Community Corner

St. Michael's Winters Enjoys a Blizzard with Charlize Theron

The "Young Adult" film star and Academy Award-winning actress was shooting on location in St. Michael last summer when Janel Winters and her daughter, Tori, had a craving.

It seemed simple enough.

Driving through St. Michael, Janel Winters and her daughter, Tori, had a craving for some ice cream.

It was a summer day, winding down, and it seemed like the right time.

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"When we got to Dairy Queen, it was packed with people, but we didn't see a lot of cars. There were squad cars from Wright County, so we knew something was going on. We decided to check it out anyway," Janel said.

As it turned out, part of the cast and crew from the new motion picture "Young Adult" was on location, shooting a scene at theas the sun was going down. Winters said she saw Charlize Theron in the store and knew something was up.

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I wasn't sure, but thought it really looked like her," Janel said.

The movie, written by Minnesota native Diablo Cody, focuses on Mavis (Theron), who comes back to her small Minnesota town after a failed marriage. She's looking to win back her high school sweetheart, who is now married and has a young child.

Winters said Theron was on a break and shooting had stopped while they came in for their frozen treat. She said the star came out later and talked with the workers and people inside the store. Some were extras, others were regular customers.

Theron posed for a photo with Tori.

"She was so nice," Janel said. "You could tell she was in a hurry. But it was great."

The film, directed by Cody's partner with the film "Juno," Jason Reitman, was shot in several Minnesota locations. The St. Michael shot shows up about midway through the film.

"I was pretty suprised to see that," said Tom Dawson, a resident and director of the St. Michael-Albertville United Soccer Club, who saw the movie. "Pretty cool to have our small town in a big movie like that.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from St. Michael