Top 10 stories about Lehigh Valley talent in the movies
From to and to scores of this year's biggest — and best — movies featured contributions from Lehigh Valley-affiliated actors and filmmakers.
Name almost any big 2012 film — "Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2", — and you can connect the dots back to the Valley. Many locals also scored on the small screen.
Here's a rundown of the 10 most fascinating stories about homegrown talent:
1. Amanda Seyfried soars.
The Allentonian began the year with a kidnap thriller which didn't last long in movie theaters, but she more than made up for that stumble with the acclaimed "Les Miserables," the years-in-the-making movie version of the hit Broadway show. The Allen High grad not only held her own alongside an all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, but also stirred Oscar talk for her angelic turn as Cosette. Between those two movies, Seyfried contributed a hilarious cameo to "Bag of Hammers," an underrated indie gem starring Jason Ritter and Rebecca Hall.
2. Dane DeHaan hits the big time.
From a movie that's sure to be an Oscar favorite ("Lincoln") to a low-budget sci-fi thriller () that shocked Hollywood by earning $ 65 million, DeHaan appeared in two of 2012's most talked-about films. He was superb in the moonshine epic with Jessica Chastain, Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, and the teen romance "Jack and Diane" with Juno Temple and Riley Keough. Born in Allentown and raised in Zionsville, DeHaan, 25, has the ability to get under the skins of his characters. He's the real deal.
3. The Rock rolls on.
Dwayne Johnson's was bumped off the summer 2012 lineup but the Freedom High School grad stepped into Brendan Fraser's shoes for the family-friendly The affable follow-up to "Journey to the Center of the Earth" overcame bad reviews to score $ 103 million at the box-office.
4. Calling the shots.
Two of the busiest producers in Hollywood have deep roots in the Valley. Macungie's Heather Parry, who works for Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions, produced "That's My Boy," featuring Sandler and Andy Samberg. Former Bethlehem resident Ric Kidney executive produced "Total Recall," starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale.
Two Bucks County residents also were busy behind the cameras in 2012. Stephen Susco produced with Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan; and Steve Rash directed "Crooked Arrows" with Brandon Routh.
On the straight-to-DVD front, Coopersburg's Jim Busfield produced "Cowboys 'n' Angels," starring James Cromwell, while Allentown's Jon Zimmerman produced "Kill Speed" with Nick Carter.
The Valley also nurtured at least one hit-making director, too. Former Parkland High School student Chris Renaud oversaw "The Lorax," an animated adventure which racked up an impressive $ 214 million at the box-office. Among its voice cast: Wyomissing's Taylor Swift.
Another director — Orefield's Ishai Setton — closed out the 17th Annual GenArts Film Festival in New York with "The Kitchen," a dramedy starring Dreama Walker, Laura Prepon and Bryan Greenberg.
5. Character actors makes good.
In 2012, many Valley-connected actors aced supporting roles in movies.
DeSales grad Billy Tangradi was featured in top films "Argo" and "Twilight: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," while DeSales grad Alexie Gilmore popped up in with Bobcat Goldthwait. Bethlehem's Daniel Roebuck aced a role in "John Dies In The End," a time-travel chiller featuring Paul Giamatti. Former Easton resident Madeline Zima racked up good reviews for her brave performance as a boozer in "Crazy Eyes." Nazareth native Jenn Gotzon appeared in "Doonby," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. East Stroudsburg's Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick was in the fine ensemble cast of "Moonrise Kingdom." Bangor's Faust Checho popped up in the Monroe County-shot "6 Degrees of Hell." And Tanya Wright, a former Bethlehem resident, co-starred alongside Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan and Jesse Eisenberg in "Why Stop Now."
6. Tim Heidecker pushes the envelope.
The Allentown native kicked off 2012 by landing two entries in Sundance — and Both got mostly negative reviews but the critics who liked them made a strong case for Heidecker as a comedian on the cutting-edge of funny. When he wasn't anchoring his own projects, he appeared in a cameo role in opposite Jason Segel and Emily Blunt.
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