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Actor Chris Small
Is 'Honest Abe'
In The Production
By NELSON MORAIS
Staff Writer
Abraham Lincoln was unhappy with his mole.
"I'm just not sold on the mole," Lincoln said. "It doesn't look real to me."
More than willing to oblige, makeup artist Debbie Close peeled the mole off Lincoln's face and disappeared to work on making a new one.
Several minutes later, Lincoln (actually, reenactor Chris Small) had a new mole, looked at his face in a mirror and said it certainly appeared more authentic than the last one. But could it be darkened a bit?
Close said she could, and she did.
The above scenario took place during lengthy preparation for filming of a video Monday morning at the Dickson-Williams Mansion on President Lincoln and his Christian faith.
Small, the reenactor with the troublesome mole, said he wanted to be as accurate as possible in his portrayal of the 16th president for two videos being shot this week at the mansion.
The filming Monday was for a video on Lincoln's religious faith.
A separate video will also be filmed this week at the Dickson-Williams Mansion on Lincoln's thoughts on the emancipation of the slaves.
The two films may also include some outdoor shots around Greeneville for a few exterior shots to complement Lincoln as he speaks on-camera.
Lincoln (Small) will be the only person seen in the videos.
Director Loren Small, Chris Small's brother, said that when completed, the two videos -- each about 45 minutes to one hour long -- will hopefully be aired as early as February on a so-called DTV channel, a new channel of digitally-made films that will be broadcast once the deadline switch to digital TV broadcasting is made.
"We're still finalizing details" on when the films will be aired, but the director said they had "a potential audience of 20 million people" if aired on the DTV channel.
Work Began Sunday
Though Monday was the first day of filming on the two productions, work began Sunday with makeup tests to check skin tones -- and that pesky mole.
The actor, director and makeup artist on Monday were on the set with Bryan Fowler, director of photography for Fowler Films based in Chattanooga, and Jim Clayburn and Clarence Small, the actor's father, who said they were "go-fer" people on the set.
"To be able to film in such a gorgeous period mansion is just tremendous," Chris Small said.
As befitting the man he is portraying, Small will begin each video with humor, as expressed by Lincoln.
He also said Lincoln's faith evolved as he grew. "He had a firm grounding in the Scriptures," Small said, though the president "went through a period of skepticism in his 20's."
A Co-Production
The videos are a co-production of The Lincoln Project and COGfilm, based in Nashville, where the director lives.
Small first portrayed Lincoln in 1997 and founded The Lincoln Project in Livonia, Mich., in 2003, when he was a resident there. He and his wife moved to Greeneville in 2006.
The Lincoln Project is the primary sponsor and promoter of Lincoln Bicentennial celebrations in Greeneville. This Feb. 12 will be the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
Chris Small said he hoped to do a third video later this year that will compare and contrast Lincoln to President Barack Obama, the nation's first African-American president.
DVDs will be for sale at http://www.thelincolnproject.com , he said.
For information on the Lincoln Bicentennial events in Greeneville, visit the Web site and look under the tab "Bicentennials" for the most up-to-date information.
