Julie Bertrand / Oceanside Star
As of this week, you can see local actor Harrison Houde on your TV screen every Monday evening. The Qualicum Beach teen is part of the ensemble cast of ‘Some Assembly Required,’ a new YTV sitcom from the minds of ‘Mr. Young’ creators and producers.
Houde plays the role of Bowie Sherman, the best friend of the lead character, who is somewhat geeky and prone to mistakes.
“Bowie thinks he’s cool and intimidating but he’s a nerd,” Houde said. “He also thinks he’s a ladies’ man but he’s not.
“The 17-year-old actor auditioned for the role in early 2013 and learned he had it last June, during his Grade 11 exams period at Kwalikum Secondary School. Houde and his mother temporarily relocated to Vancouver within a month to be close to the Burnaby studio where the sitcom is filmed.
“We work from Monday to Friday,” Houde said. “We rehearse on Tuesday and Wednesday, and shoot on Thursday and Friday.
“For most of the cast, including himself, it’s their first regular role on a sitcom, an experience he said is fun.
“It’s faster paced than a feature film,” he said.
During his first months shooting for ‘Some Assembly Required,’ Houde was also hosting the TVO TV series ‘Finding Stuff Out,’ which was filmed in Montreal.
“I was flying between Vancouver and Montreal to do both shows,” he said. “The year 2013 was crazy.
“Houde first got involved in the entertainment business as a small child, nabbing a small role in the Hollywood film ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid.’ It was followed by appearances in an ‘Untold Stories of the ER’ episode, the TV movie ‘A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!’ and the live-action TV series ‘Spooksville,’ which will soon premiere in Canada.
Despite his busy schedule, Houde still has time to keep up with his KSS Grade 12 schooling. When he’s not filming on set, he meets with a tutor for lessons. He said he does not want to transfer schools during his last high school year.
“I took two Grade 12 courses last year,” he said. “Because of that, I have an easy workload.”
Filming for the sitcom will continue until March. Houde should appear in 26 episodes of the show.
Houde also composes and performs music, which he makes available on his YouTube channel. Some of his songs were used in ‘Finding Stuff Out’ episodes.