Jim Dunnam goes from legislative office to the box office

By Carl Hoover

Former House Democratic Caucus leader Jim Dunnam, who lost his House seat in the 2010 elections, won a tiny part on the silver screen.

A movie called "Best Friends Forever" — think "Thelma & Louise" meets nuclear armageddon — just finished shooting and a significant amount of the story was filmed on Dunnam's Chilton ranch.

In an interview Thursday, the former representative described it as "basically a road movie. Two girls are leaving Colorado and going back to Texas, but in the course of their trip, nukes go off.

"The audience knows (about the ongoing apocalypse), but they don't know it."

But Dunnam offered the filmmakers more than just a location. He has a bit part in the movie.

"I play a deranged rancher looking through a window with a shotgun," he said. (He joked that the transition to acting was seamless.)

A more detailed description of the film, which is directed by and stars Brea Grant (Heroes, Dexter) is available here: http://bestfriendsforeverfilm.com/about-the-film/

Grant is a Marshall native and a UT grad. She also had a recurring role on the critically acclaimed TV series "Friday Night Lights," which was filmed in Austin and Pflugerville.

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