Thrall, Texas. Population: 800. For most travelers along Route 79, this quiet town lined with cotton fields is just a rest stop on the way to … somewhere else. Its biggest claim to fame? Thrall holds the national record for rainfall in a 24-hour period (38.2 inches back in 1921). But thanks to a team of filmmakers, the residents of Thrall recently got a thrill.
Abel’s Field, a movie due next year starring Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Soul Surfer), takes place in an unassuming little Texas town. So where to shoot it? Producer Tore Knos certainly had plenty of options. But when he and director Gordie Haakstad scouted lone-star locations for their tale of reluctant friendship, redemption and the power of a mentor, they found in Thrall everything they could’ve asked for—including the all-important high school where everyone congregates to watch Friday night football.
I had the privilege of visiting Thrall last weekend for the final days of principal photography for Abel’s Field. Our handful of Christian journalists pulled into town Friday afternoon for the school’s homecoming pep rally. Students of all ages had donned their purple-and-white best, then crowded into the gym and shrugged off scorching heat to cheer wildly for their Tigers. Later that evening, cameras rolled during Thrall’s homecoming victory over the Holland Hornets. And they kept rolling until the wee hours of Sunday morning.
One camera captured my conversation with Sorbo himself for the Official Plugged In Podcast.
We had to do it all in one shot in less-than-ideal conditions. But wind and rumbling freight trains aside, I enjoyed hearing Sorbo’s opinions about Hollywood, faith, mentoring and even a heroic role that got away. If you have a few minutes to give it a look, I’d love to get your take on what he had to say.
Y’know, I met a lot of fascinating people last weekend. Some behind the camera. Others in front of it. And still others whose refreshing, small-town charm made me wish that more travelers along Route 79 had the time and incentive to linger a spell on their way to somewhere else.
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