Former Gov. Corbett has small role as reporter in 'Banshee'

In the make-believe TV series city of Banshee, Pa., an ex-con hides his identity by masquerading as a sheriff.

Many Western Pennsylvanians will recognize Banshee as Vandergrift, a Westmoreland County borough nestled along the Kiski River. On a blisteringly hot day in August, the mayor of Banshee was tailed out of city hall by a reporter — played by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Corbett, a Republican, who was in office from 2011-15. “When they asked me if I wanted a small, non-talking role, I thought ‘Yeah, I'd do that.' ”

Corbett spent about six hours with other Pennsylvanians working as extras during the filming of “Banshee,” which wrapped up its fourth and final season of shooting in Vandergrift last year. The drama series, aired on Cinemax, began in 2013 and filmed its first three seasons in the South before relocating to Western Pennsylvania through the work of the Pittsburgh Film Office. The season debuts at 10 p.m. Friday.

Corbett's scene took place at a protest in front of Banshee City Hall. As the mayor was exiting the building, Corbett, with a microphone in hand, trails after him — much like reporters waiting outside his office who used to follow him from the Capitol.

“There was a great level of irony there,” he said of his role.

Corbett, of Shaler, now teaches public policy at Duquesne University. Yet he stays publicly mum about politics and his successor, Gov. Tom Wolf. But Corbett reflects fondly upon his time in office — mostly about the people in his administration, the activists for the disabled community he got to know, and the citizens he met.

As governor, Corbett spoke favorably of the Pennsylvania Film Office, which has offices throughout the state and is in charge of managing the film tax credit that goes to productions that film in the state. This year, the state has $60 million worth of incentives to offer productions, which employ locals to work on their sets.

Their work, Corbett said, shows off the state's landscapes and promotes job creation.

“With our architecture, we can be anywhere. Colonial times to present day times, depending on what they're looking for,” he said. “I would like to see the industry stay here. We've had a number of studios built. I think we're competitive with anywhere in the country.”

Asking Corbett to participate in filming was a sign of good will for his support, said Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer.

“It was exciting for us to have ‘Banshee' in town,” Keezer said. “We were thrilled to have (Cinemax parent company) HBO in Pittsburgh, and we hope they will come again.”

For Corbett, the day of filming take after take in Vandergrift was a fun exercise but not the start of a new career. He also appears to have little interest in re-entering the political realm, with two new grandchildren to love and spoil since leaving office on top of his teaching career.

“I look back on my time as attorney general, as governor,” he said. “I feel so blessed to have been serving the people of Pennsylvania.”

Melissa Daniels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8511 or mdaniels@tribweb.com.