BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– Residents of Jackson are still talking about the surprise visit from award-winning director and former child star Ron Howard.
The visit is fueling speculation that Howard may choose Breathitt County as one of the sites to film an upcoming movie.
If you weren’t looking for Howard, you probably would’ve missed him. There was no fanfare or red carpet rolled out Wednesday. Most only learned he was in town when they saw a selfie snapped by a waitress at the White Flash II restaurant.
Howard’s visit certainly left an impression on those he met.
“It’s kind of exciting…not an everyday thing,” Mark Wireman told LEX 18. “My dad was pretty much mad at me because he didn’t get to meet him.”
Not only did Wireman get a chance to meet the Academy-Award winning director, along with best-selling author J.D. Vance, but the three also talked for about two hours about Breathitt County’s past and present. Howard is set to direct a movie of Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” in which Breathitt features predominantly.
“He was very interested…asking about the people, history and particularly strip mining,” said Wireman.
Wireman believes that the trip may have laid some groundwork for a future visit.
