The Vancouver feature film A Welcome Distraction screened at the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
Here is our conversation with actor Simon Farrell:
HNMAG: Was A Welcome Distraction the first feature film that you performed in that screened at VIFF?
Simon Farrell: It’s my first film at VIFF. It’s my tenth time attending VIFF.
HNMAG: Did you ever volunteer?
Simon Farrell: Yes, I volunteered for ten years. It’s bittersweet. There are some cool perks to having your film get in. My pass now is a little more powerful than the volunteer pass, but I don’t get the t-shirt or the free popcorn.
HNMAG: You don’t go to the party?
Simon Farrell: Oh I go to more parties now.
HNMAG: The Volunteer party?
Simon Farrell: More parties, but not the volunteer party.
HNMAG: Did you grow up in Vancouver?
Simon Farrell: Nope, actually I grew up in Portland, Oregon.
HNMAG: You’re a dual citizen?
Simon Farrell: I wish. Right now I’m up here for the first time in ten years as a visitor. I have not gotten invited for permanent residency (PR) yet. I came to attend UBC. I did some theatre there and made the improv team, but my degree was interdisciplinary studies, mostly International relations and creative writing.
HNMAG: Ah, and was A Welcome Distraction a union shoot for actors?
Simon Farrell: It was an Ultra Low Budget (ULB) project, so we had a few union actors involved in the project. I’m not allowed to join the union until I get my PR. But lot’s of the the cast auditioned and everything.
HNMAG: So you came here for school but stayed to act.
Simon Farrell: Exactly. I have been acting since I was five years old at summer camp. When I moved to Vancouver, I wasn’t thinking about acting. I started working as a background performer on set. I fell in love with it again. It is what you make it. But then I needed a “skilled job” so I became a manager at an Italian restaurant. That’s when I switched from background to auditioning and occasionally booking some principal and commercial roles.
HNMAG: Do you still have friends and family in Portland?
Simon Farrell: All my family is in Portland. Some of my friends, but most of my friends, are in Vancouver.
HNMAG: Washington or here?
Simon Farrell: Here of course! I love my Vancouver friends, in fact I’m still renting an apartment. My family is making the trip up for the screening and I’m excited for my worlds to collide.
HNMAG: That’s wonderful. So how did you get involved in A Welcome Distraction?
Simon Farrell: The writer, director, Brian Daniel Johnson, is one of my best friends. The cinematographer, Andriy Lyskov, is also one of my best friends and my roommate. We all lived in the same building. Brian knew I was booking roles. We became better friends, and he cast me in his first short film. It had success at festivals. He recommended me to other filmmakers, and I did their shorts. Brian then came to me with A Welcome Distraction. At the time, we weren’t sure if it was going to be a short or episodic. We shot the first “episode” in February 2023. I remember there was snow on the ground when we went to picture.
HNMAG: There was snow in the first scene of the movie. It’s also Vancouver…
Simon Farrell: Yeah it doesn’t happen often, but the camera loved it.
HNMAG: Exactly! Was that part of the script or a coincidence?
Simon Farrell: It definitely wasn’t in the script, and it did cause some drama on the first day.
HNMAG: You made the film initially as an episodic?
Simon Farrell: We shot it in chunks. I don’t think I ever sat with a full copy of the script until we wrapped, and it was given to me as a gift which was kind of funny.
HNMAG: You were the main talent attached to the project. It’s a unique story. It’s not directly expressed, but your character is in a cult.
Simon Farrell: Yes, Ernest is doing it for a girl.
HNMAG: Sure, but he’s also lacking direction and focus. He needs something to get behind.
Simon Farrell: Absolutely, and it slowly bubbles up. There’s a scene where Ernest is finally confronted and asked if he really believes all that stuff. He thinks about it and says, “Yeah, I do.”
HNMAG: The cult believes that Vancouver is the hub, and it’s all about building something here?
Simon Farrell: Yes. Roman points out a couple of times how lucky we are to be in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s the focal point of the work we do. After that, the cult aspect takes more control of the film.
HNMAG: Does Mallory see Ernest as a new mark to bring in, or does she want a real relationship?
Simon Farrell: It’s somewhere in between. You would want someone who you have a strong romantic attachment to to also integrate into the group. She also puts Ernest through a couple of tests before they get together. She thinks I’m a good candidate and a little cute.
HNMAG: Vancouver is integral to the story. We see that more and more, especially with independent features. As an American…
Simon Farrell: I feel Canadian. Projects set in Canada, and specifically in Vancouver, are definitely increasing. Vancouver’s stock is going up, which is well-deserved, as some of the best technicians and talent are based here.
HNMAG: How would you sum up your experience with this movie?
Simon Farrell: It was an absolute joy, and I love working with friends. It also secretly instilled a level of professionalism that I hadn’t fully honed in. I’ve had some roles on Hallmark movies and commercials, but this was the first time that I had twenty-five days as number one.
HNMAG: Right, number one on the call sheet.
Simon Farrell: Yes, I’ll forever feel grateful.
A Welcome Distraction is a unique movie that brings you on a provocative journey. You walk away with an understanding of how people take different paths and subtle manipulation. Simon Farrell plays the lead character, Ernest. His life lacks purpose and direction. He meets Mallory on a hike, and she brings him into her world, following the charismatic Roman. Simon is also on his own unique journey. He’s a talented actor from Portland, Oregon, who fell in love with Vancouver, Canada. We are rooting for him and his desire to become Canadian to continue his work as a Vancouver professional actor.