Star power added to Penticton-based film
Canadian actor Eric McCormack is set to star in a Penticton-set film that begins shooting later this month, the production company announced this week.
McCormack is best known for his role as Will Truman in NBC sitcom “Will & Grace,” which ran for 11 seasons from 1998 to 2006 and 2017 to 2020.
The Emmy Award winner will play Hank Freshwater, one of the main characters in “Change of Pace,” a coming-of-age story based on a film of the same name shot in 1980 by Graham Fraser, better known as the former owner of Ironman Canada and current owner of the Penticton Vees.
The new “Change of Pace” is being produced by Fraser through his Suitcase Charlie Films company.
“The addition of Eric McCormack to the role of Hank Freshwater elevates ‘Change of Pace’ to a new level,” Fraser said in a press release.
“Eric brings a wealth of talent and quality with his credentials and acting abilities and I could not be more thrilled to see Eric bring Hank to life.”
Fraser scored another big name in director Stephen Campanelli, who spent 20 years on Clint Eastwood’s production crew and directed “Indian Horse,” which won the People’s Choice Award at the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival, and “Grand Isle,” which stars Kelsey Grammer and Nicholas Cage, and won the Spotlight Award at the 2019 Lone Star Film Festival.
“We are truly honored to have a director of this calibre at the helm of ‘Change of Pace’ and know that
Stephen will capture the true essence of hope and resilience at the heart of this story,” said Fraser.
Fraser and his pal, Mike Freshwater, made the original Super-8 version of “Change of Pace” during their final year of high school in Grimsby, Ont.
The movie collected dust until Fraser’s son, Luke, who graduated from film school at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2019, retrieved it from storage, then freshened and expanded the script.
The new version follows an awkward Pen-Hi student whose life changes directions when he befriends a recent arrival at school.
The film is scheduled to start shooting Sept. 28 at iconic locations around the city, including the SS Sicamous, Pen-Hi, Skaha Beach and the South Okanagan Events Centre.