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Myke Holmes, a Rising Star from Our Own Backyard, Debuts on the Big Screen in “The Ultimate Life” Sept. 6

By Rebecca Mullins 

Photo by Lindsay Holmes
Photo by Lindsay Holmes

Sept. 6, 2013. On Sept. 6, a Blowing Rock actor, Myke Holmes, will be making his big-screen debut in “The Ultimate Life.”

This is the first time Holmes has appeared in a movie in theaters, though certainly not the last. His ambition, passion and love of acting will continue to guide his way in the acting world.

In an interview with Holmes, he remarked that his grandmother, Callie Rominger, hasn’t been to a movie theater in over 60 years.

This weekend, she’ll go once again to the theater, this time with her grandchild, Myke Holmes, to watch his first time on the big screen. It will be grandparent’s day and a day they’ll always remember. 

For those of you up for a drive, the closest showing of, “The Ultimate Life,” is in Hickory at the Carmike 14, about 50 miles from Boone. But for those unable to make the drive, click here to see a video showcase of Myke Holmes’ work up till now.

Holmes has had to work a long way to get to where he is today. It’s taken lots of patience and a boat load of enthusiasm. In just one month, he said he had 35 auditions and booked only 2 of them. To him, these are good odds. For any aspiring actors out there, that’s what you have to deal with. It’s a battle to beat the odds, he said. 

“When I started off in acting I thought a lot of it was pretending,” said Holmes. “[But] there’s research that has to go into it, because I don’t want to get on set, have them give me some instrument to use on scene and not know how to use it. You don’t want to be the one to get it wrong.”

This is something he tries to instill into all of his theater students at UNC Wilmington. His dual jobs as professor and actor allows him the freedom to audition, tape and teach with only a few hours of driving as the cost. 

Photo by Kevin Stauss
Photo by Kevin Stauss

Holmes shared that his role in “The Ultimate Life” has been his favorite role yet. Not only is it the largest role he’s played, but it’s also one of the most interesting.

In this sequel to, “The Ultimate Gift,” Holmes plays an eccentric geologist from the 1950s whose intellect knows no bounds. His character’s snooty, nerdy and full of random geological facts and jargon.

“It was a really fun character to play,” said Holmes. 

 But when he started this role, he too didn’t understand all the terminology. He sought out a fellow professor at UNC Wilmington, who was able to share with him the knowledge he felt he needed to know in order to properly play his character.

“I really have to dig into understanding human behavior and what people think,” Holmes said. 

To him, that’s part of the fun of acting. It’s takes more than raw talent to make it. It takes training, skill and a the ability to understand your character to get on the big screen.