Rising Hallmark star Markian Tarasiuk, 31, stunned fans and friends on June 25, 2024, by posting a photo of himself sleeping in a hospital bed with a bloodied face and his head entirely wrapped in bandages. Tarasiuk, who last appeared in January’s “True Justice” Family Ties,” wrote that he’d experienced an “incredibly traumatic” incident that landed him in the hospital.
“Last winter I went through a crazy experience filming my upcoming documentary that I am still having difficulty explaining,” he wrote in the caption. “I didn’t want to post about it earlier because of an ongoing investigation and honestly it’s taken a long time processing the events.”
In addition to filming with Hallmark, Tarasiuk, has been busy working on his directorial debut, overseeing a 96-minute documentary called “Hunting Matthew Nichols,” per IMDb. The movie’s synopsis says documentarian Tara Nichols will search for clues in the real-life disappearance of her brother, Matthew, and his friend in Vancouver two decades ago.
On December 1, Tarasiuk documented the first day of filming on Instagram, posting a photo of himself with a movie camera and clapboard, and writing, “day 1 of fulfilling childhood dreams of being a director. Thank you @tara_m.nichols for trusting me with your incredible story. Can’t wait to share this adventure.”
But in the midst of filming, Tarasiuk revealed in his June 25 post, an incident occurred that left him hospitalized with serious injuries. He promised that the team behind the movie will be issuing a formal announcement about what happened soon.
Production Team Says It ‘Stands By’ Markian Tarasiuk After ‘Harrowing Event’
In his post, Tarasiuk said that the incident that led to his hospitalization “was incredibly traumatic,” but that he has since “made a full and fast recovery thanks to the amazing team at North Island Hospital and the support from my amazing friends and family.”
The emotional recovery is taking longer, however, for Tarasiuk and others who were involved in the incident.
“I am just beginning to be able to talk about what happened,” he wrote, “and more details will come out soon. #factsnotfear”
In his Instagram Stories, Tarasiuk also wrote, “Official statement from our producing team to follow in the coming weeks. Please follow @huntingmatthewnichols”
In the comment section of Tarasiuk’s post, the documentary’s writer and executive producer, Sean Harris Oliver, wrote, “Super scary experience. Just grateful Ryan @mi2old4this was able to get you. Total mind bender”
Oliver’s comment referred to Ryan Alexander McDonald, who served as a cameraman and cast member on the film, per IMDb. He has also appeared in supporting acting roles on Hallmark Channel, including 2021’s “Making Spirits Bright” and a season 10 episode of “When Calls The Heart.”
McDonald commented on the post, “Dude, trigger warning. Was not expecting to see this photo this morning, and that was one of the most [expletive] up experiences of my life.”
Tarasiuk replied, “love you brother. We will get through this. ♥️”
It’s not clear how long Tarasiuk was hospitalized, but friend Daria Lukie wrote, “Glad I got to visit you in the hospital. The doctors said family and friends being there made a big difference! ❤️❤️❤️ so proud of you!”
Several hours after Tarasiuk’s post, the Instagram account for the “Hunting Matthew Nichols” movie shared his hospital photo in its stories and wrote, “The production team stands by Markian through this harrowing event. In due time, we will clear up details and get the story straight with the public. Please be patient as we work with our legal team to consider next steps.”
Fans and friends expressed shock and concern on Tarasiuk’s post, including one who wrote on his post, “Oh my goodness! I hope you’re doing okay Markian, that looks awful 🥺❤️🩹”
Markian Tarasiuk is Back at Work on a New Hallmark Project
Though Tarasiuk may still be reeling emotionally from what transpired, his physical recovery has allowed him to continue acting for Hallmark.
The actor has been in Vancouver filming “Return to Sender,” a new movie with frequent Hallmark director Heather Hawthorn Doyle at the helm, per IMDb. The movie began filming on June 6 with a June 26 wrap day, according to Creative BC.
Doyle has shared behind-the-scenes photos on social media throughout the shoot, including tweeting on June 12 that the ensemble “cast and crew are exceptional.” Instagram Stories by her and others on the crew have identified cast members including Tarasiuk and Ian Collins, who’s had many supporting roles in Hallmark movies since 2016, per IMDb, including February’s “Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home.”
Though Tarasiuk’s prior Hallmark movie, “True Justice: Family Ties,” aired in January, it was filmed in the summer of 2023 with Nikki DeLoach and Ben Ayres, well before he was injured. “Return to Sender” will mark his 10th Hallmark project since 2016. His first starring role was in 2021’s “Wedding Cake Dreams,” per IMDb.
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