By DANIEL HUMAN
The days of dancing on stage as a Lollipop Kid in the Tipton Community Theatre are behind Spencer Curnutt.
The 21-year-old Tipton native retains his gratitude for the introduction to theater through his role as a Munchkin in the “Wizard of Oz” more than a decade ago. But he has moved from performances in the small town theater to the big screen.
Film director David Schwimmer, known for his roll as Ross in the TV sitcom “Friends,” has cast Curnutt in the independent movie “Trust.” Filming for the movie wrapped up Dec. 16 in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the neighboring towns of Plymouth and Dexter.
The movie stars Clive Owen and Catherine Keener as the parents of Annie Cameron, played by on-screen newcomer Liana Liberato. It is the second film Schwimmer has directed, the first being “Run, Fatboy, Run,” starring Simon Pegg.
“Trust” centers around Annie’s online relationship with someone she believes is a 16-year-old boy. After months of the budding cyber friendship, Annie discovers her Internet companion is actually an online predator.
Curnutt plays 18-year-old Peter Cameron, the older brother of the film’s focal character.
Curnutt said his character has to cope with his younger sister’s sexual assault and the ensuing consequences with the family while he is adjusting to his freshman year at the University of Michigan.
“Peter is this typical 18-year-old kid who goes off to college,” Curnutt said. “He’s excited to join a fraternity. He wants to meet the girls and do all that stuff. But he kind of wants to be that older brother figure.
“It wasn’t too far of a stretch to play this role. ... I can remember the first time going to college. I remember leaving my parents and what it’s like to be on your own.”
Schwimmer originally cast Curnutt in the on-stage version of “Trust” at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, where the Tipton native is a junior musical theater major at Roosevelt University.
“I had gotten a call from my agent saying that she had some bad news and some good news,” he said. “I didn’t get a part for a show I was auditioning for. The good news was David Schwimmer was looking to cast a few more guys ... for the play he was doing in Chicago.”
After a round of auditions and call backs, he clinched the part of Peter in the theater production.
But plans changed when Schwimmer received a phone call from independent film studio Nu Image Inc./Millenium Films.
The stage play is still set to premiere in March at the Lookingglass Theatre. Curnutt will appear in both productions.
After Schwimmer dual cast Curnutt, he began splitting his time between classes, rehearsing for the stage production of “Trust” and trekking up to Michigan for filming.
It was a star-struck first few days on the set in Michigan.
“It’s been kind of an awed experience,” he said. “When I found out that Clive Owen was playing my father and Catherine [Keener] was my mother, I was a little bit shocked.”
Working with Schwimmer has not only given Curnutt a chance to get his name out in the open, he said, but it has given the theater student a chance to see what a passionate director is like on set.
“We haven’t gotten a chance to hang out off set at all, but on set, he’s a very sweet guy,” Curnutt said. “He’s very lovable like he was on ‘Friends.’”
Seeing Curnutt on set with the stars was an opportunity his family, which he said has always been supportive, made sure to take advantage of.
Curnutt’s father, Brett, said he and his wife, Terri, visited their son on set and thanked Schwimmer in person for casting their son.
“It’s a great opportunity for his career,” Brett Curnutt said. “He’s just a first-semester junior [at Roosevelt], and he’s just had some incredible experiences. I absolutely had the most enjoyable 24 hours with him that a parent could have.”
Spencer Curnutt said he is unsure whether he wants to get into plays or films when he graduates in a year and a half, but “Trust” should open some doors for him either way.
“Everyone on set has been very nice in the aspect of saying ‘You’re going to do well, and this is only the start,’” he said. “So I can only take from what they’re going to give me.
“I think it will help me, obviously, because I’m going to have these reels, these one-on-one scenes with Clive Owen. That will at least open doors for auditions that I wouldn’t normally be able to get.”
Cid Swank, a publicist for “Trust,” said the film does not have domestic distributors because it is an independent film, and there is no projected release date.
• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
