“Freak Power,” the movie about author and counterculturist Hunter S. Thompson’s run for Pitkin County sheriff, is shooting in Silverton, and filmmakers might just need your old, rusty car.
According to the 4Corners Film Office, filmmakers are looking for “era-appropriate cars” for a shoot on Sept. 23.
“Cars do not need to be pristine, and rusted vehicles are also needed,” the film office said Tuesday in a press release. Activities in the Silverton Car Classic start at 6 a.m. with a kickoff breakfast and $500 in prizes for different categories.
Filmmakers also are recruiting more than 100 extras, and Silverton will be home to about 90 members of the film’s crew for about a month.
As a filming location, Silverton is standing in for 1970s Aspen and Hotel Jerome, which no longer resembles the place that Thompson once haunted.
Familiar Silverton landmarks such as the American Legion, Grand Imperial Hotel, Silverton Town Hall and the San Juan County Courthouse may make appearances in “Freak Power,” said DeAnne Gallegos, executive director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce.
In the movie, Jay Bulger will play Hunter S. Thompson. Don Johnson and Susan Sarandon also will star.
Thompson wanted to be sheriff in a mostly conservative county – where Aspen is the county seat – that he felt needed to be transformed into a place that welcomed rebels and activists. One of his platforms, for instance, was to “savagely ... harass all those engaged in any form of land rape.”
Thompson narrowly lost his bid.
Director Bobby Kennedy III, grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, received a $300,000 rebate from Colorado’s Economic Development Commission to shoot the film. Kennedy settled on shooting in Silverton after interviewing those who knew Thompson, said Rebecca Bertot, costume designer.
For more information, email [email protected] Those interested in appearing as an extra can email [email protected] and include a snapshot.
The Durango Herald contributed to this article.
