Chance's Corner: Meeting "Ponyboy"

My hands are still trembling as I write this. If someone had told me that they were filming a movie just feet away from the Franklin County Library, and C. Thomas Howell was starring in it, I'd probably just laugh in disbelief. No way! Well, yes way!

For those of you who don't know C. Thomas Howell (shame on you!), he has starred in several movies and television shows such as The Outsiders, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Red Dawn, Hidalgo, ER, 24, Longmire, Castle, Sons of Anarchy, and in several Criminal Minds episodes as the dreaded Reaper. Out of all those accomplishments, he is mostly known as Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders.

C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy

Now that you know a little bit about him, here's the story of how we got to meet.

Julie texted me early this morning while I was at lunch and told me they were filming a movie on The Square. A stray extra had wandered into the library and said it was the movie Spirit Riders. I remember reading about it in the Winnsboro newspaper, and the paper said C. Thomas Howell was starring in it. With bated breath, I asked Julie if he was out there. She didn't know. Undeterred, I grabbed my copy of the movie The Outsiders (which I had just watched the night before!).

I slowly walked into the library and turkey-necked to see if I could see any noticeable actors. None really stuck out to me. As it sunk in that Howell really could be out there, my nerves turned to jelly. How could I approach him without being a creeper? I didn't want to mess up any takes or draw the wrath of a stressed director. All these things kept running through my mind. But with the determined pushing of Julie and Lisa, I grabbed the movie... I grabbed the library's copy of S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders... and I (meekly) went out to get the gold!

I cornered one of the assistants by the movie trailers and asked if C. Thomas Howell was there. She said he was. My stomach flipped. I asked if he would be willing to sign the book and movie. She said I could catch him on his way back to the trailer. Sooooo... I meandered around a bit until I saw him coming down the Franklin County Courthouse steps. They did a short scene at the base of the steps and then he started to head to his trailer. I took in a deep breath and went in for the kill.

He was very nice to meet, and he signed both the movie and book for me. I thought it would be dorky to ask him to put "Stay Gold" (a VERY famous line from The Outsiders) so I didn't. He put it anyway! I was truly star struck.



Lance Henriksen, of Aliens and The Terminator fame, is also starring in Spirit Riders. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for him, too!