Lights, Camera, Action. A Number Of Vancouver-Area Golfers Have Roles In Owen Wilson Comedy Series
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
VANCOUVER, B.C. (August 16, 2024) - Since being hired as the golf consultant for a 10-part Owen Wilson golf comedy series being shot in the Vancouver area for Apple TV, Richmond teaching pro Nathan Leonhardt has been a busy guy.
It is Leonhardt’s job to ensure that the golf scenes look realistic. He has also been charged with finding members of the local golf community to work as doubles or background actors for the series.
Leonhardt has also been trying to help the golf-crazed Wilson with his game. That has been a challenge and a lot of fun. “I have taken him out to play golf a few times,” Leonhardt says.
“I took him out to Richmond Country Club, took him out to Point Grey and he has come out to my academy to practise a handful of times. He would be like a 15- to 20-handicap golfer, so he’s an addicted average golfer. I have tried to work on his game with him, bring him in to practise more, but he just wants to play.”
Even on set, which has included scenes shot at a number of Vancouver-area courses, Wilson wants to play. “It’s so funny, but while we are shooting we will go over and play some (money) games against each other,” Leonhardt says. “Then he gets called back to the set.”
Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill former pro golfer whose career was derailed prematurely 20 years ago, in the untitled comedy series that has been shooting all summer in the Metro Vancouver area.
After getting fired from his job at an Indiana sporting goods store and his wife walks out on him, Pryce hedges his bets entirely on a troubled 17-year-old golf phenom played by actor Peter Dager.
Leonhardt’s involvement in the series came when he got a phone call out of the blue in April. “It was the production manager and he said we are doing this Apple TV show with Owen Wilson and we are looking for a golf consultant and I was like, okay, that sounds too good to be true,” Leonhardt says.
“He said it’s full-time, so we’d need you until the middle of September, Monday to Friday. And if it is something you’re interested in, how much would you need to be compensated to do it. Then the kicker was, I need to know today if you are interested.”
Knowing he could lose some students at his Tour Development Academy in Richmond, Leonhardt figured out a price that made sense and a deal was done. It has been quite the experience. His first job was to read the script. “They wanted to know what’s not right,” he says. “That’s how it began.”
Leonhardt is on set when any golf scenes are being shot. “I am sitting near the directors watching the monitor while they are filming and if anything stands out, I just say, hey, that just didn’t feel right, we are going to have to change it a little bit.
"That is part of my role, which is pretty crazy to interrupt an award-winning director and say hey, we have to add this. It can be a little intimidating, but they have made me feel comfortable. They value my opinion and they know that Apple wants this to be realistic.”
Leonhardt was tasked with finding a double for co-lead Dager, the young golf phenom. That job went to Justin Bjornson, an 18-year-old from Surrey who is about to begin his second year as a member of the Simon Fraser University golf team.
“It has been a lot of fun,” Bjornson says. “It was really quite unexpected. . .at first I thought it was like a spam call because it was one of those opportunities where you go, really, is this real. Then one thing led to another. Fortunately, I was the right height and build to be a double for the actor they were using.
"It has been a fantastic experience. Usually in the summer I am playing a bunch of golf tournaments. I talked to my parents and an opportunity like this doesn’t come around too often, so I figured I’d see what it’s all about.”
What has made this opportunity even sweeter is the fact that since he was a kid, Bjornson’s favourite actor has been Owen Wilson. “He introduced himself to me and the first day on the set we rode around in a golf cart probably for half an hour playing closest to the pin competitions on one of the holes on Guildford Golf Course,” Bjornson says. “For someone at his level of fame, he has been amazing to a random college kid.”
Bjornson has been kept busy all summer in his role as Dager’s double and will be heading back to school with a few dollars in the bank. “Any time we are on the golf course or if there is a scene where they need someone to hit a golf shot, there will be one of Peter’s and one of mine and they put these little black dots all over my face and they are able to put his face onto mine, which will be pretty cool to see once they have it all done,” Bjornson says. “That’s pretty much all I do. If I am called and they need me for a shot I will go up and I will hit one.”
Cory Renfrew, a former University of B.C. standout, is also working as a double for another character in the series. “It’s been cool to hang out with Owen on set,” Renfrew said. “We have had some putting competitions and driving range time and stuff like that.”
Renfrew has been impressed with the scale of the production. “The timing of everything and the amount of people needed is incredible. It’s crazy how many hair and makeup people, assistants, food people and drivers are involved. It’s a big operation.”
Jackson Jacob, a former University of the Fraser Valley player who just turned pro this month, had an actual acting role in one of the episodes. “It is the first time I have done any kind of acting,” Jacob says. “It was a non-speaking role, but it was a really good experience. It gave me a new appreciation of what goes into making TV and movies. I would also say it built a new appreciation for how great the life of a celebrity is. You have people catering to you at all times.”
Jacob’s episode was filmed at Newlands Golf Course in Langley. Guildford, Langley Golf Centre and Fort Langley Golf Course have also been used. The final episode is scheduled to be shot at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.
The 23-year-old Jacob said meeting Wilson was a cool experience and so was working alongside a number of young actors who are attempting to establish their careers. “It’s neat to see people, especially around my age, who are really dedicated to their craft and are trying to build a career,” he says.
“It was similar to people I spend time around who are trying to become elite athletes. It’s really no different. It was quite interesting to see the parallels between different industries and different passions and different crafts.”
Jacob was also happy to learn how well actors are paid. “I would say that was one the most attractive parts of the deal was a nice bump in my savings. I am all done now, I sent a nice email back to them saying I’d love to be written into another episode and I would happily return at the drop of a hat. Just let me know.”
Shooting is expected to wrap on Sept. 12 and the series is expected to air sometime next spring. “I think it’s going to be really cool to see people from the B.C. golf community in a golf TV show that was filmed in Vancouver,” Jacob says, “I think it’s going to be really neat to watch.”