Fawn will become Hollywood backdrop for Highlands grad's feature film

The bright lights of Hollywood will transform some rural Fawn landscapes in July when a Highlands grad comes home to shoot a feature film.

Nikki Serafini Neurohr, 26, will return to her Steel City roots for her directorial debut of a dark comedy called “Baggage Claim.”

“It’s basically a homage to my childhood and my upbringing in the area,” said Neurohr, who was raised in Fawn and graduated from Highlands in 2013. “There’s something special about growing up in a small town where everyone was always at the sports events and the parades. I want to use that in my filmmaking. It’s all about affecting people and bringing their emotions out.”

The film follows two estranged siblings who embark on a “body identification road trip” while learning to deal with each other’s differences and imperfections, all the while processing emotional baggage from their youth.

Keen-eyed TV viewers might recognize Neurohr from her stints on TV’s hit shows “Evil Lives Here” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

She has been actively working since 2016 after studying with Pittsburgh’s Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University and then moving to the New York City area to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In addition to television productions, Neurohr has appeared in the film “Moments of Youth,” as well as in commercials and with comedy troupes.

She founded her own production company, Little Pinwheel, with the aim of creating films by women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

“When I was working on ‘Maisel,’ I saw that the lead (Rachel Brosnahan) was a beautiful powerhouse of a woman with a gregarious spirit,” Neurohr said. “I love people with that energy, and I want to convey that spirit in my film. I want people to realize that drive and passion is what matters, and you can do whatever you want.”

Neurohr wrote “Baggage Claim,” her first feature-length script, with the hopes that its combo of “comedy and harsh-painted realities will resonate with the masses.”

She produces and stars in the movie.

Film crews will arrive in the Alle- Kiski Valley on July 10 to spend a month shooting at well-known locations such as the vacant Steak ’n Shake restaurant at Pittsburgh Mills.

Scenes also will be shot at Neurohr’s alma mater and at her childhood home off Green Parrot Lane, where her father still lives.

She credits unwavering support from her family for helping her pursue her acting career.

“The fame has never really appealed to me,” Neurohr said. “People remembering me is cool, but it’s about the story. This movie gets into some intense stuff that people have to face at one point or another. This is my way of saying, ‘Let’s cut the bull and talk about it.’ ”

Neurohr said she knew from a young age that she would chase a stage career.

Even her teachers knew.

“They all noticed my dramatic drive,” she said. “A big voice in a small package; I’ve got a lot to say.”

Neurohr credited a former elementary teacher, Marianne Froehlich, for cementing the idea that she had what it took to make it big.

“I wrote a story about a penguin losing its mother, and she thought it was incredible,” Neurohr said, laughing. “That’s when I thought, ‘Yep, I’m gonna move to New York.’ ”

Neurohr spent the next several years performing in school plays and musicals, and working on her own quirky side projects.

“I’ve always stayed true to my story,” she said. “You have to accept the good, bad, the ugly, and everything in between, and just follow your dreams.”