LangleyAdvance
LIGHTING UP FOR THE SEASON
Thursday, December 13, 2012 • A19
Check out our listing of Langley’s bright spots this Christmas.
see page A29… Entertainment
Chameleon swaps out science for stage
Growing up in Langley, Heather Doerksen has landed herself several big acting roles of late. by Roxanne Hooper rhooper@langleyadvance.com
C
uddled up in her favourite pyjamas, with a cup of tea in hand, Heather Doerksen settled in Sunday night to watch a Christmas movie. But she wasn’t watching any ordinary holiday flick. This movie, Anything But Christmas, featured her as a supporting actress, working alongside one of her alltime movie idols – Christopher Lloyd. The cold, wet weather on the night of the movie’s television premiere drew strong contrast to the 30-degree days of shooting for the film this past June in Kelowna. “We were dressed up in wool sweaters and coats and gloves and scarves, in the middle of a sunny summer day,” recalled Doerksen, a 32-year-old actor who got her start in acting while growing up in Langley. “Between every two-minute take, the makeup artists had to rush in to powder our sweaty faces. That in itself was comical,” she said, recounting how much fun she had making this romantic comedy. Playing the supporting character of Charlene in this movie, Doerksen said the role was much different from most she’s asked to play. “This bubbly, almost cartoon-like Charlene is very enthusiastic and persistent about getting her ex-boyfriend (John played by Sergi di Zio) back when he breaks up with his current girlfriend (Grace, played by Elaine Hendrix). She takes some extreme measures to convince him, culminating in a scene that is a bit of a comedy of errors,” Doerksen said. It turns out her character is not the completely ignorant and unaware character first thought, and Doerksen said she enjoyed watching and helping her character grow. While she said the entire cast got along
David Bukach photo
In the past year, Langley-raised Heather Doerksen (left) starred in a holiday movie, Anything But Christmas (above), which aired on TV last weekend, and in Ambrosia, (right) which debuted at the Cairo International Film Festival Dec. 4. “so great, and it really was a gem to work on this set,” Doerksen said the highlight of the experience was working with Lloyd – again. “Christopher and I worked on a mini-series in 2009 called Knights of Bloodsteel… so I was excited to act with him again… When I was in a scene with him, it was easy to just watch him do his thing, just sit back and watch – before realizing I better do my job too.” Doerksen – a pretty big Christmas fan in her own right – said this was not her first seasonal movie.
Last year she was involved in the making of Barbie: A Perfect Christmas. Dressed in a spandex jumpsuit covered with white computer-sensitive balls, she provided the physical movements for the character of Christie Clauson, with computer lasers capturing and converting her motion to that of the animated character. “So, [Anything But Christmas] is not technically my first Christmas movie, but I still say it is because you actually see me in this one,” said Doerksen, who has made quite a splash in film, radio, and stage in recent years.
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While Anything But Christmas debuted this past weekend, the holiday movie airs again on Dec. 23 and 25. In the meantime, earlier this month was also the international premiere of another of Doerksen’s movies, Ambrosia, at the Cairo International Film Festival. This movie, made for the big screen, positions the Walnut Grove grad as the head of a prestigious fashion design firm in an independent film about an Iranian couple’s struggles after emigrating to Canada. Doerksen’s character, Sarah Lane, takes more than professional interest in the immigrant Leila (played by Miss Universe Canada’s Sahar Biniaz), who has dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Needless to say Leila’s marriage unravels under the pressure of her changing views and values. “Lust, betrayal, innocence, and conflict colour this moving film from Iranian filmmaker Baharak Saeid Monir,” said Doerksen, who attended SFU with the director years ago. “I got a call from her out of the blue, wondering if I would be interested in playing one of her lead characters in her new film… I was flattered she remembered me, and met with her to discuss the script… One of the things I loved about being on the set was the multicultural climate she created. So many languages were being spoken at any given time, from Farsi to French to English.” While Doerksen has landed a few film roles, and will be heading to Los Angeles next July for the premiere of another of her movies, Pacific Rim, which she shot in Toronto for seven months between 2011 and 2012 – she’s also been doing a lot of voice work. “I’m voicing many holiday advertisements. You probably hear me in your car on the way to work,” she said, noting she’s also been on stage recently performing in a murder mystery called A Tomb With A View. • More online at www.langleyadvance.com
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