DEAN'S SCENES: When Dean Denton recorded an audition for a Netflix film role last year in his Greenbrier garage, he didn't think or know much about it.
"We didn't know who was in it," says Denton, who has been acting on and off since the 1980s. "We didn't hear anything for a couple weeks; actually I kind of forgot about it." Until his Little Rock-based agent, Yancey Prosser of The Agency Inc., called him to say, "'Hey, you booked that Netflix film!'"
The film? The Highwaymen.
Denton says he got to Googling and found an article suggesting two big Hollywood stars might be involved in the project: "'Oh my gosh! ... Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson may be in this thing!'"
According to Netflix, The Highwaymen, which premieres March 29, stars Costner and Harrelson as "two steely former Texas Rangers ... tasked with tracking and killing infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde in this crime drama based on real events."
Denton, a 56-year-old alum of Conway High School and the University of Arkansas, says he plays the role of Bob Alcorn, who assists the former Rangers: "The Highwaymen has been one of the biggest things I've done so far. It's a pretty strong supporting role that I have in that. ... I worked for almost five weeks last March and April, and it was incredible."
Denton, who hasn't seen the film yet, says, "I don't have a ton of dialogue. And I'm hoping they don't cut what little I do have out of it. But what I do have, I think it's going to be pretty good. We'll see."
We'll also see Denton in Brian Banks. Denton plays a college coach in the film about an All-American high school football player falsely accused of rape. The film, starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear, is scheduled for an Aug. 9 release.
He's not the only actor in the family. His 25-year-old nephew Hart Denton plays Chic Cooper on the CW's Riverdale, a popular teen drama series based on Archie Comics characters.
Denton says, "The big difference between Hart and I is that Hart has over 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
"I have, like, 800."
ON TO SEAN: As I announced in last Tuesday's paper, I'm leaving the Democrat-Gazette to edit and write for Arkansas Living, the monthly magazine of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.
I'm thrilled to be passing the Paper Trails torch to a longtime friend and colleague, Sean Clancy. So share your tales with him at sclancy@arkansasonline.com.
In closing, happy Trails!
SundayMonday on 03/17/2019