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EXTRAS NEEDED FOR GONE TO TEXAS
On Monday June 1 ((Location and exact times TBD) GONE TO TEXAS production needs the following people to film a funeral re-enactment from about 10am - 3pm. Unfortunately there is no money in our budget for pay or food - beyond some snacks and water. Producers can answer specific questions and provide more details to those who are interested and able to participate by emailing mfix@cornells.com.
Format: # of people, ages, who they are playing, costume.
3 men, ages 23, 25 and 27 - Asa's sons (supposed to be brothers but we will never see them close enough to see similarities. Black jacket and suit.
1 woman, age 30 - Asa's daughter - Black coat, dress and shoes.
1 woman, age 55 - Asa's wife - Black coat, dress and shoes. Possibly a black hat.
2 men, between 23 and 45ish - Gravediggers Dark slacks or khaki's and dark workshirt. A dark light work coat might be handy.
1 man, late 50's who looks as much like a Native American as possible. We may have them wear a headdress...!? If we have their size in advance we can work with them on costuming elements. We are looking for dark jeans and work shirt with a indian style vest but nothing too frilly and 'hippy'.
1-2 couples, mid 50's - Asa's Hollywood friends. Black suit, and coat. Black dress and coat.
1-2 couples 30's-40's - Asa's local friends. Black suit, and coat. Black dress and coat.
Later in the afternoon (about 2-4pm) the man playing the Native American and the 3 couples will leave and we will need to add:
1 man, late 60's - Priest - We will need their size in advance so we can provide a priest shirt/collar. They can wear black slacks and coat.
ANYONE ELSE beyond these specifics is welcome! A few well behaved children are also OK.
NOTES:
It's supposed to be a funeral in Alabama in the Spring, late 1970's so jackets should not be winter coats, etc.
Please bring an umbrella (just in case).
All ages are approximate - we will not be carding anyone - hah!
They will receive name credit in the titles for the film, which will be screened on PBS in 2010.
ACTOR
Lead character (see attached photo). Important items related to this role:
There will likely be no speaking lines as it's re-enactment.
This role will require more time and therefore we have set aside a budget for their participation.
We are willing to consider non SAG/AFTRA.
They should have a driver's license.
Michael Fix
Associate Producer
GONE TO TEXAS
Synopsis
On June 8, 1979 best-selling Cherokee novelist Forrest Carter was laid to rest in a small cemetery on the outskirts of Anniston, Alabama. Among those in attendance were his wife, his sons, his publisher from New York, and a Cherokee chieftain who invoked the spirit of Mon-a-lah, Mother Earth, to carry her son home. That day, newspapers throughout the United States ran obituaries mourning the loss of a national treasure, whose autobiography The Education of Little Tree, so eloquently captured the tragic soul of the Native American.
Less than a half an hour after the casket was lowered into the ground, the single black sedan carrying Carter's wife and children headed back up the gravel approach to the cemetery. Joining them for the return trip was a Christian minister. The family ushered him to the same grave site they had recently stood over and watched as a forklift hoisted Forrest's casket from the ground. The minister opened his bible; the family muttered a prayer; and a second funeral commenced, this time with a new tombstone that read "Asa Earl Carter.
"Who was Asa Carter? Like Forrest, he was a skilled writer. Like Forrest, his words also moved a generation of people, but one of a much different sort.
Asa Carter was a professional racist. For eight years he pounded out inflammatory speeches for George Wallace, including his infamous call-to-arms, "Segregation Now! Segregation Tomorrow! Segregation Forever!" He founded five chapters of the Ku Klux Klan whose members brutally attacked black citizens throughout Alabama including the infamous on stage assault on Nat King Cole. In fact, Carter's racist beliefs were so extreme that in 1970 he split with his old boss, Governor Wallace, accusing him of being a "sellout to the Negro." Yet less than five years later he was on The Today Show, being introduced by Barbara Walters to the American public as the "soulful and sensitive voice behind The Education of Little Tree."
To this day Forrest Carter's words still evoke powerful responses. The Education of Little Tree was a New York Times best seller as recently as 1991 and won the prestigious American Booksellers Book of the Year award. It was one of the inspirations for Dances With Wolves, and to this day it is required reading in multicultural classes across the nation. Gone To Texas: The Lives of Forrest Carter is a feature-length documentary that takes viewers on cross country search for Asa and his alter ego, Forrest. The film retraces Asas journey across the ethnic divide, and follows Asas twisting path from birth to reinvention to unmasking.