When he did "Saints and Soldiers," Heyborne's character, a British soldier, smoked, which was important to the character and certain scenes. Smoking is not Heyborne's personal life choice, of course, which he quickly pointed out during the interview. "They were herbal cigarettes purchased from a costume shop. People told me I should avoid the very appearance of evil."

Some LDS moviegoers also got miffed about his British accent. "I got criticized for my accent more by Mormons than people in England," Heyborne said. "The people in England thought I was Welsh."

Heyborne also is proud to say that LDS leaders have praised his work in "Saints and Soldiers" and were interested in the character and the reality of the show. "A film is a film," Heyborne said, LDS characters or not.

On the other hand, he said, "there are hundreds of thousands of actors in L.A. who would have killed to be an extra in 'Best Two Years.' "

As for "Free Ride" and other future projects, Heyborne openly admits, "I will be doing stuff Kirby Heyborne doesn't do."

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E-mail: pugmire@desnews.com