Twenty-five years ago, when Abilene, Texas, author Cole Thompson wrote his first novel, Chocolate Lizards – loosely based on some of his own experiences working in the oilfield – he, admittedly, was in his “good ol’ boy” period. Not only could he not have envisioned that a quarter of a century later the film adaptation of his book would make it to the big screen, it never would have occurred to him that one of the main characters – a roughneck named Shay Tatum – would be played by a woman.
Fortunately, Abilene screenwriter and producer Julie B. Denny, who had owned the rights to the movie for years, had other ideas. The energy and filmmaking industries are both male dominated and Denny says, “I tried to keep it as close to the novel as possible, but I shifted the events of the story around a bit and womanized the world more. It was such a male-dominated story and I wanted to find an angle that would make women interested in this material as well.”
Although most of the action centers around the two male leads, Thomas Haden Church as Merle Luskey, and Rudy Pankow as Erwin Vandeveer, there are a few critical female roles: That of roughneck and tool pusher Shay Tatum, a role landed by Texas actress AnnaClare Hicks, and café owner, Faye, played by Carrie-Anne Moss.
Accidental Texan is Hicks’ second feature film release in the past year, along with the 2023 suspense thriller Screwdriver, in which she plays a newly divorced young woman, who is psychologically terrorized by an old high school friend and his wife – quite a departure from her role as an oilfield roughneck. “I’m a chameleon by choice.”
On Becoming Shay
“What I love about this movie,” Hicks explains, referring to Accidental Texan, “is that most of the cast and crew, including Thomas, are from Texas, and so this was a role where they were specifically looking for someone from Texas; they didn’t want a Hollywood representation of a Texan.” Hicks fit the bill. Raised in Huntsville, Texas, she moved to Lubbock at the age of 12, “the time when you’re trying to discover and form your own identity, and I did most of that in West Texas.”
She included two scenes in her audition tape: Her first meeting with Erwin, the Harvard-educated young man who gets stranded in Buffalo Gap, Texas, on his way home after being fired from his first acting job, and is recruited by down and out oilman Merle Luskey to help save his drilling prospect – despite Erwin knowing absolutely nothing about the oil and gas business.
The second scene in her audition tape is what Hicks describes as “arguably, the climax scene with Thomas where he’s given up on the well and I’m there to try to give him one last pep talk slash the final nail in the coffin; it’s such a bittersweet conversation.”
There may or may not have been another actor in contention for the part, but Church ultimately chose Hicks for the role of Shay Tatum, who is his character, Merle’s, right-hand man. “I’m incredibly honored and proud that he saw something in my work,” she says, “but I’m probably even more proud of the friendship that we maintained on set and afterwards.”
Hicks recalls how, the first day on set, Church “made a beeline for me,” pointed his finger at her and said, “Shay!” Calling it “crazy” how quickly they formed a bond, she thinks that connection added to the characters’ onscreen relationship and strengthened the storyline.
Church Lore
Despite his stature in Hollywood, Church, who actually worked in the oilfield as a teenager, and now owns a working ranch in central Texas, earned the respect and admiration from the cast and crew as being down to earth and genuinely friendly. Everyone has a Thomas Haden Church story and Hicks is no different.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been on set. One day, I got a phone call from a random number and I pick it up and heard, “AnnaClare,” [she does her best impression in a deep, low drawl] in the most recognizable voice of all time, and I remember my mom’s head whipping around,” she says laughing.
Appreciative of Church’s career before they worked together – calling him an “icon” – she acknowledges that, even as an actor, she felt like she knew him from his roles, something she shares in common with other fans. However, Hicks discovered he’s “more complex and very intelligent and articulate. He had nothing but words of wisdom for me on set. He and Carrie-Anne Moss took me under their wing. It took me months after this experience to truly reflect and realize how fortunate I was to have these great actors give me their time.”
Dedicated to the Craft
Hicks, who admires actors who do their own stunts or learn a new language for a role, impressed the cast and crew alike with her commitment to portraying a roughneck and tool pusher in the oilfield – something she attributes to “insatiable curiosity” and “careful observation” – even going so far as to learn how to operate the drilling rig (a tidbit of information that made it into her IMDb entry under “trivia”). “I didn’t know going into it how much Hollywood magic would be involved and I was overjoyed on my first day when I saw the rig.”
She is appreciative of the vote of confidence shown by what she calls “real industry people,” including Jimmy Nelson, owner of Nelson Oil and Gas, who acted as a consultant for the movie; Casey Hutto, owner of Santa Rosa Well Service, who supplied the drilling rig used on set; and Hutto’s crew of roughnecks, Chris Contreras, Bill Mellor and Scott Lawson, who appear in the rig scenes and generously shared with Hicks what life is like in the oilfield, what their jobs entail, and their experiences with the small percentage of women working in the field.
“This is a real job that real people go and do every day with real hazards and you always want to be mindful and respectful of that,” Hicks says, “but it also contributes to the authenticity. For me, it’s a sign of respect from the actor to the audience.”
She also felt she had the respect of the actual roughnecks and says, “What an honor to play the kind of woman who can “hang” with the men!”
Hicks points out that the movie literally was “made on oil and gas,” from beginning to end, starting with author Cole Thompson providing the inspiration through his book, Chocolate Lizards, from which Accidental Texan was adapted, to the funding for the film,much of which came from what she describes as “the love of these oilmen. It’s such a privilege to have them sponsor the arts. Movies are sometimes a gamble, but it speaks to them being willing to gamble on their own industry and on the heart of their industry, which we were really trying to capture in the film – and I believe we did. Hopefully, they’re all very proud of us.”
The Other Side of the Camera
After filming on Accidental Texan wrapped, Hicks reconnected at the Austin Film Festival with screenwriter David Lykes Keenan, whom she had known since she was a 19 year old screenwriter “trying to figure it out,” as a filmmaking major at the University of Texas – Austin. He was working on a feature concept for a film called Tiny, Texas, about the role sports play as the heart and soul of small town Texas. Surprisingly, the sport is basketball (not football as viewers might expect), which serves as the backdrop for exploring the complexities of a father-son relationship.
Keenan ended up enlisting Hicks as his producer for the “short” proof of concept, which she explains is now common in the film industry. “If you’re a new director or writer and you’re trying to get your first work noticed, you do a scene from the larger piece to gauge interest and then, hopefully, have a showcase,” Hicks explains.
The 12-minute short they co-wrote and shot in April of 2023 is now being considered for the fall film festival circuit, and fundraising for the feature film is underway. Due to other commitments, Hicks won’t be involved with the feature, but says it was “an amazing experience” to try her hand at producing, and gave her the opportunity to reunite with Melissa Kirkendall, one of the producers of Accidental Texan, who came on as a consulting producer.
“My experience on Accidental Texan was so wonderful; I knew that was the feeling I wanted to recreate on my set. Having Melissa there helped facilitate that and I’m very proud that everyone on my set loved being there and didn’t want to leave, which was an amazing compliment as a producer, especially of a short film.”
While she is forthcoming about Tiny, Texas, Hicks is a little more mysterious about what comes next, mentioning the possibility of working with members of the cast and crew of Accidental Texan again in the future and also dropping a hint about a certain Texan making top-shelf TV, whom she absolutely would love to work with. “Hopefully, he sees this and gives me a call,” she says with a wink.
The Realization of a Dream
When asked what she meant when she told me in a previous conversation that Accidental Texan was a “defining moment” in her career, there is a rather lengthy pause, as Hicks turns away and gazes upward, seemingly gathering her thoughts – and emotions.
“I’ve been at this for what I feel like some would say is an embarrassingly long time – just to make it to this point,” she explains. “Filmmaking and acting are the well I’ve been drilling since I was 10 years old. It’s a very crowded field and it can feel like an empty wasteland when you’re just drilling the same hole for a long time,” she says with a slight tremor in her voice, “especially when everyone is passing you by or leaving the field and going, ‘You probably should have a Plan B because there’s just not any oil there.’”
“So, I feel like when you and your audience watch Accidental Texan, you’re literally watching the moment I struck oil,” Hicks says, taking a moment to pause again.
“Meeting everyone – Koen, Mark, Melissa, Thomas and Julie – was like hitting a shale play, where all of that time and energy and planning I put into this dream met with a little divine timing, and it gave me this validation, this credibility, moving forward that there’s still time for me strike oil in my own industry. And, just maybe, that time is here.”
“Does anyone know how many barrels of oil you’ll end up pulling out of God’s earth?” she asks rhetorically.
“No, but I can tell you” – slight pause – “this film has really instilled in me that it’s truly not about the results; it’s about the lessons you learn while making the effort and, most importantly,” her voice fills with emotion again, “who’s with you – the people who are right next to you helping you and drilling for the same dream.”
The Women of Accidental Texan
Actress Carrie-Anne Moss
“I first heard about the movie from my longtime manager. She told me about the story and thought I would love it. I read it and loved the humbleness and the heart of the story. My manager had some great ideas on building up Faye. These were subtle and also shifted some of the story a tiny bit. For instance, originally at the end of the film, Faye wasn’t the one to shoot the helicopter.” A slight revision like that certainly wouldn’t be an issue for the actress who cut her teeth wielding shotguns and rifles as Trinity in The Matrix series. Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Buffalo Gap café waitress Faye, shown on set with film consultant Jimmy Nelson, owner of Nelson Oil and Gas. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Nelson.
Producer Melissa Kirkendall
Melissa Kirkendall (shown in video village) is the proud producer of the award-winning, critically acclaimed feature film The Vast of Night. Other titles include ESPN’s feature documentary series “30 for 30 for What Carter Lost” and Dolph Lundgren’s 2021 feature release, Castle Falls. She is currently finishing up post on And on the 8th Day starring Phoebe Tonkin, Darren Mann and Mustafa Speaks, and House of Abraham starring Natasha Henstridge and Lin Shaye, as well as being in pre-production for two features slated to start filming later this spring/summer. You are Me & I am You, the grant supported documentary short that she directed and produced about indigenous midwife and healer, Carmen Cumba, in Ecuador, is finishing up its worldwide award-winning festival run. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Producer Julie B. Denny
One of the most important parts of re-working the script was changing the tone of the book which was much more male-dominated. “It was a lot raunchier with harder language and no females outside of Faye,” says Julie. “Even she was an amalgamation that we created by merging her with a character named Texanne who was a stripper from Dallas. And then when Carrie-Anne [Moss] came on, the character changed even more. Carrie-Anne brought a lot of herself to the role; she is the sweetest and most gentle person ever and it completely shifted the tone of what we planned to do with Faye in a great way.”
“I sat down and couldn’t type fast enough. I tried to keep it as close to the novel as possible. But I shifted the events of the story around a bit and womanized the world more. It was such a male-dominated story and I wanted to find an angle that would make women interested in this material as well.” Photo courtesy of Dallas International Film Festival.
Accidental Texan is dedicated to Michael Austin Denny.
Rebecca Ponton has been a journalist for 25+ years and is also a petroleum landman. Her book, Breaking the GAS Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry (Modern History Press), was released in May 2019. For more info, go to www.breakingthegasceiling.com.
Photo courtesy of Marc Morrison Photography. Rebecca Ponton on the set of Accidental Texan. T-shirt courtesy of Dovetail Workwear.
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
