RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The smallest stars got to shine brightly at the historic Byrd Theater during two special, red-carpet screenings of Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” just for the extras, crew, small role players and lots of folks who helped make the movie happen.
The yearlong production hired nearly 1200 Virginia actors and 380 crew members. It was shot entirely in Virginia, in the Richmond and Petersburg areas. Horses arrived in herds of fifty.
We spoke with several of the extras and actors as they walked in on the red carpet, and when they left after the two-and-a-half-hour long movie built around the birth of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. All spoke of the kindness and warmth of Spielberg and his people, how they felt part of something real and important. (See their comment in our video report here.)
Which is why these special screenings felt special – a sweet red-carpet evening for this long ago capital of the Confederacy.
“Tonight, the spirit in the theater was beautiful,” said Ed McDonald, one of the small-role actors who loved the film. “Everyone in the audience was just so proud. And, at the end, you could just feel people’s joy to be a part of Richmond and have this happen here. It’s a wonderful thing.”
