This “backstory” is a part of a collection of articles that describes some of the obstacles that Seven Days reporters faced while pursuing Vermont news, events and people in 2024.
Last January, culture coeditor Carolyn Fox sent me on a mission to check out the filming of Christmas Cowboy at the Opera House at Enosburg Falls. Ideally, I would write a quick story about the novelty of a holiday movie being shot in small-town Franklin County.
But then the casting director, Shayna Sherwood, informed me that the producers weren’t ready for the movie to receive press. I pushed, and she agreed to let me observe on the condition that I would write about the film closer to the time of its release.
Upon arriving on set, there was another catch: I could watch the filming, but only if I did so as an extra in the movie.
I wondered if appearing in the film posed some sort of conflict of interest. I called Fox, who gave me the green light, suggesting that my role could become part of the story and give me a front-row seat to the action.
But there was still one problem. The scene they were filming was a debutante ball. I looked down at my jeans and sneakers. Oops.
Not to worry, Sherwood said. She led me to the costume closet, where I ditched my outfit for a sleek black dress and heels. Then I took my seat at a table and did my best to fake realistic claps, gasps, and “oohs” and “aahs” as we repeated the same scene over and over again.
It took almost a year for my reporting to see the light of day. In November, Christmas Cowboy was finally released. I watched with anticipation, wondering if I’d made the final cut.
Sure enough, there I was: the back of my head, at least, clearly visible for a couple of seconds during the debutante ball. I was even noted in the credits. Well, sort of. My name appeared under “Additional Cast” — misspelled as “Hannah Fever.”
It may not have been the most glamorous movie debut, but it’s a story I’ll never forget.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Most Undercover Assignment”
This article appears in Dec 25, 2024 – Jan 7, 2025.
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