Downey seemed to be a fan favorite. Asked if she thought he was cute, Sara Jessop of Buckland said, "Doesn't everyone?"
SHELBURNE -- What happens in Carlinville stays in Carlinville, or so it would seem, as the crew of the movie “The Judge” kept a tight lid on the plot Thursday while turning Shelburne Falls into a town in Indiana.
Fans rubbernecked from a distance as actors Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall and Vincent D’Onofrio shot scenes on Bridge Street. The street was refashioned into downtown Carlinville, Indiana, for its close-up. That and several side streets became part of the set for several hours.
06.06.2013 | SHELBURNE FALLS -- Actor Robert Downey Jr., right, and director Davied Dobkin in between takes on the set of The Judge, a Warner Brothers movie, in Shelburne Falls Thursday.“The Judge” features Downey as a successful lawyer who returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father (Duvall), who is also the town's judge, is a murder suspect. The comedy-drama also stars Vera Farmiga and Billy Bob Thornton. It is being directed by David Dobkin.
A more detailed plot synopsis was hard to come by. Even extras declined to talk, saying they were bound by a confidentiality agreement. A woman who would identify herself only as a publicist revealed that the scene being filmed Thursday involved Downey and D’Onofrio -- who plays Downey’s brother in the movie -- coming out of the Crawford County Sheriff’s office. Duvall was also in the scene.
The role of the sheriff’s office was played by Shelburne’s Memorial Hall, which owed its identity change to a sign installed by the crew. A banner strung over Bridge Street proclaimed “Crawford County Summer Blueberry Festival.” It boasted such activities as “churning,” “chainsaw carving” and an “outhouse 5K race.”
Other shops on the street were transformed into the “Carlinville Savings and Loan” and the “Carlinville Credit Union.” Signs attached to lampposts read “Carlinville Since 1843.”
Sawyer’s News Company, situated just out of the scene, retained its original identity. Owner Ellen Eller was among those stargazing from the store’s stoop.
“There’s Vincent D’Onofrio!” she said.
Eller said she declined to have her store in the movie because she didn’t want to be at its “beck and call.” She noted that a neighbor hired as an extra spent seven hours shooting and reshooting one scene that involved tying a shoe.
Nonetheless, Eller said having the movie in Shelburne Falls was “fabulous.”
“It’s a great group of people,” she said of the Warner Brothers crew. “They’re very courteous.”
Downey, she said, has been accessible and down-to-earth, mingling with the crowd between takes.
Megan Herzig, who had daughter Rachel, 2, and son Conner, 4, in tow, had to hurry out of the way as the crew prepared for another take. The Shelburne native said she also got to meet Downey that morning.
“He was very nice,” she said.
Downey seemed to be a fan favorite. Asked if she thought he was cute, Sara Jessop of Buckland said, “Doesn’t everyone?”
“The Judge” is scheduled to film scenes in Sunderland before moving on to Worcester and Boston.