Manchester man has a part in major film release

Brett Kingsbury, with his 1960s period suit and haircut, in preparation for his role in “First Man.”

Did you see the movie, “First Man,” the story of Neil Armstrong–the first man to walk on the moon–this past weekend?

If you did, of course you saw Ryan Gosling starring as the famous astronaut, but you probably also saw Manchester native Brett Kingsbury, who had a small role as a flight controller in Mission Control during the Gemini project.

“I didn’t get a speaking role and the mission control shot was fairly quick, but it was still an amazing experience being there and watching how a movie is made,” Brett said.

And as a bonus, Brett also met two of Armstrong’s sons and a grandson, who were on the set during filming. “They were very nice people,” he added.

Brett, a 2005 Manchester graduate who is currently living in Daytona Beach and works as a pilot for Allegiant Airline, applied for a part in the film after he had seen talent recruiters looking for airline pilots to play flight controller roles in the movie. While he didn’t get a lot of exposure from the experience, he certainly said that it was “a blast” and he’s glad that he was able to participate.

“I had to send in several photos and they got back to me saying come on in,” he recalls. “So I had to fly up to Atlanta for one day just for fitting. They had you get a specific haircut for the time (1960s) and also fitted in a suit, where the pants sat at my belly button. Then I had to come back for two days of filming.

“I was unable to make it for the first day because of a blackout that cancelled my flight to Atlanta. So I was only there for the second day, which limited my screen time.”

Brett is the son of Mike and Dixie Kingsbury of Manchester.

A portion of the movie set for “First Man,” starring Ryan Gosling, which in the film is where Brett Kingsbury worked. Photo courtesy of Brett Kingsbury.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.