A Hudson Valley man is appearing in a highly anticipated film that features some of the greatest actors of all time.

Rhinebeck native Sam Kogon, 28, was handpicked by director Martin Scorsese to play a role in “The Irishman." The 2009 Rhinebeck High School graduate plays a mandolin player in Jerry Vale’s band in the movie that is generating Oscar buzz.

"The Irishman" is based on the book, "I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa," by Charles Brandt. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in the film. Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano, Steven Van Zandt, Jesse Plemons and Bobby Cannavale also play key roles in the movie.

The film is centered around a mob hitman, played by De Niro, who confesses to killing Jimmy Hoffa, played by Pacino.

Kogon was supposed to play Buddy Holly on the HBO series Vinyl, but those plans fell through. His head shot came up from his casting agency and Scorsese hired the Rhinebeck man without an audition.

Kogon spent over a week taping what's described as a very important scene at The Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem. The scene features Pacino, DeNiro, Pesci, Paquin, Keitel and Romano. Kogon even shared a green room with many of the big-name actors.

“Ray Romano was the funniest and most normal guy of the group, He was wearing a fat suit and spent downtime playing Apples to Apples and Words With Friends with the cast," Kogon said in a press release.

Kogon is a professional musician. He's recorded and performed with the likes of Beach Boy Al Jardine, Paul Schaffer, Blondie Chaplin and Pete Seeger. He said
being on the set of the Irishman was “the coolest week of my life.”

Alyssa Kogon
Alyssa Kogon
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The highly anticipated movie filmed all over the Hudson Valley.

In October 2017, De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and Martin Scorsese were spotted filming scenes at Weir's Ice Cream in Salisbury Mills.

IMDB confirmed the movie filmed at Weir’s. According to IDMB, a lot of the movie was filmed in the Hudson Valley. Other local filming locations include Orange Top Dinner in Tuxedo, Ralph’s Motor Repairs in Washingtonville, undisclosed location in Washingtonville, near Worthington Road and Saw Mill River Road in White Plains, Callahan-Nannini Shale in Blooming Grove and Lafayette Avenue in Suffern.

The trailer can be seen below. Can you spot any of the Hudson Valley locations?

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