Aaron McDermott is keeping his word on a promise he made to a frat brother years ago.
"I said, 'One day, I'm gonna help you make your first movie,'" McDermott said.
That day came, and McDermott, of Crown Point, along with his father, former Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Sr., were executive producers for the movie "Little Big Top."
People can catch the movie during its three-day run beginning tonight at The Kennedy Theatre, 6735 Kennedy Ave., Highland. The show starts at 7 p.m. today, Wednesday and Thursday.
It's a dark comedy about an out-of-work clown who returns to his hometown and ends up at the local circus, training amateur clowns in the craft.
The lead character, Seymour Smiles, is played by Sid Haig. Movie fans know Haig from mainstream films, including his demented clown-like roles as Captain Spaulding in the 2003 horror "House of 1,000 Corpses" and the 2005 follow-up, "The Devil's Rejects."
The movie, made in 2006, was filmed entirely in Peru, Ind., home to writer/director Ward Roberts and the well-known Peru Amateur Circus. Roberts worked there as a juggler, Aaron McDermott said.
McDermott, who grew up in Hammond, and Roberts met in their dorm at Indiana University, became fraternity brothers and have been friends ever since.
"I just kind of watched him evolve," McDermott said.
McDermott has a small nonspeaking role in "Little Big Top" as Man in Shades. The film also features Richard Riehle, from the movie "Office Space," and Jacob Zachar, who stars in the ABC television series "Greek."
The movie will screen in Los Angeles for a week, starting Oct. 31. But Jessica Petelle-Slagle, one of the producers, said it was important to have the movie play in Indiana as well. It is screening in Peru the week of Aug. 29.
Petelle-Slagle said it made sense to film in Peru.
"We really created an interesting character piece and used that as the backdrop," she said.
It's a story about a man who has to either pull his life together or fade away. The role is different from the slasher films Haig typically is known for, so when it screened at a horror convention, grown men left the theater crying, Petelle-Slagle said.
"It's a story about this man's journey through life," she said.
The DVD is set for release in November.
For more information, go to www.littlebigtopmovie.com.
