Local talent is at the center of feature film shown in Grundy Center

GRUNDY CENTER – One local actor, Grundy Center resident Adam Osterhaus, had the pleasure of seeing himself on the screen of his hometown movie theater after the feature film “The Gift of the Magpie” showed in Grundy Center last week.
The award-winning short film, written and directed by Grinnell-native Anita George, tells the story of two small-time crooks (played by Adam Osterhaus and Milton Severe) who get more than they bargained for after attempting a robbery on Christmas Eve in 1934.
For Osterhaus, an experienced stage actor who has performed in dozens of plays at the Waterloo Community Playhouse, his first movie appearance was quite different than he initially expected.
“You don’t realize how different it is,” he said. “When you film a movie, you have to do a dozen different takes, and do the same line a bunch of times at different camera angles.”
And unlike performing in a play, acting in a film has allowed Osterhaus to sit back and watch his own performance for once.
“It’s interesting to see yourself on screen,” he said. “Everyone always says it, but I really don’t think I sound like that.”
When he first found out the film would show in Grundy Center, Osterhaus said he was a little nervous knowing that people from his hometown would be watching it.
“There was a little anxiety at first, but it’s part of acting,” he said, adding that in the end, the audience is one of the most important parts of the whole production.
For the full story, see the December 8 edition of The Grundy Register.