The city of St. Charles is getting its chance in the spotlight as Annie Krall takes us to the set of the ’80s heavy metal teen upheaval “Greg’s Going to Rehab.”
ST CHARLES, Mo. — Right now, the city of St. Charles is getting its chance in the spotlight.
Over the past year, the Motion Media Production Tax Credit passed in the Missouri legislature has helped recruit more film and television crews to the Show Me State.
5 On Your Side’s Annie Krall was on the set of the coming-of-age film “Greg’s Going to Rehab” through the lens of teenage turmoil and ’80s heavy metal culture. The production aims at part moving the dial of Missouri film production while also shining a spotlight on St. Charles.
Especially when Dot-Marie Jones, who has been acclaimed for years as Coach Shannon Beiste on “Glee,” moves into town for a few days to shoot the movie.
Recalling his multiple seasons on the TV show based on a fictional high school in Ohio that ran from 2009 to 2015, “for my character, going from domestic violence to four seasons later becoming a trans man, it was a ride.” “Jones said. “It was an emotional journey.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as working those five years on Glee,” Jones said.
The movie will be filmed over three weeks instead of five years, and Jones will leave St. Charles on Sunday after completing all of his scenes. Jones said she is excited to tackle heavy but crucial themes in Mercury Films’ coming-of-age story that addresses drug abuse, recovery and bullying.
The film’s synopsis from Mercury Films reads:
“In the film, Greg Walker is a sixteen-year-old metalhead on a mission to see the concert of a lifetime: Ozzy/Metallica. But bad grades, disappointed parents, excessive partying, and an angry senior could derail that plan. The solution? A brief stint in rehab so he can avoid the older guy, get his parents off his back and get out in time for the show.”
It’s a film based on St. Louis director Chris Lawing’s decades-long journey with alcohol and sobriety. The film will be shot almost entirely at Lindenwood University and St. Charles High School.
“I always think it’s cool to film on real high school locations,” one of the leads, Saylor Bell Curda, said on set. “Mainly because I never went to high school, so every time I walk around like these lockers are real, it’s cool.”
Directed by Cameron Mann, a Connecticut native and University of Michigan freshman, Mann had never been to Missouri before filming began this week.
“I like when I go somewhere and a lot of people are local because I can talk to them about what it’s like to live here,” Mann said. “(Especially) where to go, what to see and it’s always a really fun time.”
In 2013, “Gone Girl” was filmed in Cape Girardeau, which was the last big-budget film to use Missouri’s old film incentive. It enriched the city 7 million dollars according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
While “Up in the Air” (2009) and “Fever Pitch” (2005) used St. Louis as a backdrop.
The “Greg” story won’t receive Missouri’s new tax credit because the filming schedule and application schedule don’t match, but it has illuminated Missouri’s film spotlight for spring 2024.
Taking advantage of the star power of Bell Curda, who played the iconic role of Maddox in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
When asked what Bell Curda hopes audiences take away from her latest big screen outing, the actress noted that not all of the characters will grow and change completely. However, that makes it even more realistic.
“Obviously, not everyone is going to go to rehab, but I’m sure there are a lot of messages that can come from that experience,” Krall said Friday.
“I think one of the most important parts of this movie is the healing process that each character goes through,” Bell Curda said. “…I’m sure that all of these experiences that we show throughout the movie really happened in these high schools.”
Mercury Films is working with local nonprofit Continuity to help hire more diverse crews, especially as production assistants.
Today was only the third day of filming as it is expected to wrap on June 30.
However, with no release date set yet, the filmmakers want to spread the word about the eventual screening in St. Louis, as well as potentially scout film festivals around the world.
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