto Comic Con Wizard World Convention. Never been to anything like it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns out, it was a really great time! All sorts of people showed up; fans from different comic books, movies, TV shows, video games, etc. For some, it was like Halloween (being all dressed up). Some were more into it than others, actually looking like they came off the set of a movie.

I ended up meeting a few actors and other people involved in the industry somehow. One I will mention, as I actually have a picture of him with me, is Robert Maillet. He plays Dredger, the really big and tall (close to 7 feet) guy who fights Robert Downey Jr. in the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes. Big Robert (I’m sure he won’t mind that) came to our booth and as soon as he mentioned that movie title (by the way, he also played in 300), I remembered him in the film! Then, I had this photo idea, so I shared it with him, and he was all for it! I tried to have him back out, but he kept saying we can take it, so we did it. The result is what you see here.

Obviously, he did a tiny bit of knee bending to appear shorter that me…which was really awesome of him to do. Really nice guy too, even ended up buying something from us. Then I found out we had a mutual friend in the industry as well. Small world! Okay fine, you wanna see how tall he REALLY is? Well check out this picture, which is a bit closer to reality (although I might have also bent my knees to exaggerate the difference…maybe not as much as he did).

UPDATE: Check out this YouTube video, capturing part of that moment on video (from approximately the 0:50 mark and lasts about 5 seconds)!

Well, at least so far! This year, I’ve averaged more than a cover a month, just having shot the 4th of 2011 yesterday, now making it 9 books under my belt. Just like every book this year, it was shot by photographer Robert Goshgarian who is always a pleasure to work with. You gotta also give credit to his team and the art directors for making it a great experience.

Speaking of, one of the covers I did with them has just been released! Check out cover number 5 called AK-Cowboy written by Joanna Wayne.

First off, check out this video before you read on. You’ll see why…

What could we possibly be talking about? Can it really be what most people are thinking as they watch the video? Well hopefully you’ve seen it by now so I don’t “spoil” it. It’s actually Contiki Canada’s newest online video campaign. What we’re talking about is going on a trip with Contiki! That’s what we’ve done, and have done with “a whole bunch of people” as they specialize in creating travel experiences for groups of people.

This was directed by my friend Trevor Francis who I’ve gotten to know after working with him on the Corel video as well as a Much Music commercial. What’s great about the rapport we share is that he also sees me as a creative person, which makes him open to ideas that I have. It’s such a blessing to work with a director like that… And, as a result of this, the line I deliver in the video was a suggestion I had, which ended up working pretty well!

As for Harlequin news, I was shot in two new book covers…which now brings my total to 8! Once again, I worked with Robert Goshgarian and I really hope to continue to work with him and his team at the rate I’ve been so far this year. It’s always a great time and good seeing those guys again!

UPDATE: Check out the interview/behind the scenes web video with the Executive Producer on Assault and Rescue’s video page, which also includes footage from the show. You’ll see clips of me when they talk about the actors.

Back in May, I was involved in the pilot episode of a new show that was going to be called Assault and Rescue POV (which you can read about here). What I liked about the idea is all the reenactments parts in this docudrama are all from a 1st person perspective. As in, every shot is really from the eyes of one of the characters. The best part of this is during the action sequences, where you’ll see everything including guns being fired from the point of view of these different people, almost a 1st person shooter video game.

Well, I’m not sure if it’ll be a whole series anymore, but they are airing the episode we shot! In it I play Amnon Pelled, and actually take down a few people with an AK-47. Now, will you see it from “my” perspective, or from the point of view of another commando on my team, I don’t know, but I certainly look forward to seeing it! Discovery Channel is airing it on Sunday January 30th, at 8:00pm Eastern. Check out the press release and/or Frantic Film’s Assault and Rescue page for more info! You’ll notice on the 2nd link, they used a picture of me on their page (which I in turn used here)!

Operation Thunderball is also referred to as Operation Thunderbolt and Operation Entebbe. Feel free to read about it on the Wikipedia page!

Last weekend, I had my first acting job of the year, which I had booked from my first audition of the year. Not a bad start I would say! And what was this job? Well a TV commercial/promo for a new show called “Endgame”! I’m not sure when they will be airing the promo, but the show itself will air in Spring 2011, and will be featured on Showcase. It’s about a master chess player who uses his skills to solve crimes; all from the inside of his hotel room.

I had to play a few roles in this video, while you’d probably only recognize me in one of them. You’ll clearly see my face in the part where I walk aggressively towards a girl, yelling (although you won’t hear it) dressed in the business suit seen in the picture. In another shot, you’ll see me from the back, dressed all in black, about to steal a painting off the wall. And finally, my feet make an appearance, next to a dead body and a gun. That’s right, now you have the inside info that my feet were in those pair of shoes! But in all seriousness, I had a great time with great people! I love “working”!

On my way back from the holidays, I got a call offering me another Harlequin book cover shoot! Well, it just happened yesterday and it went great as usual. Once again, I worked with Robert Goshgarian and his team. It was good to see them all again. Now I’m up to 6 covers!

Well, I can’t just talk about a new cover without showing you one of the books that has been recently released! That’s right, my 4th one is out and is called Caught Off Guard by Kira Sinclair, which is displayed on the left.

Already? Another year over…and what a great one! Highlights include appearing in episodes of Flashpoint and Mayday, a role in the opening of a movie of the week called The Last Jinn, cool commercial projects such as the one we did for Carnival Cruise (getting paid to go on a Cruise, nice!) and a funny Dentyne Internet video skit, lead roles in multiple TV pilots, directing my first short film which I titled Forsaken, a supporting lead role in an Ottawa feature, few Harlequin cover appearances (those are always fun) and much more, in and outside of the film/TV/modeling world! I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to, but at the same time, enjoying the day to day journey.

Now to talk about a few things I haven’t even mentioned yet! Check out this picture, it’s a still from William Barber’s latest reel.
One of the projects showcased is his BMW Soul Spec ad. Once post production on the commercial is completed, I’ll be happy to put it up here. It’s a pretty cool concept and I look forward to sharing it!

Since coming back from the cruise, I was involved in a web ad for Contiki where I worked with Trevor Francis again, for the third time. He actually brought up the fact that every time I auditioned for one of his project, I was offered a job! Speaking of commercials, I volunteered in a 3D PSA (public service announcement) for WildAid which was a blast to shoot and the first 3D project I’ve been involved in. I also made an appearance in a few corporate videos, did some voiceover work and had modeling jobs here and there. Got some new shots as well (I’ve put three new photos in the Pictures section)!

Unfortunately, without going into details, something happened in the end of November which prevented me from doing on camera work and auditions. Thankfully, all is well now and I will make up for lost work in the new year! Speaking of, in January or February, we plan to shoot the first episode of a web show in which I would play the main character. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I’ve been working on the creative end (co-creating the show, writing the first episode, etc.) which has been very exciting. On that note, I wish you all the best in the new year! Happy 2011!