More filming of Mr. Woodcock

By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula TimesAlthough Suzi Skutley and her daughter Jennifer had spent several days in May as part of the parade crowd scene for “Mr. Woodcock,” she had to sit out the reshoots that took place this week on Main Street. “I’ve been working on the inside, watching them on the outside,” noted Skutley, whose schedule at the Santa Paula Times wouldn’t allow her to be an extra on the New Line Cinema film, but who was able to watch the action from the newspaper’s Main Street office.Starring Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Billy Bob Thornton, “Mr. Woodcock” again used much of the historic downtown as a backdrop for the parade scene shot Wednesday and Thursday. This time around, the filming required that a crack to be created in Main Street just east of Davis Street for an slapstick bit of comedy involving Thornton and a gurney.Filming for “Mr. Woodcock” was rained out Monday and suspended Tuesday, and the film company was scrambling Thursday to finish by 3 p.m. to beat the next wave of forecasted rain. Balloon arches swayed over Main Street and the patriotic bunting gently flapped in the mild breezes as dozens of area residents – as well as merchants whose shops were turned into Nebraska-ish backdrops – watched the filming.John Nichols admitted that the filming was a “disruption to my customers, but they made it through,” and seemed to enjoy the filming in the bargain. “You have to be willing to put up with a little personal disruption for the good of the whole… overall, the monetary impact is good, I’ve even sold to the crew,” and Nichols said he heard that the Mupu Grill had one of its busiest days ever.