Actor from 'Sound of Music' to discuss role at fundrasier
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on August 24, 2014 1:50 AM
bbarclay@newsargus.com
Dan Truhitte will probably be best known for playing "Rolf" in "The Sound of Music," but it was a role he hated.
The actor will talk about how he got the part and give some behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the movie during "An Evening with Dan Truhitte" Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. at Walnut Creek Country Club. It is being sponsored by First Presbyterian Church as a fundraiser.
"We thought this would be a grand opportunity to give people some knowledge of some of our projects and let them have a really good time," said First Presbyterian missions committee member Ann Hunter.
Proceeds from the event will be divided between three local charities, the Community Soup Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity of Wayne County and Wayne Pregnancy Center, and two international charities, Elim School and Mwandi Milk Fund, African missions that the church supports.
The event comes at a good time, too, since next year will be the 50th anniversary of "The Sound of Music."
And Truhitte is now living in Concord, N.C.
"He has a story to tell, not only of the making of the movie," Ms. Hunter said. "He has a faith journey to share."
Not only will Truhitte talk about the movie, but he will sing some songs from it, including "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from the well known gazebo scene with Leisl. And he'll sing other musical selections by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Truhitte got his start at 6 years old going with his sister to her ballet class. He was offered a scholarship to dance classes and that's where he learned to dance.
He was a relatively unknown living in Los Angeles when he heard about "The Sound of Music" and had his agent call and get him an appointment to audition.
Truhitte said he didn't hear anything from the audition for a while, but his agent just happened to be at a party with a speech coach from the movie, who said they were having trouble finding a Rolf. Truhitte's agent got him a meeting with the director and executive producer.
"They liked me and gave me a script," Truhitte said. "It was the last scene where Rolf turns the family in. They were having difficulty finding someone who could sing and dance and also play that scene and make it believable."
But there was no time for a screen test, so they set up a personality test with Truhitte, where he was asked a lot of questions and had to sing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."
"Two days later, I got the part," Truhitte said. "I was probably the biggest unknown and here I got to be in 'The Sound of Music.' It turned out to be an incredible picture that has endured all these years."
He said his favorite part was the gazebo scene. But he hated playing the part of a Nazi. But doing the part so well was how he got that role in the first place.
Truhitte said one thing he remembers most was being brand new to acting, but being accepted by the rest of the cast like he had been doing it forever.
"One day I went into a room where they show what they shot the day before and the cast was all there," he said. "I sat behind Julie Andrews. After the showing, she looked at me and congratulated me for getting the part. That was an incredible feeling of belonging, and the whole cast was like that."
Truhitte ended up in Concord when he came to a point in his life where so much was going on.
"I wanted to relocate, and having toured in North Carolina, I liked how beautiful it was with the forests and oceans," he said. "And I was impressed with the homes that people had here that were so affordable. So I came here and restarted my life."
Tickets to the event are $30 for adults and $15 for children 10 and younger and includes dinner and the show. Tickets are available through Sept. 2 at First Presbyterian Church, Awards Gallery and Carr, Riggs and Ingram.
After the show, Truhitte will be available for pictures and autographs.