"About Schmidt" script well known to Holdrege native by Amy Schweitzer / NEBRASKA COAST CONNECTION / January 17, 2003 A Holdrege native convinced his friend Alexander Payne, writer/director of "About Schmidt," to look west of Lincoln to make a movie. Todd Nelson, a director, film writer and producer living in Los Angeles who claims Holdrege and Kearney as his hometowns, said he'd often teased Payne that there was a lot more to Nebraska than the populated eastern edge. "He didn't really have any knowledge of Nebraska past Lincoln," he said. Payne, a native of Omaha, set his two best-known films, "Election" and "Citizen Ruth," in Omaha. With "About Schmidt," he had a screenplay that allowed him to use the rest of the state. Pioneer Village was originally supposed to be where the movie concluded, but Nelson said he told Payne about this new place that just opened in Kearney - the Great Platte River Road Archway. "Once he saw the archway, he wanted to shoot there," Nelson said. Payne wanted to include Pioneer Village, which he remembered from a school field trip, in the movie and even shot a scene there showing Nicholson's character coming up to the door and finding it closed for repairs. Later, the scene was cut from the movie because it didn't add anything to the film, Nelson said. Nelson met Payne in 1994 when Payne moved into a Los Angeles apartment building Nelson manages. "As he is filling out an application, I see that he wrote film writer as an occupation," Nelson said. "Because I am a film writer too, we talk about that for a while. Then he put down that he was from Omaha. The coincidence was amazing." When they met, Payne had yet to make his first film. He had the script to "Citizen Ruth" under his arm when he moved in. Payne lived at Nelson's building for almost six years and completed most of the scripts for two more movies, including "About Schmidt." Payne moved back to Omaha for the filming of "About Schmidt." Jim Taylor, co-writer for "Election," "Citizen Ruth" and "About Schmidt," also lived in that building. "It was like the whole movie was created under my roof," Nelson said. Nelson said he has seen the Jack Nicholson movie five times, including the test screening in November 2001 and at the Cannes Film Festival in France. "I gotta tell you, the thrill of sitting two rows behind Jack Nicholson at Cannes and seeing your hometown flash on the screen - it was quite a trip," Nelson said. Payne used Holdrege as Schmidt's hometown, and although the scenes including the actor were shot elsewhere, the "Welcome to Holdrege" sign is seen in the movie. In all the times he has seen the movie and heard it discussed, Nelson said he has never heard a negative thing about it. "I think it shows off a very sweet side of Nebraska and Nebraskans," he said. "I think it portrays the average Nebraskan that I remember. "I'm so glad this type of movie is getting a lot of attention. It's not a violent film or a stupid comedy. It appeals to a higher sense of humor." Nelson said there were some subtle changes to the movie since the test screening "mostly small things, short scenes cut and some moved to a different order." In 1993, Nelson started a network of people in the movie business from Nebraska or connected to the state in some way. The Nebraska Coast Connection started with about 30 friends and has grown to more than 2,000 people who meet socially and to network for new parts. Nelson said Payne has always been very supportive of Nelson's films including the documentary "Surviving Friendly Fire" that Nelson filmed about an acting program for street kids in Hollywood. Nelson, whose parents now live in rural Shelton, said he tries to come home as often as he can. "I try to come home a couple time a year and always for Christmas," he said. He came back to Nebraska for the two premieres in Omaha and Lincoln and when he came home for Christmas, his entire family drove to Omaha to see "About Schmidt." Nelson, a 1980 Holdrege High School graduate, was born in Kearney and grew up in Holdrege. His father, Bill Nelson, was the vice president of a bank in Holdrege. For the last four years, Nelson has been a freelance producer for CBS and Fox Television, and before that for five years was a special projects executive at Walt Disney Studios.