LA GRANDE — It was an irony-filled moment.

Members of the cast and crew of “Breakup Season,” which is now being filmed in La Grande under the direction of independent filmmaker H. Nelson Tracey, were meeting for the first time here earlier this month. They were getting ready to make a movie about how a Christmas season boyfriend-girlfriend breakup impacts a fictitious La Grande family.

Most of the actors and crew members were meeting for the first time, but James Urbaniak, who plays a prominent character in the film, felt an instant air of familiarity.

“We were almost like a family,” he said. “It was almost like we actually were the family we would be pretending to be.”

The sense of connectedness he speaks of is remaining strong as the shooting of “Breakup Season,” set to end on Friday, Feb. 24, enters its homestretch.

“We have an energy that helps us work well together,” Urbaniak said.

He said one of his best experiences in La Grande was a weekend evening when all of the cast and crew met at Brickyard Lanes to bowl. Had the movie been filmed in a big city, it is doubtful the cast and crew would have ended up all congregating at the same place that night, Urbaniak said.

He added he’s been touched by how people in La Grande have reached out to those connected with the film.

“The people in this community are super. They have provided us with huge support,” said Urbaniak, who has appeared in more than 40 movies and short films since 1994 and more than 40 television programs since 1999.

Recent films Urbaniak has appeared include “The Fabelmans,” which came out in 2022 and was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Urbaniak said he is having a wonderful time in La Grande working under the direction of Tracey.

“He is very collaborative and supportive of actors,” he said.

The actor added that Tracey has a knack for making scenes come to life.

“He creates an environment that allows this to happen,” Urbaniak said.