From left, actors Alan Ruck, Richard Kind, David Costabile and Heléne York have joined the cast of the feature film "Hershey," now filming in western Pennsylvania. The film is about Milton and Catherine "Kitty" Hershey and the development of a chocolate empire.
Ava Gannon
Ava Gannon
From left, actors Alan Ruck, Richard Kind, David Costabile and Heléne York have joined the cast of the feature film "Hershey," now filming in western Pennsylvania. The film is about Milton and Catherine "Kitty" Hershey and the development of a chocolate empire.
Actors who have had featured roles in TV series including “Only Murders in the Building,” “Breaking Bad” and “Succession” — not to mention the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” — have joined the cast of the biopic “Hershey.”
The movie, which stars stars Finn Wittrock (“American Horror Story”) as Milton Hershey and Alexandra Daddario (“White Lotus”) as his wife, Catherine “Kitty” Hershey, began filming in earlier this month in western Pennsylvania. It tells the story of how Milton Hershey started his chocolate company, and how the couple founded the Hershey Industrial School — a precursor of today’s Milton Hershey School.
Some new cast members portray Lancaster County natives who were important in Milton Hershey’s life.
Cast additions announced in a news release from the film’s producer, Dandelion Media, and the five “Hershey entities” (The Hershey Company, Milton Hershey School, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, The M.S. Hershey Foundation and Hershey Trust Company) include:
— Alan Ruck, who many know as Cameron in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and Connor Roy in HBO’s “Succession.” He portrays Milton’s father, Henry Hershey, “whose lofty ambitions, but tragic abandonment of his family set the stage for Milton’s journey,” according to the news release.
— Richard Kind, whose long acting resume includes roles as Vince Fish in “Only Murders in the Building,” Cousin Andy on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Phil Lassiter on “Spin City.” He plays Lancaster confectioner Joseph Royer, who taught his apprentice, a teenaged Hershey, how to make candy in the 1870s.
— David Costabile, known best as Mike “Wags” Wagner in “Billions” and chemist Gale Boetticher in “Breaking Bad.” He plays a fictional character in the film: a rival candy maker named Tobias Thornhill.
— Heléne Yorke, Amy Breslin on “The Good Fight” and Brooke Dubek” in “The Other Two.” She portryas Kitty Hershey’s best friend Margaret.
Wittrock also appeared in the series “American Crime Story” and “Ratched,” and Daddario was also in the series “True Detective” and the film “San Andreas
Other cast additions include Michael Moreland Milligan of “Chicago Fire” as Milton’s longtime friend and business partner, Lancaster County native Harry “Lebbie” Lebkicher; and Francesca Faridany of “Manifest,” who plays Milton’s Pequea-born mother, Fanny Snavely Hershey.
Daniel David Stewart (“Catch-22”) plays William Murrie, The Hershey Company’s early general manager, and Dina Spybey-Waters (“Just Like Heaven”) is Aunt Mattie Snavely, a guiding figure for young Milton.
According to an advertisement for background actors in the Pittsburgh area, filming is set to run until June 27.
WTAE in Pittsburgh recently reported that horses, buggies, wagons and costumed extras were spotted in the Bedford Square area on Pittsburgh’s South Side.
Pittsburgh Magazine said the town of Harmony, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh in Butler County, was “given a Hollywood makeover” that “took it back a century in time.” Mulch turned streets into dirt roads, and storefronts were turned into a general store, a printing shop and a coffee and tea shop, the magazine reported.
The film is set to premiere in 2026, to coincide with America’s 250th birthday, according to the news release.
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