Winnipeg actor makes movie debut in latest installment of 'Bring It On' franchise
A Winnipeg actor who scared up a lead role in a new horror flick is getting set to screen her movie debut.
Madison MacIsaac landed the role of Sydney in “Bring It On: Cheer or Die”, the latest installment in the beloved cheerleading franchise now taking a turn into the bloody fun of the slasher genre.
The television movie tells the story of a cheer squad practicing at an abandoned school over Halloween weekend, when an unknown killer starts to take them down one by one.
MacIsaac, 20, was cast in the Winnipeg-shot film last fall after a trying first audition. She attempted to read lines for the casting director over Zoom while on a family vacation in Riding Mountain National Park. Wonky WiFi and lagging video signals rendered her audition totally mute.
Winnipegger Madison MacIsaac packed up her car and was on route to Vancouver to try her hand at acting on the west coast when she got word she had been cast in the latest instalment of the "Bring It On" franchise.
She sent in a taped audition instead, but even that presented its own technological challenges.
“I was standing on top of benches and stuff, putting my phone up trying to get that transfer to send, to get that tape through,” MacIsaac recalled in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
Weeks went by without a word, and MacIsaac had all but written the opportunity off. So much so, she packed her things in her car and was en route to Vancouver to try her hand at acting on the west coast.
“I got a call when I was in Medicine Hat that I had booked it,” she said. “So I just threw all my stuff in Vancouver and flew back home two days later.”
The project started with an intensive three-week cheer camp before filming began.
MacIsaac said she was initially intimidated by the cast of experienced film actors, but soon felt right at home.
“Everyone had this extensive background in dance or cheer. I was the only person in the cast that actually didn't have any experience with that,” she said. “But everyone was so welcoming and so supportive and so kind, and I never for a second felt like I wasn't supposed to be there.”
A year later, MacIsaac has finished filming another movie in a similar vein – the supernatural horror film “Elevator Game”, also shot in Manitoba.
Meanwhile, “Bring It On: Cheer or Die” debuted on video on demand services and DVD last week, and is set to premiere on the SYFY channel on Saturday.
MacIsaac’s parents are hosting a viewing party.
“They'll have everyone come over, the whole family. We'll all watch it together. It's very sweet,” she said. “I can’t wait to watch it.”
MANITOBA FILM INDUSTRY COMING OFF BEST YEAR EVER
The Winnipeg-shot film joins a long list of productions that rolled in Manitoba last year.
Cali Ramsey, executive director of On Screen Manitoba said 2021 marked the best year on record, with a production volume of $364.5 million, which amounted to about $1 million per day.
“Just to put that into context, in the year leading into the pandemic, we were at $269 million. So that’s almost a jump of $100 million coming out of the pandemic, so that’s a huge, huge jump,” she said.
Ramsey attributes the spike to pent-up demand after many productions were delayed during the pandemic. Still, she hopes the industry will be able to match, and perhaps exceed that figure in 2022. She notes there are about six new productions currently filming in Manitoba.
Ramsey said the boom comes with a number of opportunities for Manitobans, both in front of the camera and behind it.
“We need transport drivers, we need construction people, people working in the hair and makeup department. There are so many other roles that people can fit into in the industry, and we’re always looking for new faces to join in all of those departments,” she said.
Ramsey recommends anyone looking to break into the industry to visit Get On Set Manitoba, a workforce development website to help folks navigate their way into the industry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.