Stars of Fort Davis to stars of Hollywood in Oscar-winning ‘There Will Be Blood'

ALBANY There's one thing Dillon Freasier misses more than anything about living in Fort Davis - playing six-man football.

"It's just smaller," said Dillon, who just turned 12. "You didn't have a whole bunch of people on the team."

But a smaller football team is, of course, indicative of a tiny community, something Dillon also liked.

Dillon said he loves getting outside and running and riding a bicycle, something the Davis Mountains were made for.

But things haven't changed too much for Dillon since he left Fort Davis. This despite his role as the son and (sometimes) constant companion of Daniel Day-Lewis in his Academy Award-winning role of oil tycoon Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood."

"It was pretty cool," Dillon said of his role in the movie.

In the film, only Day-Lewis exceeded Dillon in terms of screen time. While his lines were few, his facial expressions spoke volumes.

PULLED OVER

The story of how Dillon landed the role of H.W. Plainview has become a bit of West Texas legend.

His mother, former Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Regenia Freasier, said some of the tale has taken on a life of its own.

But Freasier said it's true she pulled over Cassandra Kulukundis, the film's casting director. And while she admits she didn't give Kulukundis a ticket on Highway 17 outside Fort Davis, she said it had nothing to do with her status on the film.

Freasier said Kulukundis was driving 65 mph in a 55 mph zone, not 75 mph in a 25 mph, as some have said.

"I'd have given her a warning if she wasn't the casting director," she said. "I would have given anybody else the same thing."

And while she invited the casting director to her home that night, Freasier, 37, said they'd already had a meeting scheduled, and that Dillon had already auditioned for Kulukundis at Dirks-Anderson Elementary School.

But Freasier still wanted to make a good impression.

"I looked at her deal and said, ‘She's coming to my home tonight,' " she said.

Kulukundis said she was happy it was Freasier who pulled her over.

"I thought what every New Yorker in Texas might think," she said. "I might be getting arrested right now."

ONE OF THE FEW

Only a select few people in the world could play the role of H.W., Kulukundis said.

"I only work on movies that have roles that are unbelievably specific," she said. "To be 10 years old and feel like you're in the early 1900s, when most kids his age are busy with Game Boys and ADD."

The life Dillon led on a ranch, preferring outdoor activities to video games, could have helped him get the role in "There Will Be Blood," Freasier said.

Kulukundis was looking for someone who could take on grown-up responsibilities, someone who could ride horses, set up camp or even play chess. She needed someone who could give orders to the workers on the oil derrick.

"H.W. had been raised to be the oil baron's righthand man," she said. "He had to talk in a way like a 40-year-old man."

From there, it was off to "Little Boston," the fictional oil boomtown set up for the filming south of Marfa.

Christine Olejniczak, who played Mother Sunday in the movie, said Dillon acted like a pro.

"Not only did he get a big role, he did the work," she said. "It's not like they asked him to do easy things."

THE MEMORIES

The most memorable part of filming was the friendships made, Freasier said.

 "Daniel Day-Lewis and his family are awesome," she said. "Paul Thomas Anderson is the same thing."

And when Dillon had to go to California for voiceovers for the movie, Anderson, the film's director, invited the Freasiers to stay with him and his girlfriend, Maya Rudolph.

And Rudolph, a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member, also introduced the family to some current stars of the show when the Freasiers went to New York for "There Will Be Blood's" premiere.

Among those Dillon met was Amy Poehler, who later played Dillon's character in an SNL sketch called "I Drink Your Milkshake," which poked fun at a catchphrase taken from the film's climactic scene.

"It was really kind of cool," Freasier said. "It was kind of neat that he met Amy, and then she plays him in that skit."

Dillon said he hasn't seen the sketch. But he has enjoyed the whole experience.

"It was fun getting to meet people," he said.

And he looks forward to making more movies, "I guess just to meet more people," he said.

THE FUTURE?

Talking to Dillon, it's easy to understand why Kulukundis uses the word "laconic" to describe him. The word means "using or involving a minimum of words: concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious."

So far, Freasier said Dillon's only been on one audition, but he didn't like the post-apocalyptic plot of the film he read for in Austin. He canceled another audition in Brownwood because of the flu.

"He doesn't want to play it up or anything," she said. "He's more into football or getting outside and shooting hoops."

In a world of "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical," Kulukundis said Dillon could have trouble finding a niche right away.
"For his age category, there's not much out there that has the maturity that he does," she said.

"There's something about him that's more mature than the average boy his age," Kulukundis said. "It's a tough age if you want to be a character actor."

But whether Dillon goes to Hollywood or not, Kulukundis said he will be a success.

"I think Dillon can do anything he sets his mind to," she said. "I think Dillon can be the president of the United States if he wants.
"He's a wonderful young man. He's got the heart the size of Texas," she said.

LAYING LOW

Dillon largely shuns the spotlight, Freasier said. On a recent flight from Abilene, near their current home, she told another passenger about their intentions to change planes in Dallas and fly to New York for the premiere.

"Can't you just tell him we're visiting my family," she said Dillon told her.

Freasier said she moved her three children away from Fort Davis to be closer to her family. Dillon moved to Fort Davis in first grade and left in fifth grade.

"It was hard for him," Freasier said. "He had a lot of close friends."

But adjusting to being a featured actor in a major motion picture hasn't added to the adjustment, Freasier said. He doesn't even get recognized on the street.

"It's nothing new, nothing's changed," she said. "Everybody's been real good about respecting our privacy."

Well one thing has changed (don't read on if you don't want a spoiler) - Dillon has experienced being hearing impaired.
But for Dillon, playing a deaf child was a piece of cake.

"It wasn't that hard," he said. "You just couldn't be able to talk the whole time."