Hilary Swank


Sam Rockwell


Tony Goldwyn


My little town of Bristol was a recent meeting place for Hollywood-type celebrities, Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Tony Goldwyn, and another non-Hollywood-type celebrity who is recognized in a different light, Betty Anne Waters.

Hilary Swank, who's career started with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in the movie The Next Karate Kid, has been seen in a number of films and is a two-time Academy Award winner for best actress in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby.

Sam Rockwell is somewhat known as a cult figure due to the number of sleeper hits and quirky films he has starred in and has appeared a number of times on theater stages. Two of his most notable roles were Frank Mercer in Matchstick Men and James Reston, Jr., in Frost Nixon.

Tony Goldwyn is an actor and director. As an actor, he is probably best known for his role as friend and villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, the young interior designer known as Dobbs on the TV series Designing Women, and as the voice of Tarzan in Disney's animated film Tarzan. His directing credits include A Walk On the Moon and a number of TV show episodes, including four for Grey's Anatomy.


Kenny and Betty Anne Waters

Betty Anne Waters is a resident of Bristol, RI, and is the sister of Kenny Waters. Betty Anne watched her brother get served a life sentence for murder and robbery in 1983, crimes she believed he didn't commit. She went on to study law and to do the necessary research and steps to prove his innocence. Working with the Innocence Project and attorney Barry C. Scheck, she challenged the conviction with DNA evidence. As a result, Kenny Waters, who had already served a little over 17 years in prison, was released as a free man in early 2001.


Aidan's Pub, Bristol

Hilary, Sam, and Tony met with Betty Anne at Aidan's Pub to get to know her better, as well as to soak up some of the local flavor and feel of the town because work on the movie, Betty Anne Waters, was scheduled to begin soon. Hilary Swank is portraying Betty Anne Waters in the film and Sam Rockwell is portraying Kenny Waters. Tony Goldwyn is directing the film. Minnie Driver and Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, will also star in the movie.

Set designers have already come and gone. They were here to photograph Aidan's Pub, Roger Williams University (where Betty Anne studied law and earned her law degree), and other areas in town so they will be accurately recreated for the filming which is set to begin this month in Ann Arbor, Michigan.