October 16, 1996

Local actress stars in film about Dorothy Day

BY LISA BENOIT

Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Boulder may be far from Hollywood, but students will soon see one of their classmates, Heather Camille, star in "Entertaining Angels," a movie based on the life of Catholic advocate for the poor Dorothy Day.

Set in Depression-era New York, the film follows Day's gradual journey from affluence to atheism to Catholicism. She lived the Gospel message by helping feed and clothe the poor, eventually creating the Catholic Worker movement.

The film opens Friday in Denver for one week at the Bowles Crossing Mann Theater. For information, call the theater at 643-1005.

Starring in the film are Moira Kelly, who plays Dorothy Day; Martin Sheen, who plays Peter Maurin; and Camille, who portrays Dorothy Day's daughter, Tamar.

Camille was interviewed by the Register at Denver's Catholic Worker House, along with director Michael Rhodes and co-producer, Jesuit Father Chris Donohue. The film was produced by Paulist Productions, which also produced the hit film, "Romero."

In being cast for the part, Camille was required to do a reading with Moira Kelly, her first time auditioning with the main character of a movie.

"She was very comforting," said Heather. "I'd never read with an actress before, but I didn't feel nervous."

Rhodes said he knew immediately that Camille was right for the part of Day's daughter.

"There was no question . . . there was some quality about her," said Rhodes. "Her character needed to age -- she needed to go from 5 or 6 years old to 12 -- and that was stretching."

Heather and her mother, Marlene Richards, drove from Boulder to L.A. in May for the film's production. During the three-day trip, Heather read the script aloud to her mom.

The film's producer, Father Kaiser, created a unique atmosphere during production of the film, according to Richards.

"Father Kaiser was able to build a sense of community on the set. It was more than just a job," she explained. "Before we started shooting, Father Chris and Father Kaiser invited everyone to a Mass. It was sort of a celebration. I thought maybe just a handful of people would show up, but many people attended." Richards said the experience of being on the set was very powerful because "there was a palpable spiritual energy moving at all times."

"When you're filming, the actors are more serious because they're working, but at lunch there are always tons of people around," recalled Camille. "We sat at one long, big table, and Martin Sheen sat on one end -- he talks pretty loud so you could hear him tell stories about living in France and other things he's done."

The movie tells of how Day defied social and political conventions in her quest for self-fulfillment in New York's bohemian Greenwich Village during the explosive era of the 1920s and '30s. She engaged in controversial love affairs, boisterous barroom debates with friends such as Eugene O'Neill and Floyd Dell, and led radical demonstrations against injustice.

Outspoken, passionate and ambitious, Day began her career as a newspaper reporter, with dreams of her own byline and brilliant acclaim. Her stories focused on the destitute, neglected and powerless. Soon she was no longer content to merely write about the poor, but decided to make a difference. She chose to live in poverty and work among the poor of the Lower East Side.

Day started the "Catholic Worker," a monthly newspaper still in circulation today. She was assisted by French philosopher Peter Maurin.

The "Catholic Worker" spawned a movement that sided with striking workers and encouraged communal living and the concept of laymen as missioner. The movement is still best know for its direct action on behalf of the poor. Day and Maurin started by setting up lodgings for a handful of homeless during the Depression. Today, there are dozens of shelter throughout the U.S. that offer food, shelter and clothing to the needy.

Upon completing the movie, Heather switched from public school to Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder. "I think that the movie had an effect on me going to the Catholic school," she said.

Click the link below for the actual document.
http://www.sni.net/archden/dcr/1996101609.htm