Crew hires Heron locals for movie

Have you ever wanted to go to Hollywood and be in a feature film with known actors and actresses? Well you could have done so in Sanders County last week.

That opportunity happened in Heron for some of the residents. A movie company filmed a segment of a movie called Radio Flash at the home of “Crazy Eddie” Bernier where he recycles old cars and other material. Originally, it was thought that Eddie would be in the movie because he is such a “local character,” but it didn’t work out that way.

The premise of the film was that there was a cyber attack on the power grid. No cellphones, computers radios, television and anything that required electricity didn’t work.

The story begins with a young girl from California who, with her father, goes looking for her grandfather, a survivalist living in Heron. Fiona Flanagan, an actress of Irish descent, had played in the Star Trek series in the late 70s, was “Maw” in this film. She was one of the producer’s grandmother. Domenic, the male lead, starred as Monahan in the Lord of the Rings series. The daughter, Brighton Sharbono, is called Reece in this movie. Actor Will Patton played Maw’s son.

Sherry Sutherland, of Noxon, was one of several locals who were extras during the filming. Her partner, Tim Wanamaker, was in an action scene that took place on the Heron bridge.

“A car crashed into a school bus and flipped over on the bridge,” she said. “There were a lot of bikers in line who wanted to get going. A biker guy grabbed a man out of a pickup and blasted through the wrecks to get the traffic moving. Since the power was down, no one could call the Sheriff’s Office or to get an ambulance to the ‘scene’.”

In addition to the numbers of extras from Noxon and Heron, others were hired from Clark Fork, Hope and Sandpoint, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash. The extras were hired from a production company called, Flannel.

Sutherland, who is pinch-hitting as cook at the Noxon Senior Center, said that the scene on the bridge took all day, and she fed between 50-60 people that day.

“It was fun. I’m glad I got to do it,” Sutherland said.

Wanamaker had a slightly different take on the experience.

“It was fun, but you had to sit around all day until it was your turn. I was one of 18 bikers,” he said. “I would rather go and get firewood in the forest,” he added.

An exciting event took place for the production crew when, en route to Sandpoint, their vehicle collided with a black bear and had to be towed to a garage.

Wanamaker was requested to go and pick up the guys as well as the bear, the steaks from which were served for dinner that night. They were very impressed and they were excited to share their experience with others in Hollywood.

The movie will be marketed to a larger company before it will be released to the public.