DARLINGTON - John Dillinger, one of America's most notorious gangsters from the 1930s, will make an appearance in the Lafayette County Courthouse today.
"Public Enemies," a crime drama starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger, is shooting interior courtroom scenes at the courthouse in Darlington today.
The movie plot centers on FBI Agent Melvin Purvis' attempt, under the direction of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, to stop Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd in the heyday of Midwestern bank robberies during the Depression. Christian Bale co-stars as Purvis.
Dillinger and his gang robbed a series of banks in Indiana and Ohio, at least once pulling off the feat by claiming to be filming a bank robbery scene for a movie. After Dillinger escaped from an "escape-proof" jail in Indiania, they ended up being targets of a failed FBI raid at Little Bohemia, a resort in Manitowish Waters in northern Wisconsin, which resulted in three bystanders being shot. Dillinger escaped and later was ambushed by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago on a hot July night in 1934.
Although the movie has A-List actors, a major Hollywood budget and a legendary storyline, Lafayette County residents might be just as interested to see some local notables appearing in the movie: Elected county officials, including Sheriff Scott Pedley; Charlotte Doherty, district attorney; Catherine McGowan, clerk of courts; Linda Bawden, county clerk; Joe Boll, register of deeds; and Darlington Mayor David Breunig have been selected as extras.
The officials went to Columbus on Monday to be fitted for costumes, Bawden said. While she hasn't been told the details, she does know the scene will be shot in the interior of the courtroom and extras will be dressed as observers at the proceedings.
Preparing the set takes a lot of advance work.
"A little after 8 (a.m.), the first semi pulled in," Bawden said, describing the flurry of activity at the courthouse Tuesday. Security personnel were walking around and streets closed for parking for the preparations.
"There's been a lot of people in and out," Bawden said of the courthouse. "They're getting stuff upstairs, doing different things to the courtroom like putting in period light fixtures and putting down a wood floor."
To allow for the film crew's setup, court was held in the county board room Tuesday. The courthouse will be closed to the public Wednesday for filiming, and court will resume in the county board room Thursday, when the crew is expected to tear down the set and return the courtroom to normal.
As of Tuesday afternoon, when filming was continuing in Columbus, Bawden didn't know what time production was scheduled to begin Wednesday. The courthouse was open to film crews in the early-morning hours today, however.
Casting calls for extras were announced at several locations around the state last month. Bawden said she and other officials were told they would try to be worked in as extras because of how accommodating the county has been.
They're lucky - not everyone who wanted to be an extra in the movie was selected.
Theresa Robertson, a 2004 Black Hawk graduate, was one of those initially selected as an extra. She heard an announcement for the casting call on a Madison radio station, and learned more from the casting company's Web site.
She signed up and attended a casting call at Monona Terrace in Madison Feb. 16. Female auditioners had to put their hair in curlers the night before and have it brushed out the next day. They were told to wear black skirts and sweaters or dresses with medium heels, Robertson said.
Once there, she had her head shot taken. Robertson and other lucky ones were then lined up again to have full body shots taken.
Although she was told she was selected as an extra, Robertson got a call right before filming was to start telling he she wasn't need.
"I was disappointed," Robertson said, admitting she has entertained dreams of making it to the big screen. "I was always interested in acting."
Theresa Sinnett, a 2001 graduate of Monroe High School, lives in Verona and works at Epic Systems like her friend, Robertson. Sinnett also went through the casting call and was called to report for filming. She is not allowed to discuss the movie until her role as an extra is completed.
The movie is creating a buzz within the community. On Tuesday, a huge welcome to Depp and the "Public Enemies" production crew took up the home page of the city of Darlington's Web site.
"We're excited about this," Bawden said.
"Public Enemies," a crime drama starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger, is shooting interior courtroom scenes at the courthouse in Darlington today.
The movie plot centers on FBI Agent Melvin Purvis' attempt, under the direction of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, to stop Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd in the heyday of Midwestern bank robberies during the Depression. Christian Bale co-stars as Purvis.
Dillinger and his gang robbed a series of banks in Indiana and Ohio, at least once pulling off the feat by claiming to be filming a bank robbery scene for a movie. After Dillinger escaped from an "escape-proof" jail in Indiania, they ended up being targets of a failed FBI raid at Little Bohemia, a resort in Manitowish Waters in northern Wisconsin, which resulted in three bystanders being shot. Dillinger escaped and later was ambushed by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago on a hot July night in 1934.
Although the movie has A-List actors, a major Hollywood budget and a legendary storyline, Lafayette County residents might be just as interested to see some local notables appearing in the movie: Elected county officials, including Sheriff Scott Pedley; Charlotte Doherty, district attorney; Catherine McGowan, clerk of courts; Linda Bawden, county clerk; Joe Boll, register of deeds; and Darlington Mayor David Breunig have been selected as extras.
The officials went to Columbus on Monday to be fitted for costumes, Bawden said. While she hasn't been told the details, she does know the scene will be shot in the interior of the courtroom and extras will be dressed as observers at the proceedings.
Preparing the set takes a lot of advance work.
"A little after 8 (a.m.), the first semi pulled in," Bawden said, describing the flurry of activity at the courthouse Tuesday. Security personnel were walking around and streets closed for parking for the preparations.
"There's been a lot of people in and out," Bawden said of the courthouse. "They're getting stuff upstairs, doing different things to the courtroom like putting in period light fixtures and putting down a wood floor."
To allow for the film crew's setup, court was held in the county board room Tuesday. The courthouse will be closed to the public Wednesday for filiming, and court will resume in the county board room Thursday, when the crew is expected to tear down the set and return the courtroom to normal.
As of Tuesday afternoon, when filming was continuing in Columbus, Bawden didn't know what time production was scheduled to begin Wednesday. The courthouse was open to film crews in the early-morning hours today, however.
Casting calls for extras were announced at several locations around the state last month. Bawden said she and other officials were told they would try to be worked in as extras because of how accommodating the county has been.
They're lucky - not everyone who wanted to be an extra in the movie was selected.
Theresa Robertson, a 2004 Black Hawk graduate, was one of those initially selected as an extra. She heard an announcement for the casting call on a Madison radio station, and learned more from the casting company's Web site.
She signed up and attended a casting call at Monona Terrace in Madison Feb. 16. Female auditioners had to put their hair in curlers the night before and have it brushed out the next day. They were told to wear black skirts and sweaters or dresses with medium heels, Robertson said.
Once there, she had her head shot taken. Robertson and other lucky ones were then lined up again to have full body shots taken.
Although she was told she was selected as an extra, Robertson got a call right before filming was to start telling he she wasn't need.
"I was disappointed," Robertson said, admitting she has entertained dreams of making it to the big screen. "I was always interested in acting."
Theresa Sinnett, a 2001 graduate of Monroe High School, lives in Verona and works at Epic Systems like her friend, Robertson. Sinnett also went through the casting call and was called to report for filming. She is not allowed to discuss the movie until her role as an extra is completed.
The movie is creating a buzz within the community. On Tuesday, a huge welcome to Depp and the "Public Enemies" production crew took up the home page of the city of Darlington's Web site.
"We're excited about this," Bawden said.