Merritt actor returns home to present movie screening

MERRITT, B.C. — A Merritt actor made his return home with a couple of his castmates to present two showings of a new film he is apart of.

Kindall Charters, who is from Merritt but moved out to Vancouver to pursue his passion and career of acting, was at Merritt Secondary School (MSS) for a showing for the grade 10 to 12 students and then again for the public later in the night. Charters said being able show his film in his hometown was a surreal feeling.

“It’s actually really thrilling you know to even share my story,” Charters said. “I went to school here at MSS and to share my story with the new graduates here… and maybe inspire them to do whatever they want to do with their lives. I know that even becoming an actor is tough and I had a lot of resistance and definitely like pushing a path that’s dark and unknown, and sharing my story to these students.”

He said his journey to become an actor began when he was a young teen.

“There used to be a video mart I used to go to when I was about 13 to 14 and rent movies,” Charters said. “It was always action though. I grew up watching those shows and something inside of me always told me I wanted to be an actor and I just kept on slowly peaking into it because a lot of what I face is it’s not a realistic job to go through, but I pulled through. Back in 2009, when the Twilight series started auditions for native actors, I went out to the one in Kelowna and something inside of me sparked and I couldn’t ignore it. I just dropped everything and hitchhiked to Vancouver and have been acting ever since.”

When asked what advice he would give the students that was at the showing, he had one simple statement.

“Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams.”

Charters said his role in this movie was a cool and exciting one for him.

“Well, I play Charlie Tomkins, who’s also nicknamed ‘Checker’, and I do two scenes and I play a code talker in the film which is pretty exciting,” Charters said. “I get to speak some Cree and I had a good scene with Grace Dove.”

The movie, Bones of Crows, is a Canadian drama film that was initially released on Sept. 10, 2022.

“It’s about surviving the residential school,” he said. “A story about Aline Spears [Grace Dove] and her story that describes what happens in the residential school and her going to the war and doing code talking and about all the heavy topics like the abuse at residential schools.”