CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Actor Chris Owen, who played Rocket Boy Quentin Wilson in 1999’s “October Sky,” will spend the weekend in Beckley for the October Sky Rocket Boys Festival.
“Really the message of the movie, it will always be relevant and it’s always just remember to follow your dreams,” said Owen of the staying power of the film that was based on the book “Rocket Boys” from Coalwood native Homer Hickam.
Owen, 33, followed his dreams to Los Angeles.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate and I still have a hard time believing all of the experiences and things that I’ve been able to do,” he said on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
He started acting when he was ten years old. In addition to his role in “October Sky,” he is also known for playing Chuck “The Sherminator” Sherman in the “American Pie” movie series.
“I had no that “American Pie” was even going to be anything at all,” said Owen whose other film credits include “National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze,” “Gold Diggers,” and “Just Add Water.” Owen has been on television on “The Mentalist,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Without A Trace,” “Monk,” and “7th Heaven.”
For more on when to see Owen at the October Sky Rocket Boys Festival, go to http://rocketboysfestival.com/.
The festival runs from Friday to Sunday at Tamarack and the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in Raleigh County.