New England News: Scenes for Film Starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Shot in Oxford

Could little Oxford be going Hollywood? It appears that way.

Several local officials confirmed to Oxford Patch that portions of a movie starring Hollywood star and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. were filmed in Oxford. Filming began on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Gooding, 44, is said to be playing a man living in the mid-1800s who tries to free his family from slavery. He was supposed to film portions of that movie Tuesday at the site of the old Stephen B. Church mansion at 49 Great Hill Road, next to the S.B. Church Co., a water well drilling and service company, officials said.

Producers for the film, which is said to be titled Something Whispered, asked state police to help them shut down a portion of Great Hill Road for a couple of hours Tuesday. Police could not be reached to confirm if or when the road would be shut down.

About the Film

The following is a description of the movie from the blog Shadow and Act, which is also posted on the website IMBD: 

Set in 1850, the story centers on a man named Samuel (Gooding), who attempts to free his family from the brutality of institutionalized slavery, intent on escaping from the tobacco plantation they have been forced to call their home for two generations. Read more at Shadow and Act.

Local officials said they were not sure whether Gooding was actually in Oxford.

Gooding, who has 71 major film credits to his name, is known for his roles in the 1996 movie Jerry McGuire, for which he won the Oscar for his portrayal of NFL star Rod Tidwell, and for his portrayal of a teenager growing up in a poor neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles in the John Singleton film Boyz n the Hood.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Oxford Patch.