Showtime mini-series “Rust” to film scenes in Donora
With cast and crew members of the Showtime miniseries “Rust” set to be filming scenes in Donora next week, “a little bit of Hollywood will be in the (Mon) Valley,” in the words of Jim McDonough, the borough’s mayor.
More specifically, work on “Rust” is set to happen Monday and Tuesday in Donora’s downtown. Some streets will be closed while work is going on and no parking will be allowed. The streets include McKean Avenue, Cypress Way, and Second and Seventh streets on Monday, and Meldon Avenue, First Street, Bradford Way, Pike Alley and Cypress Way on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post by the borough, the visit to Donora by the “Rust” crew was characterized as “an exciting opportunity,” along with an acknowledgement that some residents would be temporarily inconvenienced.
A publicist for “Rust” could not be reached for comment.
“I just think it’s a wonderful thing that they’ll be coming into the borough,” McDonough said.
The cast and crew of “Rust” could well become a familiar sight around the region in the weeks and months ahead. According to the website Movie Extras Pittsburgh, work on “Rust” will be happening in Pittsburgh and surrounding communities from mid-March to mid-August. Jeff Daniels is starring as Sheriff Del Harris, who “is forced to decide how far he’s willing to go for the woman he loves, after her son is accused of an ex-cop’s murder.”
The series is based on the 2009 novel “American Rust,” by Philipp Meyer, which is set in the fictional Fayette County community of Buell. It will also be starring Maura Tierney, whose credits include the series “ER.”
Work had been due to start in the region this time last year, but production was stopped when the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
According to the Movie Extras site, the type of extras the production has been seeking include people who can play, among other things, cops, restaurant patrons, high school and college football players, bar patrons and wedding guests.