Christine Sinclair scored 190 goals for the Canadian women's national team before she retired in 2024, setting a record for both men's and women's soccer that still stands today.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters
Given former Canada captain Christine Sinclair’s well-documented dislike for the limelight, it seems only fitting that her story be told in an animated short.
Written and directed by Eoin Duffy, Christine Sinclair: Kind of a Big Deal weighs in at just under eight minutes. Narrated by Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds, it is both short and sweet.
The mini-documentary touches on Sinclair’s career highlights, from winning Olympic bronze and gold and scoring a world-record 190 goals to her fight for equal pay for women on the pitch. Off the pitch, it reflects her deep family ties.
And it manages to do so while conveying Sinclair’s quirky, self-deprecating manner.
When Reynolds cites her scoring record, Sinclair interjects: “It’s just a number.”
“It’s THE number,” responds Reynolds.
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The project was a long time coming, with the seed planted some six years ago. Sinclair admits she was initially unsure about the idea, but was nudged into saying yes by her manager.
“‘Who would be interested in that?’ was kind of my opening reaction. Like most things,” Sinclair said in an interview. “But to see how it came together definitely brought a tear to my eye, with the aspects of my mom being in there.”
Sinclair’s mother Sandi died in February, 2022 after a 40-plus year battle with multiple sclerosis. Sinclair, a native of Burnaby, B.C., who retired at the end of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season, has tirelessly worked to raise money in support of people living with MS.
The choice of an animated short appealed to Sinclair, who was not interested in cameras following her around (a proposed documentary for TSN and Crave in 2022 never got off the ground).
“This animated short was a way to share my story but still be able to be kind of on the outside,” she said with a laugh.
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Sinclair spent time with Duffy, sharing her story and what she considered the important parts of her journey.
“It was seamless,” she said of the process. “He’s so interesting and easy to talk to, it almost felt like therapy – getting to know him and him learning my story.”
The Irish-born Duffy, who is creative director of Vancouver’s Studio Belly Animation Inc., also enjoyed their time together, saying Sinclair was “surprisingly open.”
“She’s a Roy Keane-type,” he said approvingly, referencing the outspoken former Ireland and Manchester United star player. “She just has no filter and says exactly what’s in front of her.”
The 43-year-old Duffy, who comes from a graphics design background, has a unique animation style. It is simple and minimalist.
The Sinclair project, while true to Duffy’s style, marks a departure in subject matter.
“This type of project was never on my radar,” he acknowledged.
Duffy’s work, which has screened at more than 200 film festivals globally, can be more than a little dark.
“I’m a pretty happy person,” he said with a laugh. “I like exploring that darker side.”
The Missing Scarf was one of 10 animated shorts on the longlist for 2014 Academy Award consideration, although that did not eventually translate into an Oscar nomination.
It has been described as a black comedy that explores fears of the unknown, albeit with a squirrel as the lead character.
Duffy has also done animated “explainer” videos for the likes of NASA, Apple, Facebook and Google. His five-minute short for NASA told the story of New Horizons, the first spacecraft to explore Pluto up close.
He is no stranger to using marquee voice talent.
George Takei, from Star Trek, narrates The Missing Scarf. Duffy has also used the voices of Canadian actor Nicholas Campbell of Da Vinci’s Inquest fame and Scottish actor Rory McCann, who played Sandor (The Hound) Clegane on Game of Thrones.
Duffy reasons that strong audio is needed with his minimalist visuals.
While Sinclair does not know Reynolds personally, the actor had previously sent Sinclair a video congratulating her on her career on the occasion of her international retirement. Reynolds is a soccer aficionado who co-owns Welsh side Wrexham AFC, which plays in England’s second-tier Championship.
“So we reached out. He was No. 1 on our list,” said Sinclair. “Not expecting him to say yes. He’s so busy and has so much going on.
“Right away he said yes.”
Reynolds refused a fee for his voice-over, asking instead that a donation be made to Covenant House, which helps at-risk, homeless and trafficked youth.
While initially reluctant to open up, admitting it can be hard to share parts of her story at times, Sinclair has no regrets about the project today.
“I’m so glad I did this. I’m so glad this was created and we can share it with the world.”
She hopes the audience leaves entertained and that younger viewers are inspired, while learning that it’s not always smooth sailing to achieve your goal.
“Even your athlete stars have challenges in their lives,” she added. “That we’re no different than anyone else.”
These days, the 42-year-old Sinclair divides her time between Portland, where she played 12 seasons for the NWSL Thorns, and Vancouver. She is part-owner of the Northern Super League’s Vancouver Rise FC and oversees the Christine Sinclair Foundation.
Christine Sinclair: Kind of a Big Deal from Knowledge Network, B.C’s public educational broadcaster, is available to stream for free as of Friday across Canada on knowledge.ca and globally on YouTube via @KnowledgeNetworkOfficial.