BYU Theatre Student Brings His Talent From the Stage to the Screen in the 2024 Movie “Escape From Germany”
Zechariah Combs always felt at home on the stage and decided to study acting at BYU. However, his career took an exciting turn in 2023, when he was cast in the latest film by director T.C. Christensen, "Escape from Germany" (2024). Despite his specialization in stage performance, Combs embraced the challenge of transitioning to film, bringing his passion and talent to a new medium.
With lots of exposure to musicals and stage acting in his early childhood, Combs’ interest in performing arts bloomed from a young age. “I think I’ve always enjoyed acting,” said Combs. “Once I was old enough, I would do anything I could to be involved in theatre. Being able to perform something and receive feedback from the people that you are performing for is such an amazing experience. That was one of the key differences when it came to working on a movie.”
Combs auditioned for a role in “Escape from Germany” while working with an acting agency before going on his mission. However, it wasn’t until two months after he returned from his mission that he heard back from Christensen. “Little did I know, production on the film had been postponed due to the pandemic, and I was asked to come and audition again,” he said. “Not only did I end up getting a part, but I received a bigger role than I had originally auditioned for.”
Filming the movie was Combs’ first experience with film acting. Although the basics of memorizing lines and learning his role were consistent, Combs noted a few key differences between acting on camera and acting on stage. “A big part of acting on camera is being able to get into character as soon as the director calls ‘Action!’” said Combs. “You always need to be in the moment because you don’t have a month or two of rehearsals to prepare.” A key difference Combs recognized was that in theatre, actors are given extended rehearsal time followed by a few months of performances, which allows actors more time to become familiar with the scenes and their characters. “In film, unless you make time to rehearse on your own, you don’t have that luxury,” Combs said.
The story of “Escape from Germany” follows the true events of missionaries as they fled Nazi Germany in 1939. “I served for about a year on my mission before I had to come home,” Combs said. “As somebody who had just come off his mission early, taking the opportunity to be a part of this film and play a missionary was definitely a path I needed to take.”
Combs also discussed how telling a true story impacted his performance and experience on set. “An interesting part of being in the movie was learning about the story and playing a real person who experienced it,” said Combs. In the movie, he plays a missionary named Geren Howell. While filming, Combs had the opportunity to meet some of Howell’s relatives who were playing background characters. “What makes this movie special is the connection that was made between the movie and the history behind it,” Combs said. “Christensen has made several movies about Church history and I remember one thing he told me while working on the film was, that if you’re going to make a historical film, you have to make it real, because there is no point in making up history.”
Combs expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the film and for the experience it gave him. Although his passion for theatre remains strong, he wants to keep the door open for future opportunities in film. “What I am most drawn to is stage acting because I really enjoy having an immediate response from the audience to fuel the performance,” said Combs. “However, when the movie premiered, we had a full theatre and there was something very special about finally getting that response from the audience and being able to see the way the scenes flowed together in the final result.”