The Poster Memorabilia blog

Meeting the Maclean Family Through the Years

Two stage doors, one convention, one Hollywood carpet — a Montana family reassembled on paper.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Hollywood needs to do more dramas about close families. They used to do a lot of them back in the day, and they would reduce me to tears every single time. One that was especially heartwarming was the late Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It from 1992.

This beautiful movie about a pair of brothers in rural Montana in the early 1900s had everything. It had a stellar cast, great direction (by a movie star, no less!), gorgeous sets and costumes, and an amazing script. Everything about it was top quality, and unfortunately, that's becoming rarer nowadays. Losing Redford last year made me want to sit down and watch it all over again.

My love for that film led me to chase down its main cast to get their autographs on my movie poster. I spent years, nearly a decade, to see them in person. And mind you, this cast includes Brad Pitt, arguably the most famous male movie star of my generation. It was never gonna be easy.

I'd even say it was a miracle I managed to see four cast members and get their autographs. The first was Brenda Blethyn, Mrs. Maclean, who I met at a stage door in New York City in 2010. That year, she starred in Edna O'Brien's Haunted, and since I'm often in the city myself, I decided to see it and meet her there.

It was a very pleasant experience. The actress was surprised that someone actually stayed by the stage door to wait for her, not to mention ask her to sign a poster. She was such a lovely, humble woman, and I was honored to get her autograph first.

“I will never forget this beautiful film.”

Three years later, I got Tom Skerritt, who played Reverend Maclean, at another New York stage door. It was during his Broadway run in A Time to Kill in the fall of 2013, and I caught him on the way out after the show. Meeting him was great, and like Blethyn, he was also surprised to see me and my poster.

I then met Craig Sheffer, who portrayed Norman Maclean, at the 2016 Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey. I had a great time seeing him because he's such a nice guy. He didn't show a hint of ego despite how famous he is, and it was very easy to ask him to sign my poster.

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Finally, after years of seeing him on the red carpet but never getting the chance to meet him, I got to see Brad Pitt at the Los Angeles premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. He played the younger brother, Paul Maclean, in the movie, and he was the last Maclean family member I got an autograph from.

Before any of you ask, yes, he was also surprised that I brought a poster of A River Runs Through It with me and asked him to sign it. He did it anyway, but I can tell from his confused smile that it really shocked him. It seems most fans have forgotten about it.

The movie was never the type to be remembered, anyway, at least compared to the blockbusters that premiered around the same time. But I will never forget this beautiful film, especially now that I have the main cast's autographs.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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