Several artists and craftsmen from Dolores contributed to the set of “The Hateful Eight,” a Quentin Tarantino Western recently shot in Telluride.
Movie scouts were trolling the streets of Dolores last November when they came upon Dan Heeney’s aspen furniture shop, Rustic Style.
“They walked in and liked the designs I had to offer. I was glad to get my first Hollywood order,” Heeney said.
He put together a rush order of two picnic tables with benches, bar stools, a bar top and a replica bench.
Deliveries were made to the set on Schmid Ranch above Telluride.
“It was a little surreal,” Heeney said of the scene. “There were 18 semi-trailers with all the movie gear. Hollywood types with French berets and little glasses were running around directing things.”
Not one to miss a beat, he referred movie scouts to a couple of his Dolores pals, leatherworker Rick Randolph and metal artist Meagan Crowley, who were also hired for set work.
Randolph did the custom leatherwork for stagecoaches on the set.
“I upholstered the drivers booth and other parts of the coach, some with original leather from that era,” he said. “I got to meet Tarantino at a Telluride bar and tried to convince him to cast my dog in the movie, but he turned me down.”
Crowley, of Iron Meagan Metal Works, created period-style handles for the stagecoaches along with metal boot scrapers and hooks for the haberdashery. She also collaborated on a bench with Rustic Style for the set.
“We’re all looking forward to watching the movie together to see what made the cut,” she said. “The people were really nice.”
Dolores Mayor Val Truelsen provided lumber from his mill for the set, and items from the Traditional Charm antique store were also bought to decorate the set.
Randolph said he did some side leather jobs for the set designers, making custom purses and wallets with “Hateful Eight” emblems.
Heeney as well got extra work, splitting firewood for the set tents and scoring new furniture orders from the camera crew.
The film recently wrapped, and locals hope it will be screened in Telluride.
Tarantino is famous for his dark humor and violent films such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs,” and “Inglorious Basterds.”
“He’s like a caricature of himself. It was cool to hang out with the stars,” Heeney says of meeting with Tarantino. “They used my furniture in the cantina, so maybe someone will get killed on one of my tables!”
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
