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A Stafford County father and son step back 400 years to portray their ancestors in the New Line Cinema epic being filmed near Williamsburg Date published: 9/12/2004 By MARTY MORRISON Hours are long. Pay is minimal. But Robert and Jason Green wouldn't trade the experience for anything. The father and son are extras in New Line Cinema's "The New World" being filmed at the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area near Williamsburg. Sure, they're a bit overwhelmed at taking cues from critically acclaimed director Terrence Malick and working with Irish heartthrob Colin Farrell. Yet they're more excited at the chance to step back 400 years into the moccasins of their forefathers. "It's been amazing, not just meeting these people who are famous, but to actually lose yourself in the fact that you're in this village that you could have actually lived in," said Jason, sitting on the couch of his townhouse in southern Stafford. He wore a navy baseball cap that hid his head, shaved into a Mohawk for the movie. The two are descendants of the Patawomeck Indians who lived along the Potomac River in Stafford County 400 years ago. The tribe was part of the Powhatan nation that clashed with Capt. John Smith and the first Virginia settlement at Jamestown in 1607. Robert is the 21st-century chief of the Patawomeck tribe, which boasts 475 members. He revived the tribe about a decade ago to preserve the rich American Indian lineage. His Indian name is Two Eagle. Jason is Brave Eagle. Even so, their modern life marks a stark contrast to the one they portray. Jason, 26, is a computer programmer with Northrop Grumman at Dahlgren. He and his wife, Tanya, live off Deacon Road in southern Stafford. Robert lives in the Clearview Heights area with his wife, Cathie. He's a corporate trainer for St. Paul Traveler's Insurance Co. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Robert, 56, who grew up in the White Oak area. "How many chances do you get to portray your ancestors in a major motion picture? It's been a real eye-opener." Both are impressed with the depth of research done for the production. "You don't see things that couldn't have possibly happened," Robert said. "You don't see chokers and breastplates like in Western cowboy movies. It's all very simple."
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