ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES — Andie MacDowell stays pretty busy and doesn’t get out to McCormick Field ballpark as much as she would like.
But the actress based here loves baseball and spent some time at the park this summer with filmmaker Rod Murphy shooting the documentary “Before the First Pitch.” The seven-minute short, which details the backstage action leading up to an Asheville Tourists game.
“Baseball is such a fascinating sport,” said MacDowell, who does not appear in “Before the First Pitch,” but she said. “We wanted to keep it simple. It’s really inspiring when you see all the people who work out there. It gives you that feeling of excitement and anticipation of the game.”
“Before the First Pitch” provides some views that even the savviest fans never get to see).
“It’s a day in the life of a baseball park, everything that goes on before a game, the vendors, the grounds crew, the whole culture,” Murphy said. “The film was shot over a weeklong stretch at the park,” he said.
MacDowell, star of such films as “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Green Card,” “Groundhog Day” and “Michael,” has wanted to get involved in production. A few years back, she met Murphy, and the two became friends. “We have a shared love of film,” MacDowell said.
“She’s got a good eye,” Murphy said. “And she has immeasurable experience.”
MacDowell and Murphy have plans for another documentary about the Miss Gay Latina transgender beauty pageant in Asheville. “It has the potential to be a beautiful story,” MacDowell. “I think people will be surprised.”
