OLATON, KY. — Marshalltown has enjoyed a rich history with the movies from Dale Paullin and Jean Seberg all the way up to “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski, but in addition to these bigger Hollywood stars, there has also been a Renaissance of independent films shot in the area or by individuals with local connections.

Although he’s no longer living here, Sandy Scott, who now resides in Glasgow, Ky., will always consider Marshalltown home, and he recently wrapped shooting on a proof of concept short called “A Death in Hazard,” filmed primarily in Olaton, Ky. Scott, a 1981 MHS graduate, joined the Marine Corps out of high school and knew from a young age he wanted to be a Hollywood star.

“All this time I knew I wanted to be an actor after growing up watching the original ‘Lost in Space’ TV series. I didn’t know how to accomplish this dream, but I wasn’t going to give it up,” he said. “Then in 1982 I went into the Marine Corps, and was stationed in Southern California. No way did I know that this move put me on the path of my dream coming true.”

As fate would have it, the producers of a remake of “Invaders from Mars” needed real-life Marines to stand in the background of a scene in 1984 while Scott was stationed at El Toro Marine Corps Base, and he enthusiastically answered the call. Producer Cyrus Yavna pulled him aside and said he had “natural talent,” urging Scott to find him after he was discharged from the service.

“This is the point that completely changed my life. He took me under his wing, got me enrolled in acting classes, and put me in several more of his movies,” Scott said. “From that point on, my life has been movies, TV shows, short movies, and making my own movies. I have since joined the Screen Actors Guild and have been a professional actor, writer, director, and producer.”

His credits include the 1998 Mike Nichols film “Primary Colors,” which stars John Travolta as a thinly-veiled version of former President Bill Clinton, along with small parts in several popular television shows like “Rizzoli and Isles,” “Arli$$” and “Judging Amy.”

Several years ago, Scott and his wife Deanna actually wound up back in Marshalltown, and he spent a period of time working for the T-R before he was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. From there, the couple moved to Kentucky, and Sandy wasn’t sure how he would revive his acting career in a place so far removed from the bright lights of Southern California.

Once again, however, he caught a break when he learned that two movies were being filmed in Glasgow in 2022. He went to casting calls and got booked as a featured actor in one of the productions, and he felt inspired to create a project of his own.

“This made me realize I could actually make another one of my movies here, so I wrote ‘A Death in Hazard,'” he said.

The idea for the film actually came from the music video for Richard Marx’s song “Hazard,” and Scott had to reach out to Marx’s agent to ensure there wouldn’t be a copyright issue. Although he’s typically written in the science fiction genre in the past, Scott wanted to dip his toes into a drama/thriller, and he said he found a lot of “empty places” in the music video to add backstory and eventually turn “A Death in Hazard” into a two-hour script.

“I filled in all the gaps in time and created a whole new storyline, but kept it close to the original video,” he said.

The story follows David Richardson, a 25-year-old who was accused of killing his mother at the age of seven in his far eastern Kentucky hometown of Hazard — just a short jaunt down the road from the infamous Harlan County — and is cleared of wrongdoing. Eighteen years later, he returns to Hazard and falls in love with a young woman named Mary Walker, and they both want to leave town as soon as they can. First, however, they must solve the mystery of who actually murdered his mother.

Scott said the filming experience was unlike anything he had done before as it was a SAG production, which allowed him to hire a larger crew than in the past and bring non-union actors onto their first union production. He received assistance from the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department, who supplied uniforms for the actors playing deputies, and one actual deputy stayed on set as a consultant for the sake of authenticity and accuracy.

“He did such a great job, so I gave him a couple close ups in the movie and some action shots. He was excited as this was his very first movie to be on,” Scott said. “We all had such a great time filming this. We had long day and night shots that took upwards of 15 hours per day.”

Scott admitted the SAG process was extremely stringent, but luckily for him, the writers and actors strike didn’t affect him in any way because he had an interim agreement ironed out with his cast and crew.

With the 17 ½ minute proof of concept short now filmed, Scott will head to the editing and post production stages before hopefully submitting “A Death in Hazard” to the SAG Awards and festivals around the country with hopes that a producer might be interested in putting money toward the full-length movie.

And even though he’s now hundreds of miles away, Scott will always consider Marshalltown home, fondly reflecting on the people he sees whenever he returns and the time he spent working with high school students on a film project about five years ago when he was still living here. His message for youngsters here and everywhere else is simple: keep following your dreams.

“I’d like to say something to the kids in school who dream of becoming an actor. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do it or you’re not good enough. I was told that a lot growing up. If acting is your dream and passion, then keep telling yourself you are good enough,” he said. “Pray for your dream, and work towards making it happen. It will happen if your heart’s in it. Let my dream be your dream, and I’m here to help anyone who wants to make it happen. I’m always looking for fresh new faces to be in my movies. I also encourage the people in Marshalltown to help our young actors fight for their dreams, and never give up. Hollywood is waiting!”

To follow progress and updates on “A Death in Hazard,” visit https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551354611285.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.