Acting up: Local thespian making a name for himself in LDS flicks

Contrary to popular belief, Kirby Heyborne has not been in every LDS movie ever made. But he has been in quite a few — especially over the past couple of years.

For those who don't recognize Heyborne's name — or face — here's a quick role call:

— In "The Singles Ward," Heyborne co-starred as a would-be missionary waiting for his call.

— In "The R.M.," he starred as the title character, a returned missionary.

— In "The Work and the Story," he had a bit part as a member of a film crew.

— In "The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey," he was Sam, the brother of Nephi.

— In "The Best Two Years," which opens today in local theaters, he plays yet another missionary.

— And two upcoming films in which he'll appear are "Saints and Soldiers," a World War II drama, and "Sons of Provo," a boy-band spoof.

"I was not in '(The Legend of) Johnny Lingo,' " he quickly points out, adding with a laugh, "Also, you may not have noticed this, but I'm in the background in Richard Dutcher's movies. I'm playing 'the set.' "

The 27-year-old Heyborne is humble about his rising success in Mormon cinema, as well as his future acting prospects. "I certainly don't think I'm the most talented actor — here or anywhere. I do think I might be the luckiest one, though. I've either auditioned very well or people just seem to like me. Either that, or they've pitied me and given me jobs. That really is something I should look into."

"The Singles Ward" was his first film; before that, he was selling insurance in Utah County.

Heyborne said he is thankful for the breaks he's received in mostly local feature-film productions. Though he admits that it also led to him being typecast as a missionary. (In real life, he served an LDS mission in the Dominican Republic.)

In "The Best Two Years," Heyborne plays Elder Calhoun, a newly arrived LDS missionary in Holland whose enthusiasm for his work rubs off on his jaded companion, Elder Rogers (KC Clyde). "I'm what they like to call in the industry a 'plot device,' " he said during a telephone interview from Southern California.

Actually, Calhoun, a bit of a naive rube when he first arrives in Holland, is something of a departure for Heyborne. "He's the least cool character I've played — or maybe he's the most cool one, I'm not exactly sure."