A 65-year-old sound mixer is in critical condition at the UPMC Mercy hospital near Mt. Lebanon, Pa. after a fall from a two story building during the filming of Mr. Rogers biopic “You Are My Friend.”
Police told local news station WPXI that the man, who is from the Pittsburgh area, was taking a smoke break on a balcony in between filming scenes when bystanders heard a noise and discovered he had fallen.
He was taken to the hospital in serious condition, but after arriving his status worsened.
Filming has halted while the police investigate.
Tom Hanks stars as Fred Rogers in the biopic, with Matthew Rhys co-starring as a journalist who became friends with Rogers. Chris Cooper will also appear in the film as Rhys’ character’s father. “Diary of a Teenage Girl” director Marielle Heller is helming the movie from a script by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The project originated from a true story developed by Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster, first appearing on the Black List in 2013.
The film is inspired by a real-life friendship between Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod (Rhys). In the story, a cynical journalist begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life transformed.
“You Are My Friend,” from Sony, is slated to release Oct. 18, 2019.