Christopher Hutchinson - Photo by Tennesia Malcolm

IF YOU have seen Christopher Hutchinson in action, you probably could not tell that he just happened upon acting in 2000, when financial constraints forced him away from his dream of being an architect.

"I used to act out stuff that happened to me during the day for my aunt and she encouraged me to try acting ," Hutchinson reveals.

This prompted a trip to Jambiz International and, seven plays later, he is one of two actors tasked with interpreting all of three roles in the production company's latest offering, Sheep in Wolf's Clothing.

But the former Kingston Technical High School student never envisioned a career in acting. In track and field perhaps, had he not been delinquent in responding to a scholarship to attend university in the United States; maybe in printing (which he dabbled in for a while) or even music.

But the 30-year-old says he ended up on stage.

"I used to work in light and sound but that was too much work; you get less money to flex your muscles. Acting is less pressure," he said.

To take on the role of CP, the socially-challenged character in Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, Hutchinson had to rely on more than just his "talent to adapt".

Out of his territory

"(The character) is way out of my territory; his life is totally different from mine," he told Tidbits Tuesday. "I did a lot of research."

And that he did, as he executes the role with ease and credibility. All part of being a "dangerous actor". As Hutchinson explains, a dangerous actor is not afraid to stretch himself to the limit in order to make a character believable.

In fact, Hutchinson's 'amateur' acting experience has led him off the stage and in front of the videographer's lens. His visage graces commercials for furniture giant Singer and the Lotto Daily Bingo game and he is perhaps most recognisable as 'Prento', the amateur disk jockey in a Guinness 'Believe' advertisement.

Hutchinson also appears in the made-for-TV movie, Not To Me, and the not-yet-released One Blood, which is being shot in the United States.

'Shy guy'

Not bad for the self-proclaimed shy guy who froze his first time in front a video camera, and who avoids crowds. But that shyness does not come across in his fluid conversation or seeming comfort on stage, which has earned him commendation from Jamaican theatre greats, such as playwright Trevor Rhone.

Yet, Christopher Hutchinson remains grounded. "Directors like working with me ... they say I'm humble."

He hopes this characteristic will propel him to acting central - Hollywood.

Till then, he is "still searching for that great (acting) moment". Oscar anyone?

Christopher Hutchinson - Photo by: Tennesia Malcolm