(Photo: Patsy Tuba’s headshot taken by Deb McCarron and Jingle Bell Run movie poster, submitted by Patsy Tuba)
Every year the Hallmark Channel rolls out several Christmas films, and this year Patsy Tuba landed a role in Jingle Bell Run.
The film stars Ashley Williams as Avery and Andrew Walker as Wes and is described as a Christmas-themed reality competition show similar to the Amazing Race. Avery is paired with former hockey player Wes, and the two clash at first, but throughout the film they grow closer and form a connection.
Patsy Tuba is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and grew up in Prince Albert but now lives in Victoria, British Columbia. She plays the role of a car rental agent who helps Avery and Wes extend their journey in the race.
(Photo: an image captured from Jingle Bell Run of Patsy Tuba, submitted by Patsy Tuba)
“It was awesome; it was a chance to be a part of a movie. They do Hallmark movies here in Victoria quite a bit, and I get to be in the background,” she said.
Tubas love for acting sparked at a young age when she took drama classes at Carlton Comprehensive High School in grades 10, 11, and 12.
When her oldest child went to university, they enrolled in some acting classes. Tuba realized that her love for acting hadn’t gone away, and she decided to enroll herself in some acting classes.
“It was just a weekend workshop. I drove down to Regina for it, and I fell in love with the aspect of acting because of all the different things that it involves. For me, most of my shyness and stuff was still lurking around, and I was kind of like, ‘Well, you have to throw that away or bring it with you on stage and make it work,’ which, of course, you just bring it along with you, and that was in front of a camera for the first time,” she explained.
After the workshop, Tuba decided to take a year-long actors core workshop with Neil Schell, where she would strengthen her skills by performing and doing exercises. From there she worked with Spark Theatre in Prince Albert before moving to BC a few years later.
Tuba has since been featured in several movies and TV shows, including the Nancy Drew and Alaska Daily television series’ as well as the movie Kiri the Girl.
MBC Radio asked Tuba what advice she would give Indigenous youth looking to pursue acting as a career or hobby, and she said the following: “Just go for it; nothing happens if you don’t try. Failures are always a part of life, and you learn from them, but the thing you have to do is just get back up and try again. As an actor, you’re always being rejected and always being refused, but the thing is, to actually land that role that thousands of people are trying out for, you have to keep trying for it.”
Jingle Bell Run can be watched tonight on the Hallmark Channel and airs a final time at 1 p.m. on December 14.