Woodard Farm
Farming roots
Farmers often juggle lots of different kinds of work, but George Woodard is the only Cabot farmer who is also an award-winning movie director/writer/actor listed on the internet movie database IMDB. Before all that, George and his three siblings grew up on the farm that their grandfather bought in 1912, although his dad later sold the cows. School was not so much his thing, George admits, and his mother suggested he think about getting the dairy running again.
Farmer goes to Hollywood
The farm chugged along just fine into the early ‘80s when George got itchy feet. “I wondered what it’d be like to go try to be in movies,” he says matter-of-factly. After making sure the farm was in good hands, George “jumped in a van and took off.” The young aspiring actor landed a job as a movie extra after his very first audition. “The whole thing was a great learning experience,” he says. Then, about four years in, “the cows were calling,” so he came home.
Family history
“I think a lot of it has to do with my family’s history here,” he adds. “They were amazing people with amazing stories.” Ironically, it was in Vermont that George earned his first significant role in a major movie, “Ethan Frome,” (1993) alongside stars Liam Neeson and Patricia Arquette. When he got the call that he’d been cast, he said, “Can I call you back? I’ve got to see if I can find somebody to milk for me.” He has since continued to juggle farming with film and performance projects, although he never strays too far: “I have to come back and milk in the morning.”
Farmer-movie maven George Woodard’s 14-minute short silent film, “Bad Robbers,” was featured recently on Vermont PBS’s Made Here series.
His first feature film, “The Summer of Walter Hacks, won Best Picture at the Vermont International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Stunts by the Maverick Movie awards.
He is currently working on his second feature “The Farm Boy”. Learn more about George’s films online, and check out George Woodard’s journey on the #FarmLove blog.