Okmulgee News Editor Catches Acting Bug

The Hollywood stars filming of "August: Osage County" are creating a lot of buzz in Green Country.

An Okmulgee newspaper editor and part-time actor is excited about all the projects shot in the Sooner State.

Most of the time, Okmulgee Daily News Editor Herman Brown is banging out stories, but over the past decade he's also nailed down dozens of acting gigs.

"I love my day job, this is my real job, my career, but there's nothing like being in a movie," Brown said.

Brown's first role came by accident when the movie "The Prizefighter"  was shot in Tulsa.

He was an extra in the crowd, but was singled out to be in the ring.

"I'm standing next to Gary Busey on one side, and Leon Spinks [is] on the other side, standing on the stage," Brown said.

That's when he got the bug. He has appeared in 34 movies so far.

Most are small-budget independent films.

"I like the independents because of the passion," Brown said.

Some are more well known, like "The Killer Inside Me," shot in Oklahoma.

He's played a wide range of roles from preachers to a mafia thug.

"Recently, I have done three different movies where I was a preacher, but ironically, before that, I was a bartender," Brown said. "I was in a movie called 'Bikini Vampire Babes' in Oklahoma City. Yeah."

He was on set for "Home Run," which was shot in Okmulgee, and he has been in movies like the "Gray Man" and "Thunderstruck."

"'Elizabethtown' with Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom," Brown said.

No matter the size of the role, he says being on set is a blast.

"There's just a raw energy to it, and I get goosebumps,"

He doesn't make much money at it, but Brown said that doesn't matter.

Reporter: "Do you kind of consider yourself a movie star?"

Brown: "Yeah, I'm the only one who does. No, I'm kidding, I do not. I feel blessed to be allowed to be allowed to play with these people."

While the news is his first love, Brown hopes to keep landing roles and experiencing the lights, camera and action.

"It's about being a dream, it's not about me being a star."