Concordia Alumnus Makes Movie Debut in ‘Sudsy Slim Rides Again’
Photo courtesy of The Carpenter Brothers and “Sudsy Slim Rides Again.” Collin Christiansen, a Concordia alumnus, appears in the top right of the movie poster.
By April Bayer
Concordia alumnus Collin Christiansen, who graduated in 2016, recently made his debut in the world of film by acting in the Western spaghetti-style comedy “Sudsy Slim Rides Again.”
The film follows the story of “legendary outlaw” Sudsy Slim on his last ride through a small town called Scratcher Pass. The town’s residents are shocked to discover that their main tourist attraction, the body of Sudsy Slim, who has supposedly been dead for 100 years, has come back to life. Sudsy Slim goes on to assault a few villagers as he rides out of town, leaving “terror and mystery in his wake.” A local named Agent Sherman is tasked with investigating these mysterious events, leading to a story that Christiansen described as being filled with “slapstick-style antics.”
Christiansen is a member of the supporting cast and plays a role called Digger in the film. He heard about auditions through the movie’s director, who asked Christiansen to try out after seeing him act in a community theatre musical.
“My past acting experience has mostly been in theatre productions, so this was very different but also rewarding,” Christiansen said. “In theatre, you practice a few hours most days a week and then perform multiple times. In film, you practice by yourself and then perform, practice (and) hang out on set, sometimes for hours and hours, and then you might be completely done with one scene.”
Even though he found acting in a movie very different from performing onstage, Christiansen said his time performing in shows at Concordia like “Phantom of the Opera” and “Into the Woods” and participating in activities like Male Chorus helped him develop the skills he needed for acting in “Sudsy Slim.”
“I enjoyed my acting at CUNE immensely. Even though acting in ‘Sudsy’ was so much different from CUNE theatre…these experiences did help prepare me to act on-screen,” Christiansen said. “Any time you get to put together a character or be creative you can potentially improve, even if it’s just in your confidence.”
Since graduating, Christiansen has been working as a substitute teacher and football coach in Palmer, Alaska, but hopes to eventually pursue acting as a full-time career. Christiansen said one of the best ways students can support him is to go see “Sudsy Slim” while it’s showing in Seward.
“When I watched the movie for the first time, I was actually laughing at parts I hadn’t seen yet,” Christiansen said. “I was also captivated by the way the editors had brought our characters to life. Even though I had been present for a portion of the making of the film and had read much of the script, I genuinely enjoyed it. I hope Concordia students get to enjoy it as much or more than I did the first time they see it.”
“Sudsy Slim Rides Again” has had multiple showings at the Rivoli Theatre in Seward over the last two weeks and will continue with a special Halloween showing at 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31.
