Madison Co.’s Astalos Jones travels to Croatia for role in ‘White Lightnin’

The mishmash of working on a British film, set in West Virginia and filmed in Croatia, certainly made for a cross-cultural experience for Madison County actress Stephanie Astalos-Jones.
In her latest cinematic endeavor, Astalos-Jones spent a week in the scenic mountains of Croatia filming White Lightnin,’ a picture based very loosely on the 1991 cult hit, “Dancing Outlaw,” a documentary which tells the story of eccentric Appalachian clog dancer Jesco White.
“It was an interesting set,” said Astalos-Jones, who lives in Carlton. “I was hearing Croatian accents and British accents and West Virginia accents all at the same time.”
Astalos-Jones plays White’s mother in her first film since 2004’s “Say Yes Quickly.” The picture is set in the mountains of West Virginia, but the expense of shooting in United States drove the film company to shoot in hills in Croatia.
While in Croatia, Astalos-Jones worked with British actor Edward Hogg, who plays the lead role of White; and veteran actor Muse Watson (“Prison Break” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer”), who portrays White’s father.
Perhaps the most recognizable face is Carrie Fisher, of Princess Leia fame, who plays White’s wife.
But, alas, Astalos-Jones had no scenes with Luke Skywalker’s sister, “so I didn’t really get to meet her,” she said.
Instead, much of Astalos-Jones’ camera time as White’s mother “Brity May” came during Jesco’s child scenes in the first third of the movie.
Playing a West Virginian was familiar territory, Astalos-Jones said.
“It was easy for me, because, accent-wise, it’s not that big of a stretch from rural Georgia,” said Astalos-Jones, who’s played the mother of the main character in her last three films.
The “Dancing Outlaw” documentary has gained notoriety in the 16 years following its release, however, Astalos-Jones said White Lightnin’ is quite embellished from the original story.
The old documentary exudes almost a “sweet, kitschy quality,” but said the movie touches on much darker material and is not intended as family entertainment by any means.
Astalos-Jones cautions that White Lightin’ isn’t for the weak-stomached.
“It’s sort of like Tarantino-level violence,” she said.
Before going overseas, Astalos-Jones felt it was only right to brush up on a little Croatian, so she called upon Barb Chantry, of Comer’s Jubilee Partner’s, for an impromptu crash course. Under Chantry’s tutelage, Astalos-Jones was able to offer a little bit of the native tongue on-set.
“It made my trip 10 times more enjoyable … A little bit went a long way,” she said.
Astalos-Jones noted the Croatian film crew’s “faces were just staggered” when she started throwing out Croatian phrases.
“They were just cracking up,” she said. “The wardrobe girl said ‘nobody has ever come in here knowing Croatian.’ That’s all thanks to Jubilee Partners and Barb.”
The week in Croatia certainly left an impression on the actress. She said she was taken by the countryside and architecture and recommends it as a vacation destination for someone wanting a reasonably priced trip to Europe.
“It’s just an amazingly wonderful warm place,” she said. “The people are great. The crew ... I fell in love in with the crew, I can’t say enough good things,” she said.
Since wrapping-up White Lightnin,’ Astalos-Jones been hard at work with other projects. She and writing partner Lisa Mende (of Seinfeld fame) will unveil a holiday show at Comer’s Saving Grace Café Dec. 22 and Dec. 31.
The new show, “The Schmeckles Hanukah Christmas Holiday Extravaganza,” is actually a spin-off of Astalos-Jones’ and Mende’s “Open Mic Night,” which they debuted at Saving Grace in May. Demand for more “Schmekels” — a pair of Yiddish sisters that were among the characters in Open Mic Night— inspired Astalos-Jones and Mende to write the separate show.
“It’s going to be hysterical,” said Astalos-Jones, who makes jewelry when she’s not writing and rehearsing.
And the good news for “Open Mic” fans is that the pair will continue to tour that show as well.
As for White Lightin,’ postproduction will take a year, though Astalos-Jones doesn’t really know where the movie will surface. However, it’s already listed with a distributor and she hopes it will make its way to some festivals.
The hope is that since White Lightin’ deals with an American and the
“Dancing Outlaw” documentary was popular here, it will be released in the United States.