Chicago actor Bob Odenkirk has no shortage of film, television and theater talent in his family. Palmyra Pictures has announced the premiere date for their first short film, Ring Ring, at FACETS Theater Thursday, Febuary 20. The film features Keenan Odenkirk, 27-year-old nephew to Bob Odenkirk, in the starring solo role.
Ring Ring is a 15-minute short film that follows a ring bearer (Keenan Odenkirk) who is desperately late to his best friend’s wedding when he accidentally tosses the rings into a trash bin. In his attempt to retrieve them, Odenkirk’s character faces an uncharacteristically humorous life-or-death struggle.
The premiere screening is free and open to the public. To RSVP, email rsvp@palmyra.pictures.
Thursday, February 20,2025
6:30 PM
FACETS Theatre
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
“We put out a call for auditions and were surprised to read the name ‘Odenkirk’ in our inbox,” said Lucas X. Simes, co-president of Palmyra Pictures and director of Ring Ring. “Later, I learned that Keenan was the nephew of Bob Odenkirk. I was really hoping that his audition tape would be what we were looking for. He turned out to be a perfect fit for this role.”
Said Keenan about working on the set of Ring Ring, “I was given so much room to improvise and play around with this role, which is so rare with projects like this. I was dirty, grimy, covered in mud and having a great time every step of the way.”
Unlike his uncle Bob, who grew up in Naperville, Keenan was raised in Tucson, Arizona and attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he studied theater, creative writing, computer science and mathematics. He moved to Chicago upon graduating, and has been making his mark in Chicago’s film and theater industries since, with recent credits including Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Invictus Theatre Company (2022 Jeff Award Winner for Best Play), a speaking role in FX’s City Primeval and a number of other short films, in addition to occupying understudy roles at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Keenan credits his uncle for his pursuit of acting, saying, “He takes on projects that interest him and really push his limits. Case in point, he’s about to perform on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross. That’s a hell of a leap from Mr. Show or Saul Goodman, but it was unsurprising. He always seems to be looking for something personally fresh and exciting, and that really engages his audience. I try to keep that in mind at every step in the creative process.”
In addition to Bob and Keenan, Keenan’s brothers Tristan and Alex are both actors; his other uncle Bill is a television writer who has written for Futurama, Disenchanted and The Simpsons. His aunt Naomi is an agent. His cousin Nate is a writer, and his mother is a theater costumer.
