Laughlin members get 'extra' duty

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 47th FTW Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Dust swirls through an open street in a small, western town. Birds chirp, bees buzz, and horses snort. Suddenly, a woman screams at the top of her lungs.

As she stares at the beaten, bloody body of George Kennedy lying in the middle of the road, two men rush into the street and drag her away. A man saunters out of a nearby building with a rifle, yelling down the street at another man who isn't even there.

And the director yells "Cut!"

On the self-proclaimed "largest outdoor movie set in the world" at Alamo Village near Bracketville, filming is in full-swing on the feature-length motion picture "The Man Who Came Back."

If anyone from Team XL knows just what to look for when watching the movie, they might catch a glimpse of a familiar face or two, perhaps even three.

Staff Sgt. Teddy Valdes, aircrew life support, Brenda Mireles, 47th Flying Training Wing Maintenance Directorate, and Heather Fife were chosen as extras in the independent film starring Kennedy, Eric Braeden and Billy Zane, among others.

Each is a member of the Del Rio performing group "The Upstagers," so the trio is no stranger to acting. However, none of them have ever performed in a feature-length film until now.

Sergeant Valdes, in addition to his performances with The Upstagers, had been featured in several commercials, and once played an extra in a Puerto Rican television show.

Mireles began her stint with The Upstagers in August 2001 with "Guys and Dolls," and said she's found it difficult to stay away.

"I am involved with every Upstagers show," she said. There are five annually. If not a member of the cast, Mireles said she usually does technical work or makes props.

Fife, a former Bulgarian linguist and Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent, said she started her acting "career" playing Wendy in Peter Pan in the 6th grade.

"I took a break in high school, but got back into it in college and have done community theater ever since."

Even while working alongside famous actors like Kennedy, Zane and Armand Assante, none of the Laughlin actors were ever "star struck."

"I am not the kind who gets 'star-struck' however, I do appreciate and have respect for talent and previous experience," Fife said. "I learned a lot."

Sergeant Valdes said Billy Zane is really a down to earth guy, a "real character."

"He's a playful and approachable person," he said. "Did fame get to his head? Nope, he joked around with me like if we worked together before."

"Some of us go to an office, or work outside... they act," Mireles said.

Sergeant Valdes, who played a bartender in one scene, said it was interesting to see how many takes the crew had to do in order to get a complete shot, but his favorite part was when a stuntman broke the record for being dragged on one's back by a horse.

"The record was 240 feet," he said. "[The stuntman] now holds the record with 270 feet."

Mireles and Fife both played roles as saloon girls and townsfolk. At one point, actor James Patrick Stewart's character kissed Fife's character on the cheek.

"I felt like I was really part of the film," Fife said of the interaction.

Between takes, Billy Zane recalled playing an Army Air Corps bombardier in the movie "Memphis Belle," saying he had the "utmost respect" for anyone in uniform.

While the movie set may have been intended to feel like a different time and place, Sergeant Valdes said the experience was very similar to serving in the military, with "long hours, discipline and never losing focus on what you're doing."

No release date has been set for "The Man Who Came Back."