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Elly Gerspacher’s mind was racing as she nervously walked the red carpet at her first-ever Hollywood premiere.

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The 15-year-old actress was in Los Angeles last week for a screening of Wicked Plans, which debuted at the legendary TCL Chinese Theatres during the Golden State Film Festival.

Gerspacher was one of three cast members — all from Regina — who made the trip to promote the latest project by local filmmaker Lee Chambers.

“At first I was very nervous, but it was a little bit easier because I had my co-stars with me,” said Gerspacher. “It was very surreal walking down Hollywood Boulevard and seeing all the stars (on the Walk of Fame). I didn’t imagine I would get this far so quickly.”

Wicked Plans is the second big-screen appearance for Gerspacher, who recently played a lead role in One Little Link, another short film produced in Regina. She has also been cast in an upcoming Saskatoon-based project that’s to begin shooting this spring.

“I always loved acting but I never really thought about going into film until this year,” said Gerspacher, who has been performing in dance and theatre for several years. “Once I was on set (for a movie), I realized it was just awesome. I started auditioning more and I got into a couple of other films and it became a dream of mine. A year ago I was thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll just be a teacher’ — kind of figuring out what I’m going to do with my life. Now (being an actress) is like a goal.”

Gerspacher attended last week’s premiere with her father Greg — a production assistant on the film — as well as co-stars Joel Sopp and Devlin Horth. Gerspacher said the actors have become like family, calling Horth, 12, a “little brother” while Sopp is more of an uncle who tells “terrible dad jokes.”

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Together, they shared plenty of laughs at Thursday’s premiere while also savouring every moment of the experience.

“At first it was great to hear that a film you co-starred in was being shown in the TCL Chinese Theatres,” noted Sopp. “Right off the bat, that was a ‘wow’ moment, because it’s an iconic theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.”

Another ‘wow’ moment came when they returned to the theatre on Friday for the festival’s awards ceremony. It took place in conjunction with The Batman’s Los Angeles premiere, featuring an appearance by star Robert Pattinson.

“It was a little bit surreal,” Sopp noted. “We’re upstairs having our awards ceremony and he’s downstairs literally premiering his film for the world. So that was very, very cool.”

Although it was Sopp’s first Hollywood premiere, he has appeared in multiple local films. He also has a cousin, Josh Sopp, who’s a producer on ABC’s Shark Tank while his father, Warren Kiland, is a former CFL player who appeared in a 1986 Disney movie, I-Man.

In fact, Sopp’s dad encouraged him to attend last week’s premiere.

“He’s like, ‘I’m paying for your flights; I want to make sure you reach your dream,” Sopp recalled. “My girlfriend and mom (had a similar response). There were people supporting me before I even had a chance to decide if I was going or not. My girlfriend was saying, ‘When is the next time with a Saskatchewan acting career that you can say you walked the red carpet in L.A.?”

Sopp has several years of acting experience ranging from local student films to a larger motion picture that was shot three years ago in Regina (Cage Fighter: Worlds Collide). He also plays the villain in another feature film (The Wild by Regina director Aaron Sinclair) that comes out this year.

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“I don’t believe this is the pinnacle of my career; I believe this is the start, even at 46 years old,” offered Sopp, who runs his own digital marketing company in Regina. “Everybody thinks that the film industry in Saskatchewan is very soft or quiet. But there’s a lot of undercurrents that are happening. (Wicked Plans) is one of those projects that bubbled to the surface and is getting a lot of recognition. I’m very thankful that Lee was able to attach me to this project and that we made it all the way to L.A.”

If Sopp is right, it’s only the beginning.

“I truly believe this is not the last time L.A. is going to see actors from Saskatchewan,” he added. “From what I’ve seen from the films I’ve been in … we have a plethora of untapped talent that is just now being recognized. There’s a lot of opportunity here in Saskatchewan, regardless of if we have a film (tax) credit or not.”

Wicked Plans — a comedy by Regina-based Playmaker Pictures — introduces the audience to a bumbling suicide bomber (played by Style Dayne) who chooses Halloween to enact a moment of terror. However, his tone changes after encountering a group of trick-or-treaters (including Gerspacher and Horth) on the doorstep of his intended target (Sopp).

One of the highlights of the premiere was getting a chance to attend the festival screening — an experience that Sopp said gave them all “goose bumps” right off the bat.

Chambers could sense their excitement — even from long distance.

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“Even though I couldn’t make it, it was great that five members of the cast and crew were on hand to witness the audience reaction and laughter,” said Chambers, the film’s writer and director. “(They were) entertaining people in Hollywood with a film made in Regina.”

That fact hit home at night’s end when the screening concluded with a nice round of applause.

Sopp won’t forget that moment anytime soon.

“It was worth any award you could have put in our hands,” he added. “I wish (the other cast and crew) could have been there for that moment. But, for the three of us, that made the trip worth it right there.”

gharder@postmedia.com