03.27.2008
‘Leatherheads’ stars swing by Salisbury
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Actor George Clooney jokes with fans while signing autographs at the Salisbury train station on Wednesday. Clooney and co-star Renee Zellweger were at the station for a press conference promoting their new movie “Leatherheads.” Walter Unks photo |
Movie fans started gathering outside the train depot about 5 a.m.
By the time that Becky Hunt, from the town of Faith, arrived just before 8 a.m., more than 20 people were gathered. By 11 a.m., the crowd had swelled to more than 500.
Who were they hoping to see?
"Clooney,” Hunt said. “Just Clooney.”
As in actor George Clooney. But to be fair, some people were also there to see actress Renee Zellweger.
Clooney and Zellweger came to Salisbury yesterday for the third stop in the “Whistlestop Tour” promoting their new movie Leatherheads, which was filmed in North Carolina and South Carolina, including in Winston-Salem.
The movie is set in 1925 and tells the story of the early days of professional football. Clooney - who also directed the film - plays a brash, confident football player, with Zellweger as a feisty reporter. The film opens in theaters April 4.
“Who cares about the movie?” asked Frances King, who drove to Salisbury from Winston-Salem. “We just want to see Clooney.”
Lori Scott and her daughter, Ashley McCall, came from Concord to see both stars.
“It’s not often we have the opportunity to see someone of their status,” Scott said.
Ashley, 13, was less impressed. “It’s cold. I would rather be at home,” she said. But when the train arrived, she perked up.
Trains figure heavily in the film. It’s the chosen mode of transportation for the football team, the Duluth Bulldogs. So it made sense that the Whistlestop Tour would feature the film’s stars stepping down from a vintage locomotive, which was moved into place by a modern train engine.
The excited crowd peered over the fences - set up to keep them off the tracks. Some held signs with such slogans as “Welcome Back Renee & George” and “George: 1 Picture Please!” A few women dressed in flapper outfits to emulate the movie’s 1920s style. Publicists milled about, handing out T-shirts, caps and small posters.
When the stars finally made their appearance, the crowd went wild. Clooney and Zellweger spent about 30 minutes chatting with their fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Then they stepped inside the depot for a news conference.
“Hey guys, how are ya?” Clooney asked as he slid behind the stage, holding out a seat for Zellweger before taking his own.
“It’s nice to be back,” Clooney said. The first question was about the challenges of filming on location instead of on a movie lot. As if on cue, a train rolled by right at that moment, drowning out Clooney’s answer. He replied by pantomiming a lengthy, animated silent conversation, ending just as the train passed.
All kidding aside, “Locations like this you just can’t create - you have to find them,” he said.
Digital trickery was used to re-create the skyline of 1920s Chicago. But having genuine buildings such as Salisbury’s Historic Train Station and Winston-Salem’s Millennium Center to stand in for 1920s architecture helped enormously.
Clooney also discussed the NCAA Tournament ("I’ve never been hit with as many Tar Heel T-shirts,” he said), rumors that he plans to start his own clothing line, and the importance of tax incentives in persuading filmmakers to produce their films in the U.S. rather than filming abroad.
“It’s a great thing, it makes a big difference,” he said of incentives packages.
Preliminary estimates from the N.C. Film Office show that in 2007, total film production in the state added close to $200 million to the economy.
“Last year was actually our most successful year in terms of the amount of feature-film production in the Piedmont Triad,” said Rebecca Clark, the director of the Piedmont Triad Film Commission. She is thanked in the closing credits of “Leatherheads.”
Of the 11 films shot in the Triad last year, Leatherheads is the most well-known, thanks to its stars.
“This movie also spent the most money in the Piedmont Triad region,” she said. “Over the course of a month and a half, they spent several million dollars on everything from set dressings to accommodations to restaurants and bars, building supplies for building sets. It made a huge economic impact.”
That includes jobs for members of the production team who were hired here and close to 200 local extras, she said.