Troy Shantz
Actor Chris Boyle has made it to the big screen.
The 30-year-old Sarnia native was cast for a small role in the Oscar-nominated film Molly’s Game, working alongside Hollywood veterans Kevin Costner, Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.
“It was a very surreal experience,” Boyle told The Journal. “I’ve never done a big movie, let alone a big American movie.”
Molly’s Game tells the story of Molly Bloom (Chastain), a failed Olympic skier turned Poker Princess and proprietor of a multi-million dollar poker empire.
Boyle plays Jordan Bloom, Molly Bloom’s brother. During his first day on set he sat around a table with Alba, Costner and Chastain receiving direction from Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin.
“I was just shaking my head thinking, ‘How did I get here?’” he said.
The St. Christopher’s grad was on the Toronto set for three days, allowing him to spend some time with Costner, the famed actor and director whose credits include Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and Dances with Wolves.
Between shooting sessions, Costner would invite cast members back to his trailer to watch music videos of his band, Modern West, Boyle said.
“He was very, very generous, very curious, and just loved to kind of get to know us.”
Boyle has pursued an acting career since moving to Toronto in 2011.
Most of his work has comes in TV productions, commercials and short films. His credits include the CBC series "Murdoch Mysteries" and the Hallmark film "Good Witch."
He’s also a member of the award-winning YouTube comedy group, Arms Up Comedy, and part of a team currently pitching a web-series to the CBC.
Boyle said even his small part in the big-budget Molly’s Game gave him a unique insight into how the industry’s top talent works.
“It certainly created an appetite for me to keep doing it,” he said. “I just really tried to be a sponge there and absorb as much as I could.”