Fort Ligonier reenactors recall being extras in 'Last of the Mohicans'
Erica Nuckles, Fort Ligonier’s director of history and collections, will kick off the museum’s 2020 speaker series with “History and Hollywood: A Talk and Movie,” featuring “The Last of the Mohicans.”
The program will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Fort Ligonier Center for History Education.
Nuckles appeared in the 1992 movie with Daniel Day-Lewis. She was 9 at the time, playing an extra, along with her sister Brooke, then 11, and their parents, Sally and Steve Nuckles.
“I have always been proud to have been an extra in the film and am excited for the opportunity to share what I have researched about the historical context of the original 1826 novel,” Nuckles says.
“The 1992 film adaptation of ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ allows for the exploration of the 18th-century historical setting of a fictional tale, but also of the influence of history on James Fenimore Cooper, who first published the story in 1826,” Nuckles says.
The family was cast as extras through their involvement in Fort Pitt Museum’s reenactment unit, the 60th Royal American Regiment.
They traveled to Asheville, N.C., with Steve Nuckles on site the longest, helping to train other extras in the proper 18th-century drill. He also appears in several scenes, including some night battles where he received stunt pay.
His wife and daughters shot for one day, portraying followers of the British army leaving Fort William Henry following its surrender to the French.
Members of the reenactor Cherry family, who also were in the movie, will participate in the talk as well. Jason Cherry is scheduled for the Fort’s Feb. 16 speaker series. His brother, Justin Cherry, cooks in a colonial bake oven on the museum’s lawn during Fort Ligonier Days.
Cost is $12, including popcorn and beverages.
Walk-ins welcome, RSVPs appreciated by contacting Candace Gross at 724-238-9701 or emailing cgross@fortligonier.org
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