Years of hard work are beginning to pay off for former Penticton actor Darren Mann, who played a lead role in the film Giant Little Ones which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
A graduate from Penticton Secondary School in 2007, Mann has been devoting his time and energy since then into his blossoming acting career. He said while he鈥檚 happy with where his journey has taken him, it has been a long road.
鈥淵ou just have to take it one step at a time. If you want something bad enough then you just gotta keep searching for a door that will open. I struggled for years as an actor in Vancouver, taking whatever side job that wouldn鈥檛 fire me for leaving for auditions that most likely I wasn鈥檛 going to get,鈥� said Mann. 鈥淏ut if it鈥檚 what you鈥檙e meant to do and what you want to do, then there鈥檚 always a way to do it.
鈥淵ou just gotta keep your head up and keep going for it and never stop trying to get better.鈥�
Mann鈥檚 role in Giant Little Ones, which began production in Ontario in 2017 and was directed by Keith Behrman, is lead character Franky Winter鈥檚 best friend, Ballas Kohl. The Canadian drama film centers around these two teenage boys and an incident at a party that upends their friendship and adolescent lives.
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鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 coincidence or not but I鈥檓 just kind of drawn to those antagonistic-type characters. They鈥檙e the most interesting to me,鈥� said Mann. 鈥淣ot always, but often there鈥檚 just so much going on for them (and you have) to figure out what makes them do what they do. And it鈥檚 a lot of fun, so I鈥檓 always drawn to those types of characters.鈥�
Mann鈥檚 character is a competitive swimmer, something he was able to relate to during the filming process as he was an athlete throughout high school. In the film, Kohl initiates a homosexual act with Winter which backfires, leading him to blame the entire experience on Winter.
鈥淭he writing for the film was so good, as soon as I read it the first time, I knew right away that it was something that I wanted to work on,鈥� said Mann. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot there for me to work with that Keith, our director, gave us. He鈥檚 an athlete as well so that were some things that I could pull from my life.
鈥淩eally, I just like to try and create that character and go on the journey with him. And great writing gives us the legs to do that.鈥�
Mann said he鈥檚 proud of the work he did for the film, noting that it鈥檚 overall plot is an important one that needs to be addressed.
鈥淚 just hope the movie continues to get seen because I think it鈥檚 a really great message that keeps sending with the film,鈥� said Mann. 鈥淚 hope more people can see it so it can affect a lot more people positively.鈥�
The film first premiered at TIFF in September 2018, an experience Mann said he appreciated to be a part of.
鈥淪o much stuff nowadays goes straight to streaming (online) or DVD, so to see it get a theatrical release in Canada and the US is pretty special. I鈥檓 really happy and proud to be a part of it,鈥� said Mann.
Mann said he recently finished filming another movie in Alabama, U.S., titled Embattled, in which he plays the lead role. He said it features a 鈥渂ackdrop of mixed martial arts鈥� so it was another opportunity for him to tap into his past experience as an athlete.
鈥淗opefully it will come out at the end of this year. Then you will see me a bit in season 2 of The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina that came out on April 5,鈥� said Mann.
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<>Jordyn Thomson | Reporter
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