Mystic Woman’s Car Cast In ‘Great Hope Springs’

Mystic’s Jamie Lee and her blue Pontiac Aztek had a great time as extras in the Meryl Streep movie Great Hope Springs. That’s right, it’s not just locals who are were cast in the movie but also boats and cars. Lee, who lives in Mystic and works at Natural Lee in New London spent a day last week on the set and said she had a blast. “They used me and my blue Pontiac Aztek—I knew one day that funny looking car would pay off,” Lee said. Lee went to casting call for the movie in August and said she was surprised when weeks later Barbara McNamara Casting called her and asked her to be an extra and also asked her to take photographs of the cars her family has. She sent in photographs of her VW Beetle, Pontiac Aztek and her daughter’ Kia and the casting agency wanted the Pontiac Aztek. The Pontiac Aztek and Lee were in a scene on Water Street. The movie company even switched out her Connecticut license plates for Maine license plates. Lee also shot a scene where she crossed paths with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep as the two stars walked into Nor’easter Diner known to locals as Noah’s Restaurant. The work was nothing new to Lee who worked as an extra in several movies when she lived in California. “I haven’t done work like this since I lived in California,” Lee said, adding that it had been 20 years since she did anything similar. It wasn’t just Lee who had blast, though, she said the whole town seemed very exited about the movie which continues filming in Stonington this week. “People came out in groups to enjoy the shooting of the scenes and didn't mind keeping quiet every time they yelled 'rolling',” Lee said.