'August: Osage County' starts filming, casts extras
BY MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
Thursday, September 20, 2012
9/20/12 at 9:06 PM
“August: Osage County” moves next week from the pre-production stage to the actual filming of actors and dialogue in northeastern Oklahoma. Tracy Letts’ play, one of the most decorated dramas in the history of the American stage, has attracted a cast full of award-winners and nominees.
Before Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and others go to work in Osage and Washington counties, there are a few questions, and we have a few answers.
When does the filming of “August: Osage County” begin?
There has already been incidental filming of roads and exteriors, and such “pickup” shots will continue after the actors leave. But principal photography with part of the cast begins on Monday in Bartlesville, with shooting scheduled to last eight weeks, said Wendi Laski, the unit publicist for the film.
How many extras are going to be used in filming the movie?
“Maybe a couple of hundred,” Laski said. She could not elaborate on what will be asked of those who are selected from among the more than 6,000 people who lined up at a pair of “calls for extras” at Tulsa Promenade and later in Bartlesville, all seeking their shot at a small amount of fame.
How important was filming the picture in its place of origin?
A production of this type always shops around to find the best fit, and Oklahoma was in the mix from the beginning, along with Louisiana, Georgia and the state of New York, according to Celia Costas, an executive producer who spoke during a presentation to the city council in Bartlesville.
“It wasn’t until I flew over Osage County and saw it that I said, ‘You know, there is a reason we are in this place,’” Costas told the crowd. Location, the state tax rebate, finding the right house for filming - it all added up to shooting in Osage County.
Read more of this story and find out more about the film's impact on the state in Friday's Tulsa World or online at tulsaworld.com/scene.
World Correspondent Laura Summers contributed to this story.
Associated Images:
A huge 25x25x6-foot hole waits for an oak tree to be transplanted to the front yard of a three story turn-of-the-century house in Bolanger, OK (about 20 miles north of Pawhuska, OK) that will be the main filming location for the movie "August: Osage County" set to begin later this month. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
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