For possibly the first time in its history, a movie scene will be filmed at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.
And for the first time in his life, emergency room physician Dr. George Karasmanis will find himself in front of a movie camera.
While being on the big screen is something new for Karasmanis, the role he'll be playing is very familiar.
His character is an emergency room physician named Dr. Row.
"This is the last thing I ever thought I'd be doing in my life," said Dr. Karasmanis, who has been at RVH for almost a decade. "Growing up, drama was never my thing and being in front of a camera - never."
The movie is called Porcupine Lake, a feature length film being shot in Port Severn with one scene at RVH.
The film company describes the movie as a story about bravery and the secret life of girls set in Northern Ontario during a hot and hazy summertime when adulthood has not yet arrived but childhood is quickly vanishing.
Karasmanis says he was always petrified of being on camera but forced himself to overcome the fear by doing a regular health segment on CTV News Barrie.
He was originally supposed to just consult on the movie script, according to hospital spokesperson Donna Danyluk.
"But then he was so charismatic and so adorable, the director asked him to read the script. He read the script and he got the part."
The RVH scene will be filmed Sept. 1 in a unit of the hospital currently not in use and take a full day to complete.
"If we had to move patients or staff we wouldn't have done it," said Danyluk.
For use of the hospital, the film crew donated $400 to the Hearts and Minds Campaign.
"Because this is a film about young people they've made it specifically for our Child and Youth Mental Health Inpatient Unit that we're currently raising money for. That was a nice tie-in," said Danyluk.
With twin boys of his own going on 12, Dr. Karasmanis says a movie that highlights the challenges of the "tough age" of young teens is a great idea.
"It's an important topic," said Karasmanis. "In the emerg we deal with a lot of kids around that age - early and mid teens - and it's amazing how many similar problems come up between friends and parents and conflict and good times at the same time."
The director Ingrid Veninger is known for using non-union actors, says Danyluk, and initially consulted the emergency room physician to ensure the film was medically accurate and believable.
Two hospital housekeeping staff will act as extras in Karasmanis' scene.
The veteran physician says he wouldn't have accepted the part if he didn't like the character - a personable doctor who treats the patient, not just the physical wounds.
He admits he already has some jitters for a role he plays in real life everyday.
"Thankfully it's short. It's just a small part," he said. "It's very exciting."
