YORK COUNTY — Robert Shepherd never gave up on his dream of becoming an actor, even as life took him down multiple paths. The Hampton Roads resident will now star in a locally produced film, “That Summer the Wolf Came.”
“The Summer the Wolf Came” stars Shepherd as 70-year-old George Tate. Tate was brought up in the school of hard knocks and after his young wife passes away, is left with a son to raise. Tate, who doesn’t possess a good moral compass, does anything he can think of to put bread on the table. After accidentally becoming entangled in a con scheme-turned-murder, Tate and his son must figure out how to survive. The wolf in the film serves as a symbolic representation of what happens when bad times or bad things happen to people.
The film was shot around Hampton Roads at locations in Phoebus, Hampton and York County. The film was written by a former Hampton City School Counselor, James Sanzo and has a cast and crew made up of mostly area residents.
This is Sanzo and Shepherd’s fourth film together.
“The films kind of serve as a travel log for Hampton Roads, because you see the various characters going about it in various businesses, parks, activities, and restaurants, and familiar landmarks that you would see in the area. They are a good demonstration for how filmmaking can be done here in our area, because you can truly find anything you need in a fairly close distance,” Shepherd said.
Shepherd said he embraced his role as Tate and fell in love with the character.
“George allowed me to go places that I have never been personally, and to be able to have that part of playing him, I think it was a really nice stretch for me. I read the script and I thought it was good, but when I started actually filming and doing the role, I really fell in love with this George guy that I got the opportunity to play,” Shepherd said.
While Shepherd and Sanzo have worked together on projects before, this particular film was a favorite for them both.
Shepherd says that the film’s end leaves a lot to the audience’s mind. However, a common thread is empathy.
“When you can treat people well, regardless of their station in life, it can truly make a difference and change a life,” Shepherd said.
A premiere event is scheduled for Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at the American Theater in Hampton. Tickets for the premiere are $10 and are available at various locations, including the American Theater, the Hampton Coliseum box office, and Ticketmaster. After the film screening, the actors, writers and director will greet attendees in the lobby to answer questions and take photos.
To learn more about the film, visit IMDB.com.
