Can I be honest? Many of the townsfolk in Florence--the antiques capital of Colorado--are having way too much fun with the cast and crew of the movie, Our Souls At Night.
A few days ago, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda were filming most of the day (and into the night) on Main Street, by and in the Fremont Lanes bowling alley.
I got an insight into actually how hard the crew and cast work. The days and nights are long.
And that day I talked to so many Robert Redford fans, I lost track of them all.
Many of the fans used the antiques mall I work at to stage their "observations" of the stars.
And I got this weird feeling how it must feel to be a star. How it must feel to have literally millions of people around the world wondering how old you looked. How you walked. Talked. Acted. Moved. Felt.
Everyone wanting a little piece of you. And commenting to total strangers (like me) on the stars' movements.
Most of it was in good fun. But after a day of talking to and watching Robert Redford fans, I was chuckling. The next day at work, I was mentioning to a customer that my humble observations indicated that women were way more forthcoming in their admiration and "comments" about Redford.
Basically if a bunch of men came and asked me how old Fonda looked, or yelled across the street to her--men would be frowned upon.
Nobody asked me if Jane Fonda's years of fitness seemed to be paying off. Yes, it did to my eyes.
One male customer overheard me cheerfully observing that women were a bit naughty and over-the-top in their admiration and talk about Redford.
He came to counter and told me," If men were doing the same thing you said the Redford fans were doing, we'd be arrested," he noted cheerfully. I agreed with him, even though it was all in good fun.
I saw firsthand the long hours these stars worked. And I began to wonder what it was like for them.
I didn't have to wonder long.
And I didn't have to wonder long how the stars would react if a Florence resident asked if they could have a picture.
I know the lady in the picture. She's a sweet lady who happens to live in a house in downtown Florence, but a bit aways from the filming. Her husband heard things going on in the alley and noticed Mr. Redford in the alley.
I've often wondered what it would be like to find Robert Redford in your alley. Okay, I've never wondered that. But it amuses me.
The lady's husband attempted to get pictures, but Mr. Redford was out of camera range. So the husband asked if he could get a picture.
It turns out Mr. Redford was apparently using the alley to bypass the major thoroughfares in Florence, so as to not be noticed.
But it turns out Mr. Redford and a crew member were a class act and took time to take a picture. The lady's camera jammed and a crew member took the picture for them.
Just another day in Florence when Robert Redford shows up in your alley. What fun!
Florence's Main Street will be closed Monday, the 10th from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for more filming. So once again the town will get to see the stars and crew at work.
In just my chance observations of the crew and stars from afar, the filming of the movie has brought a sense of fun and excitement to Florence. Word on the street is,most Florence residents are loving this and hope Colorado is the site for many more movies.
Florence, like I am sure many other small Colorado towns, have built-in advantages for movie production crews. Florence, being the antiques capital of Colorado, has dozens of stores full of things at good prices for the movie sets and props. Some of the crew members, most of them from other states, were also doing browsing and shopping for their own homes.
Until I witnessed it up close, I never realized how Florence is the perfect town for a crew to come in and purchase so many things for the movie, all on foot and within a few block radius. And since Florence is a small town, most shop workers know what is in their own stores as well as neighboring stores and can help crew members find the item that will set the mood for a scene.
The day I saw Mr. Redford from afar many times, working hard, I texted a friend and said,"Another boring day at work, watching Robert Redford so many times that I've lost count."
My friend texted back telling me that I HAD to get his autograph and tell him that she's loved him from the 1970s.
I'm the type of person that would NEVER ask a star for their autograph. Or a picture. And I have no way of getting to the stars, unless I happened to find one of them in my alley. And if I did spot one of them in my alley, I'd probably chuckle and leave them alone.
But I will attempt to get an autograph (through another co-worker) for my friend. There are rumors flying all over town. One was the Redford and Fonda will be going into all Florence's places of business to meet and greet and sign autographs on Monday. Another rumor was the meet and greet will take place on Tuesday at a yet undisclosed location and time.
I like to make people happy. And I have a feeling these stars, even though they are tired from filming, understand that and make time to make people happy. Heck, in my opinion they already have made many people happy, even if the rumors of formal meet and greets aren't true.
Fun!
