TYRONE - Suzanne Johnson is waiting for a phone call to inform her if she'll get her 15 minutes of fame soon.
Johnson, who grew up in Tyrone and lives in Tipton, auditioned to be an extra in "Unstoppable," the Denzel Washington film which will have several scenes shot in Tyrone this week. She said she's supposed to find out this weekend if she was cast.
"We keep joking about seeing the opening credits, and it'll say 'Suzanne Johnson and Denzel What's-his-name,'" Johnson said with a laugh. "We've gotten a lot of mileage out of it."
Even if she didn't get a part, Johnson said she's still eager for filming to begin.
"We're all excited about it," she said. "It's wonderful; it really is. ... The town could use a little notoriety. It's had so much negative publicity. This can't help but be a shot in the arm."
Johnson's excitement is mirrored by most of the town and business community, said Joyce Hewel, a volunteer with the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce.
"They just think it's an opportunity - how often does something like that happen in this area?" Hewel asked.
Chamber Executive Director Rose Black said the film may draw some tourism into the area. Last week, Hewel fielded a call from Olean, N.Y., from people who were interested in coming to town during production.
Jack Bonsell, who works at M&T Bank, has already been exposed to the movie-set atmosphere, as he lives in Port Matilda, where producers were filming last week. He said several of his wife's co-workers met Washington.
"It's been exciting," he said. "It's been a little bit of an inconvenience, with streets shut down because it's a different routine."
On Washington Avenue, Penny and Steven Carroll were experiencing the movie preparations firsthand, as a crew came by to paint the columns on the front of their rental home Friday morning.
On Wednesday, they'll have to vacate their home from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. while some scenes are shot in front of their home.
They received $100 for the inconvenience and will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Joshua House. Steven Carroll said they were told to take everything off the walls because trains would be traveling down the tracks all day at 60 mph.
"It's very exciting," Penny Carroll said. "I'm definitely going to try to see [Washington]."
Cody Reese of Tyrone said he'd really wanted to audition to be an extra but couldn't go to tryouts because of a work conflict.
"This is a small town, and it's a big Hollywood movie," he said. "It's not an everyday thing here."
Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.
