Brookhaven native Randy Redd can be seen on the big screen in the movie “Beautiful Creatures,” a unique love story with dark secrets.

“It (screenplay) was written by a good friend of mine, and he recommended me for another role in the movie,” said Redd.

Redd auditioned and got what he said was a “better part” than his friend had described to him initially.

“I play a new preacher in this small town in South Carolina,” he said.

The preacher tries to keep peace in the town and at the end, delivers a grand sermon that Redd said addresses the main theme of the movie.

The film was shot in Covington, La. Redd had to get up at 4 a.m. every morning, as cast members were staying in New Orleans. The production was delayed because of all the winter rain here in the South. Every time it rained, equipment had to be moved.

“It was a lot of waiting,” said Redd.

The final day of shooting was Redd’s big scene, the sermon. It was filmed in an old church and the entire cast was there, including Academy Award winner Emma Thompson.

“She was a very sweet, real person and very supportive. She immediately put everybody at ease,” Redd said of Thompson.

Redd said he and Thompson talked about his role as Jerry Lee Lewis on Broadway. On the day Redd was to deliver the sermon in the movie, Thompson surprised him by announcing that he would be playing the piano in the church for the cast.

“It was so fun,” said Redd.

The day was not all fun. Redd said they waited for everything to get set up from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

“It was a whole day of me pacing around, saying the sermon over and over.”

The day before, the director had asked Redd to come up with a different way to start the speech, because he didn’t like the way it was written. However, Redd was prepared.

“I had grown up in church,” he said.

He remembered things that preachers would say and incorporated that into the opening.

Redd said the role was personal for him, because of the southern history enlaced in it.

A 1982 graduate of Brookhaven High School, Redd has performed in five Broadway shows and has taught musical theater and other classes for 10 years at New York University.

He recently stopped teaching to focus more on his writing. He is the son of Mary Lu Redd and Gordon Redd of Brookhaven.

“I hope everybody will go see (Beautiful Creatures) or at least rent it,” he said. “It’s so different. They’ve created a whole new world.”