Kurt Russell in Coopersville for movie

COOPERSVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - "How many times in your lifetime are you going to have Kurt Russell in your backyard, you know, starting your shed on fire?"

It's the question on Don Walthorn's mind. The answer for the Coopersville man is, in all likelihood, one.

And Walthorn wasn't going to miss it.

"It is beyond unbelievable," he told 24 Hour News 8, standing across the street from his home-turned-movie-set. Russell, the 59-year-old actor, was in Coopersville on Monday night to shoot scenes for the movie "Touchback."

The shed next to the home Walthorn rents was burned for a scene in the high school football-themed movie.

Russell, who crews pointed out was wearing age makeup and some extra padding to make him look heavier, drew crowds that huddled behind the sight lines of the cameras on Center Street.

For the scene shot at Walthorn's home, the actor starred alongside local firefighters.

"I am in good hands with the Coopersville Fire Department," Walthorn said when asked if he was worried about his home.

So, why did producers pick Coopersville?

"Michigan has a great tax rebate," producer Kevin Matusow told 24 Hour News 8. "West Grand Rapids has the topography we're looking for -- not so industrial" like Detroit.

"So, we went to Coopersville, Lamont, Allendale, down to Dorr all the way over to Lowell. And we just happened to find the football field and the right community and the right small town in Coopersville," Matusow said.

The movie means work for Grand Rapids production company owner Edwin De Jong.

He's got a dual role for the film: crane operator and camera operator. The Michigan movie business isn't enough to be a full-time gig for De Jong, but he said he knows of people who have worked on eight movies since Michigan's tax credit was put in place. It might be enough to make a living for them, he said.

As he was working on the Coopersville shoot, De Jong said he got a call from another West Michigan movie set asking for his help: the Ben Stiller-produced "30 Minutes or Less," which is filming in Grand Rapids.

"Getting asked to work on two movies at the same time is not something I'd ever thought we'd see in Grand Rapids, Michigan," De Jong said.

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For more information, check out Aaron Lafferty's blog, Laff at the Movies.

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