Chad Owens performed alongside a number of star players during his ten-year CFL career and now he’s doing the same with some of the most legendary actors in Hollywood.
The 40-year-old was spotted in the trailer for Paradise City, an upcoming action film starring John Travolta and Bruce Willis. Owens is briefly shown holding actor Blake Jenner, who plays Willis’ son in the film, at gunpoint.
The film is set to be released on Nov. 11 in limited theatres and on video on demand. It was shot on location in Owens’ home state of Hawaii in May and June 2021 and will feature one of Willis’ final performances as he has since retired from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. Director Chuck Russell’s previous work includes The Mask, Eraser, and The Scorpion King.
According to his IMDB page, this isn’t Owens’ first acting endeavour as he also appeared in an episode of the TV miniseries Echo Park in 2018.
Owens was a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2005 NFL Draft. He broke into the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 but dressed for only one game before being traded to the Toronto Argonauts the following year.
The five-foot-eight, 180-pound receiver and return specialist spent six seasons with the Argos and was named a CFL all-star four times (2010-2012, 2014) and an East Division all-star five times (2010-2014). He won the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award in 2010 after returning 53 kickoffs for 1,216 yards, 84 punts for 1,060 yards and two touchdowns, and six missed field goals for 425 yards and two touchdowns.
Owens’ best season came in 2012 when he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player after catching 94 passes for 1,328 yards and six touchdowns while remaining a dangerous return specialist. He finished the year with 3,863 all-purpose yards, setting a new CFL single-season record previously held by Hall of Fame inductee Mike ‘Pinball’ Clemons.
Nicknamed the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian,’ Owens finished his CFL career with brief stints with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders. In total, he caught 521 passes for 6,217 yards and 26 touchdowns and recorded 10,309 total return yards along with nine return touchdowns.
