Suburban enthusiasm spreads for locally shot 'Contagion'
Elgin will be plagued Friday night when Steven Soderbergh's killer virus thriller "Contagion" gets its local grand opening at the Marcus Elgin Theater.
But there's nothing traditional about this premiere.
Ÿ The red carpet will be white.
Ÿ The limousines will be hearses.
Ÿ Some of the arrivals could be suffering from symptoms of a deadly disease.
Ÿ There'll be enough doctors and nurses on hand to cast a season of "Grey's Anatomy."
All in the Hollywood spirit of make-believe, of course.
"We had a big premiere for the last movie shot in Elgin, the remake of 'Nightmare on Elm Street'," said Judi Brownfield, an organizer of the event. "So there was no way we could have avoided doing the same for a movie of this magnitude!"
Parts of the internationally filmed "Contagion" were shot in Elgin late last year, with reshoots finished in June. The production also shot on locations in Naperville, Waukegan, Skokie, Western Springs, Wilmette and Chicago.
Brownfield, who runs the Books at Sunset book store in Elgin, advised that people who want to witness the "Contagion" premiere should be there between 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. to get the full effect.
"Contagion" shot scenes at Elgin's Sherman Hospital for six days last year, and employed a large number of local residents as extras.
One was registered nurse Anita Sayad, who spent about 90 minutes with star Matt Damon, playing a man whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) and son come down with a deadly, unknown disease.
"This is one of my favorite stories," Brownfield said. "Anita was supposed to give Matt Damon a shot and she thought he was getting into character by making his eyes grow wide and flinching when she put the syringe to his arm.
"Then she realized what was really going on and said, 'Did anyone tell him we're using a retractable needle?'"
Sayad will be attending the premiere in a HAZMAT suit, Brownfield said.
Also expected to attend are Elgin citizens Laurie Faith-Aiello, community cable TV host Jeff Myer and photographer David Ham, who assisted Brownfield in mounting the Friday night "premiere."
"Working with the City of Elgin was a great experience," said Mark Mamalakis, location scout for the Illinois Film Office. "The police were great. We'd have last-minute schedule changes and they could adapt instantly. I've never shot there before. There's a lot of nice houses and historic neighborhoods."
Mamalakis said that the "Contagion" shoot was one of the best he's been on since he started his job in 1989.
"(Director) Steven Soderbergh really knew what he wanted," he said. "He didn't do a lot of retakes, so there weren't any really long days, you know? Nice guy, too. Talked to everyone who wanted to talk to him. When he wasn't shooting, of course."
Chicago area locations were used to double for both Atlanta and Minneapolis where Damon's screen family lives. (Passengers at Midwest Airport last year were reportedly confused by signs that identified it as Minneapolis Airport.)
In Naperville, the Tellabs building at One Tellabs Center became the World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland.
In Waukegan, part of the Amstutz Expressway acted the role of Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway for a scene featuring a convoy of military trucks escorted by two Blackhawk helicopters - all on loan from the Illinois National Guard.
The Guard's contribution included Humvees, FMTV Troop Carriers, jeeps and two UH 60 Black Hawk helicopters, along with 100 uniformed personnel from units in California, Illinois and Georgia.
'Contagion' in Elgin
Festivities for Elgin's official premiere of “Contagion” will begin at 6:45 p.m. Friday at the Marcus Elgin Cinema, 111 S. Randall Road, Elgin. Meet many of the extras who appear in the film, partially shot in Elgin last December and June. Show time will be 7:40 p.m. Tickets are priced at $10.50 general admission, $8 for children and seniors. Go to