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ANGELINA Jolie loves Werris Creek and the excited residents love her back.
The movie star returned to the town yesterday on a technical reconnaissance for the upcoming movie, Unbroken, which she will direct.
An industry insider confirmed Werris Creek and Tamworth would be used in the movie; yesterday Angelina scoped out the town, with a crew of about 50 in tow.
The industry insider said filming would not begin in this area before December.
Angelina told The Leader it was likely Werris Creek would be used in the film.
“I love it here,” she said.
Fans were delighted when she stopped to speak to them and have photographs taken after she’d toured the historic railway station.
The tracks were closed to trains while the minders and technical staff walked across the tracks and around the station, shoring up details for the movie.
Werris Creek rail museum vice-president Keith Moore said it was wonderful the station would be used in the movie.
“It’s a great advertisement for the museum and great for the town itself,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of talk and it’s all positive. I think everybody is quite happy it’s here – it’ll certainly be a few interesting days when they’re filming.”
Mr Moore said the crew liked the design and brickwork of the station, which was built in 1885.
“No other movies have been shot here that I know of,” he said.
“This is a great interest for the district because all of a sudden, you see what goes into making a movie. I don’t know how big a scene it’ll be, but it’s all part of the story.”
Mark Woolfe, of Creek Meats, said he believed the back alleyway behind his shop would be used for a chase scene.
He said it was fantastic they had confirmed they were filming there.
“They’ve been really interested in the back of the shop and have been here six or seven times,” he said.
“I think why they’ve chosen the place is because a lot of the buildings look old; it resembles about the era when this guy was growing up.”
He said he hoped to get a photo with Angelina while they were in town, but that didn’t happen yesterday.
“They’re looking for skinny blokes (for the movie), so that’s not much good to me,” he said.
After touring the station, Angelina and crew enjoyed lunch at the Werris Creek Bowling and Tennis Club, then visited the historic Railway Hotel before heading to a home in Punyarra St that is expected to be used in the movie.
Bowling club manager Peter McDade said the lunch was catered for in The Engine Room at the club.
The catering was arranged by Angelina’s crew at short notice, using local produce.
“It was a light lunch,” Mr McDade said.
“It was a good time for her because it was a time where they had privacy and they were able to talk about the things they needed to without any interference. We tried to make sure they had a little bit of privacy while they were here.”
Mr McDade said he’d heard good reports that they were pleased with the club.
“We had people wanting to go see her, but we made sure she wasn’t bothered while she was here,” he said.
She flew into Tamworth Regional Airport on a private Corporate Air flight with her entourage and travelled the region in a Macphersons coach.
Macphersons Coaches’ driver Greg Hurcum said this was the first time he’d driven a movie star around.
“This is the first time a big star has actually got on the bus,” he said.
“I’ve done trips with entertainers, but mostly it’s their crew and gear, not them.”
The movie is expected to be released in December next year.