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Bonnie Farrance is going Hollywood.
Well, just for one night.
On Sept. 27, when George Clooney, William Macy and a host of other stars step out of chauffeur-driven limousines at Tower City in Cleveland for the premiere of “Welcome to Collinwood,” Farrance will arrive with her family in the same style.
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| Bonnie Farrance enjoyed meeting William Macy while visiting the set of "Welcome to Collinwood" in Cleveland. |
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By sheer coincidence, Farrance, an administrative assistant in the Department of Sport Science and Wellness Education, appears in the dark comedy — briefly, anyway.
The Warner Brothers’ film, written and directed by Cleveland natives Joe and Anthony Russo, is about a group of hapless folks who try to improve their lot by robbing a pawnshop. Rounding out the film’s cast are Isaiah Washington, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Jeter, Sam Rockwell, Luis Guzman and Patricia Clarkson.
It was in spring of 2001 when Farrance’s twin grandsons, then 8 months old, were chosen to play the infant son of Macy’s character in the movie, which was filmed entirely in Cleveland. Farrance accompanied her daughter to the set for the few days the twins were needed for scenes, to help care for the babies and their older brother, then age 2 1/2.
“I spent a lot of time in the babies’ trailer, but I still had the chance to watch several scenes being shot,” recalls Farrance. “It was a lot of fun. A movie set is a very busy place, but I got to meet everyone.”
On the twins’ last day of filming, Farrance and her 2 1/2-year-old grandson were tapped as extras for a carnival scene.
“My grandson is sitting on the counter of one of the carnival booths handing me, and the lady behind the counter, Styrofoam balls,” says Farrance of her screen debut, which occurs about midway through the film. “William Macy and Patricia Clarkson are in the foreground, and we are in the background.”
So what does she think about seeing herself on the big screen?
“I’ve been too busy to think about it,” says Farrance with a laugh. “It will be exciting, I’m sure. But it’s going to go by so quickly. I guess I’ll have to wait for the video and watch it at home to really see myself.”
“Welcome to Collinwood,” which is scheduled to go into limited release on Oct. 4 and into national release on Oct. 18, has already been featured at two film festivals. It was screened in May at the 34th Directors’ Fortnight, held in Cannes, and at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
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