By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Thanks to “Leatherheads,” Salisbury and the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer could gain more attention from filmmakers on the lookout for nostalgic locations.
Beth Perry, director of the Charlotte Regional Film Commission, said Sunday that Salisbury is visually appealing, with a downtown that has “absolutely gorgeous buildings” and scenic architecture.
Its close proximity to the transportation museum, filled with all manner of vintage engines and rail cars, also is a plus, she said.
“It was the perfect fit for ‘Leatherheads,'” Perry said, adding it shows the importance of historic preservation.
The romantic comedy is set in 1925.
Salisbury continues to prepare for a large crowd Wednesday morning when Oscar winners George Clooney and Renee Zellweger, the costars of “Leatherheads,” stop at the Salisbury Station on Depot Street.
Their 11 a.m. appearance is open to the public. They also will be available at a press conference for credentialed media
“It’s just so remarkable and so special that they would take time out of their schedules to come back to the Charlotte region and Salisbury,” Perry said.
Perry, who plans to attend, advised people to get to Salisbury early that morning.
“We want a lot of people to come,”‘ she said.
The appearance of Clooney and Zellweger is the third stop ó and only one in North Carolina ó of what Universal Studios has billed as a “Whistle Stop Express” tour to promote “Leatherheads.”
Perry said 50 percent of the movie was shot in the Charlotte region of North Carolina in places that included Salisbury, Spencer, Statesville and Charlotte.
The tour also will be stopping in Duluth, Minn.; Maysville, Ky. (Clooney’s hometown); and Greenville, S.C.
Perry’s office is part of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, which includes 12 counties in North Carolina (including Rowan) and four counties in South Carolina.
The regional economic partnership was the first contact for the movie’s location scout and production design team.
“Leatherheads” includes scenes shot at the Salisbury Station and N.C. Transportation Museum.
It will be in theaters April 4.
Other movies that have been shot in the Charlotte region include “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Shallow Hal,” “The Patriot” and the yet to be released “April Fool’s Day,” which comes out this week.
“Leatherheads” is the story of football hero Dodge Connolly and the beginnings of pro football in the United States, as he tries to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums.
Zellweger plays Lexie Littleton, a reporter who suspects the war story of Connolly’s star player.
Perry said this is the first time stars of a movie “have come back like this.”
“To share this with us is just wonderful,” she said.
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Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@salisburypost.com.