Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Extras Who Acted In Netflix Film Now Eerily Living Through Its Plot After Ohio Train Disaster

Adam Driver in "White Noise"; East Palestine, Ohio train disaster
Netflix; DUSTIN FRANZ/AFP via Getty Images

The 2022 Netflix film 'White Noise' follows a family in Ohio after a freight train crashes and explodes, spilling toxic chemicals into the air—and includes extras from East Palestine.

With each passing day, the situation at the East Palestine, Ohio, toxic chemical spill seems to go from bad to worse.

And what few details have emerged about the disaster make it seem like it was totally preventable.


In a fitting and uncomfortable twist, it now seems there's a connection between the East Palestine disaster and a satirical Netflix film about a very similar disaster.

Noah Baumbach's White Noise is a satirical disaster comedy adaptation of Don DeLillo's book of the same name, about an "airborne toxic event" that results from a train crash.

Much like East Palestine, the disaster is covered up by the company responsible and barely reported on in the media. Also like East Palestine, the disaster in White Noise takes place in and was filmed in Ohio.

And it turns out that the parallels go even deeper—some of the film's extras are residents of East Palestine and among those currently dealing with the likely deadly aftermath of the Norfolk Southern catastrophe there.


One of those extras, East Palestine resident Ben Ratner, appeared on CNN recently, and talked about the similarities between real life and the movie.

"The first half of the movie is all almost exactly what’s going on here...All of a sudden, it hit too close to home."

The situation in East Palestine is particularly harrowing given that the information residents have been given by government entities like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not at all align with what residents are witnessing in their own neighborhoods.

After an initial brief evacuation so the EPA could investigate the spill, residents were told it was safe to move back home even as the disaster's mushroom cloud from a controlled burn of the incredibly toxic vinyl chloride the train was carrying continues to hover over the town.

But residents have reported that pets and livestock have been dying en masse or struggling to breathe, and local creeks and waterways are full of dead fish.

For his part, Ratner told CNN that he and his family aren't coming anywhere near East Palestine any time soon, and they're not sure they'll stay once they do go back.

On Twitter, the similarities between East Palestine and White Noise definitely struck people as unsettling.








DeLillo's book White Noise, which he wrote in 1985, has often been heralded for seeming to have predicted several major future events, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's hoping he's wrong more often in his future works.

More from Trending

Sabre; Nancy Mace
@bottleneckloser/Instagram, Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project

Trans Influencer Speaks Out After She's Randomly Targeted By Nancy Mace Online

A trans influencer fired back at MAGA Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina for mocking her about her trans identity on social media and subsequently making her vulnerable to attacks.

Sabre, whose Instagram handle is @bottleneckloser, posted a video stating that the lawmaker "bullied" her recently for being "hot on Twitter.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

YouTube Becomes Unlikely Hero After Play Button Is Perfectly Placed Over Musk's Face

Call it kismet or divine intervention, but sometimes the fates align to inadvertently create something wonderful.

Or hilarious.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Jim Jordan
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

GOP Account Hit With Blunt Reminder After Shaming Dems For Celebrating Tesla's Downfall

Minnesota Democratic Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz joined many Americans in a bit of schadenfreude regarding White House advisor Elon Musk’s recent reversal of fortune.

Musk, the self-described leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has seen protests against his actions on behalf of Republican President Donald Trump. Part of those protests include Tesla owners getting rid of their vehicles, buyers boycotting the brand, and stockholders dumping their shares.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/GettyImages

Rachel Zegler Claims 'White Executives' Questioned Her Latina Heritage During 'West Side Story' Casting

Actor Rachel Zegler claimed that skeptical producers questioned her Latina heritage during the casting process for the 2021 West Side Story remake directed by Steven Spielberg.

In the remake of the classic 1961 film adaptation, Zegler starred opposite Ansel Elgort as the star-crossed lovers, Maria and Tony.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Hilariously Melts Down Over Awful Portrait Of Him Hanging In CO State Capitol—And People Can't Stop Trolling Him

People can't help but troll President Donald Trump after he complained about a truly awful portrait of him hanging in the Colorado State Capitol building.

On Sunday night, Trump lashed out against Colorado Governor Jared Polis for hanging what he called a "purposefully distorted" portrait of him in the Colorado State Capitol building.

Keep ReadingShow less