Leonard with Patrick Swayze in North and South

I am in the opening and closing of the scene in the foreground extreme right. This is from the 1985 TV mini-series North and South. Filmed in an early 19th Century church outside Natchez on the Natchez Trace. We are West Point cadets at graduation ceremony.

The following added at the death of Patrick Swayze:

In June 1985 I spent 10 days in Natchez, Mississippi working as an extra in the Warner Brothers TV mini-series North and South.

Everyday I was surrounded by people I had seen on TV and the movies. The star of this show was Patrick Swayze, though up to that time I had never heard of him. Word was he starred in a movie called Red Dawn. I wasn't impressed by his acting that I witnessed on those days, but I was impressed by his humanness. Patrick Swayze looked like a movie star, the movie people certainly treated him like a movie star, but he behaved like a regular guy.

We saw a lot of Patrick everyday in the hot sun or in a hot building. We extras weren't supposed to speak unless spoken to, but Patrick would sometimes chat with us while we waited until we were needed. There was a lot of waiting.

For lunch there was a long, narrow tent under which almost everybody involved with the movie ate although most of the actors ate in their trailers. People like directors, cinematographers, etc. ate at a big round table so they could discuss the project. One day I and some other extras were at a table next to the round table when Patrick, along with his wife, walked up with his tray and blender of "protein shake" that he brought everyday from his trailer. Seeing there was no room at the round table Patrick and his wife moved to sit at our table. When the movie execs saw this they scrambled to make room for the couple. "That's okay," Patrick said, "I'll just sit here" and sat right across from me at the extras' table. His wife sat at the round table. For about half an hour we had lunch with Patrick Swayze, and a more down-to-earth guy you will never meet. No pretension whatsoever. He didn't try to be a nice guy, he just was.

Over the years I have enjoyed telling this story and making sure people know what a regular guy Patrick Swayze is. I have always had much respect for him and am honored to have been a small part of his movie.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Leonard
• Masino
• Patrick
• Swayze
• lmasino
• TV
• mini-series
• North
• and
• South
• Natchez
• Trace
• 1985
• West
• Point
• graduation
• remembrance
• Mississippi
• movie
• extra

[Poprougefizz]

Two thumbs up!

[Eldragon3]

If you were short, with big head - you'd be a star too.

[iloxib]

Kool! I know a movie star now and his name is Leonard ... and don't you forget it!