Carthage - For a
time, Marty Cherrix worried people wouldn't show up for
Saturday's casting call seeking extras for the movie
"Into the Wild."
She quit worrying shortly after noon, when so many area
residents had lined up outside the double doors of the
Carthage Community Center that it was decided to open
the casting call more than 30 minutes early.
"I love it," she said of the turnout. "This is about
recreating an actual experience, and I want people who
look like regular people look in town."
But by 1:30 p.m. Cherrix, a casting director for 15
years, had a new problem: All 200 casting applications
had been handed out, and Polaroid film was running low.
Cherrix turned to the 50 or so people waiting for
casting applications with a plaintive plea: For $100
cash, would someone volunteer to drive to the nearest
Wal-Mart and pick up $200 worth of film?
But in Carthage, going to
Wal-Mart means a 50-mile drive to Mitchell. So Huron
resident Pam McAloon offered to drive the 40 miles back
to her town in search of film.
And although that meant a wait of at least 90 minutes,
and although Cherrix told the crowd she would understand
if no one wanted to hang around that long, no one
budged.
Because how often does Hollywood come to Carthage, or to
Miner County, or even to eastern South Dakota?
Not very often.
That's why dozens of people went through the five-step
casting call process, in hopes of snagging a role as a
waitress or a short-order cook or a combine operator.
Troy Hamilton, who has acted in community theater in
Carthage, joked that he came to the casting call seeking
"fame and fortune."
But seriously: "It's something to do," said Hamilton,
25. "I thought it would be kind of neat. My whole family
said I should do it."
Carrie Jo Bornitz, 14, and two friends drove 15 miles
from Fedora.
"I thought it would be a good experience," the Huron
Middle School student said. Gesturing to her friends,
she added, "Phyllis and Stephanie said it would be a lot
of fun."
Myrna Adams brought 20 years of experience in community
theater with her, while 8-year-old Brenna Roth has only
one trip on stage to recall: playing a skunk in the last
school year as a second-grader.
Adams, 35, and Brenna rode together, traveling 60 miles
from Ethan with four others.
"It's such a good opportunity," Adams said. "And who
knows if I'll ever have the opportunity again. You have
to try."
The five-step process was simple: Pick up an application
form, fill it out, have your photo taken, give the
application to Cherrix and, if lucky, exchange a few
words, then walk out the Community Center's side door.
Jody Schlim was one of two photographers for the casting
call. The Carthage woman has been hired as a production
assistant for the filming in Carthage.
Filming will begin Saturday. Carthage, Winner and Hot
Springs are the three locations in South Dakota chosen
by actor/director Sean Penn for his movie.
The movie is based on a book by Jon Krakauer, which
tells the story of a young man who lived in Carthage for
a time before ending up in Alaska. Christopher
McCandless died there in 1992, after spending time alone
in the wilderness.
Most residents of Carthage, population 187, are thrilled
to have the movie being filmed here, Schlim said.
"It will show the beauty of the town," she said.
The filming already had an effect on business at
This-N-That, a convenience store/grocery story/variety
store on Carthage's main street.
"We've had people through all day," said clerk Pat
Stevens.
Indeed, traffic was steady going into Carthage. Karissa
Kuhle, 15, and Jenna Kuhle, 14, drove up from Howard.
"I've been acting since I was really little," Jenna
said. "It's really cool this is in Carthage."
Trey Karlen of De Smet urged his friend Randy Wilde to
take part in the casting call.
"He thought I'd be a good person to sit in a bar," joked
Wilde, 51.
"Randy has the look they want for this type of movie,"
Karlen said. "I called to see if he'd be interested, and
he decided to go for it."
High school teacher James Miller, 57, of Madison thought
attending the casting call would be useful when he
returns to the classroom, while Christina Harty hopes to
add her first movie experience to her résumé.
Harty, 18, of De Smet brought her drama portfolio along,
crammed with ribbons and playbills from 10 years of
community and school theater.
Harty, who will major in theater and vocal performance
this fall at South Dakota State University, was
encouraged by the comments she received from Cherrix.
"She said some people only says it's luck, but she
believes you only have luck if you're prepared," Harty
said.
