Joshua Odjick fans make long journey to see Kitigan Zibi actor on the big screen

OttawaMembers of the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre made a two-hour journey to Gatineau, Que., for the opening night screening of The Long Walk — a Stephen King adaptation starring Kitigan Zibi actor Joshua Odjick.Odjick is starring in new Stephen King adaptation The Long WalkLiam Baker · CBC News · Posted: Sep 15, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoKitigan Zibi Anishinabeg actor Joshua Odjick stars in The Long Walk, the latest in a long line of film adaptations of work by horror master Stephen King. (Tim Leyes )When it comes to supporting a fellow member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg on the big screen, Christina Commonda says she’s “loud and proud.”The western Quebec First Nation is home to rising Hollywood star Joshua Odjick, who currently stars in The Long Walk, an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel of the same name.”I never would have thought in a million years that I’d be sitting in a movie theatre watching somebody from my community on the screen,” said Commonda, accessibility table co-ordinator for the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre.Set in a post-war America ruled by a totalitarian regime, King’s novel follows a group of teenage boys participating in a grueling annual walking contest in which the losers are executed.On Friday, the centre’s members made their own long journey, travelling two hours on a school bus to Gatineau, Que., to catch the film’s opening night.For some of the older members of the group, it may have been their first time in a movie theatre, Commonda said. For the younger members — many of whom are students in the centre’s educational programs — it was a chance to watch a local success story from the community.The friendship centre provides outreach services, including youth employment programs and mental health support, to Indigenous people living in and near Maniwaki, most of whom are members of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and the Algonquins of Barriere Lake.”I think it’s important that they see the start to finish — the connection between when you go into a career [and when you’ve become] successful,” Commonda said. Christina Commonda stands outside the Gatineau, Que., movie theatre where she and some of the centre’s members watched The Long Walk on Friday night. (Liam Baker/CBC)’Heartwarming’ gesture, says Odjick’s momThe Long Walk is Odjick’s first Hollywood production, but the rising star isn’t new to the industry. In 2022, he won the Canadian Screen Award’s best supporting actor for his role in the 2021 film Wildhood.For Odjick’s mother Brenda, the show of support from the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre was “heartwarming.””It actually brought a tear to my eye the other day,” she said. “I thought that was an incredible thing to support Josh in his journey to become a successful actor and it just means so much to me, brings a smile to my face. I never would have thought in a million years that I’d be sitting in a movie theatre watching somebody from my community on the screen.- Christina CommondaThe elder Odjick made a similar journey Friday, travelling to Ottawa to catch a matinee screening of the flick. It was a familiar trip, as she regularly drove her son to the city for the acting classes he began shortly after finishing high school.The fact her son’s first major production is a Stephen King adaptation is “momentous,” she added, as the first film she ever saw was another King adaptation — the 1976 horror film Carrie.’Somebody just like you on the screen’Commonda said the idea for the opening night excursion was sparked by students of the friendship centre, who had approached staff members when they heard about the film.Some knew Odjick from his previous film Sweet Summer Pow Wow, she said.They may soon start seeing his name attached to roles behind the camera as well: earlier this year, Odjick was selected as the 2025 mentorship protege at the Governor General Performing Arts Awards, allowing him to work with filmmaker Atom Egoyan to hone his screenwriting and directing skills.Despite his success, Odjick remains an active presence in both his community and at the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre, where Commonda says he still takes time to participate in the organization’s events. Many of the centre’s students come from communities that don’t even have electricity, Commonda said. She hopes Odjick’s path can show them it’s OK to follow their dreams, no matter where they come from.”There’s somebody just like you on the screen,” she said. “This is the little rez kid that grew up, went to school in the community, left the community and pursued an acting career — and is finding a lot of success in that.”