My Sister S Keeper

My sister’s keeper

Sara and Brian Fitzgerald’s life with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has leukemia. The parents’ only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate’s life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna. Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) and Anna (Abigail Breslin) share a bond closer than most sisters: though Kate is older, she relies on her little sister - in fact, her life depends on Anna. Throughout their young lives, the sisters endure various medical procedures and hospital stays - just another part of their close-knit family’s otherwise normal life. Sara (Cameron Diaz), a loving wife and mother who left her career as an attorney to care for her daughter, is sometimes lost inside the single-minded caregiver she has become in her efforts to save Kate. Her strong, supportive husband, Brian (Jason Patric), is often rendered powerless and passive by his wife’s strength and determination. And their only son, Jesse (Evan Ellingson), drifts, at times all but forgotten as Kate and Anna take center stage. Until Anna, now 11, says no. Seeking medical emancipation, she hires her own lawyer (Alec Baldwin), initiating a court case that divides the family... and that could leave Kate’s rapidly failing body in the hands of fate. Based on the bestselling book from Jodi Picoult, “My Sister’s Keeper” reveals surprising truths that challenge one’s perceptions of family love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing. Directed by Nick Cassavetes (“The Notebook”), “My Sister’s Keeper” stars Cameron Diaz (“What Happens in Vegas”), Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin (“The Cooler,” TV’s “30 Rock”), Jason Patric (“In the Valley of Elah”), Sofia Vassilieva (TV’s “Medium”) and two-time Academy Award nominee Joan Cusack (“In & Out”, “Working Girl”). The screenplay is by Jeremy Leven (“The Notebook”) and Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel by Jodi Picoult. The film is produced by Mark Johnson (“The Chronicles of Narnia” films), Chuck Pacheco (“Alpha Dog”) and Scott L Goldman (Lifetime’s “The Tenth Circle”). Diana Pokorny, Stephen Furst, Mendel Tropper, Toby Emmerich, Merideth Finn and Mark Kaufman are the executive producers, with Hillary Sherman and Steven Posen co-producing. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes multiple Academy Award nominee director of photography Caleb Deschanel (“The Passion of the Christ,” “National Treasure”), production designer Jon Hutman (“The Holiday”), Academy Award-winning editor Alan Heim (“All That Jazz,” “Alpha Dog”), editor Jim Flynn, and costume designer Shay Cunliffe (“He’s Just Not That Into You”). The music is composed by Aaron Zigman (“Sex and the City”). New Line Cinema Presents, A Mark Johnson/Curmudgeon/Scott L Goldman Production, A Nick Cassavetes Film, “My Sister’s Keeper.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. and releases in Australian cinemas on July 30th 2009. www.mysisterskeepermovie.com.au

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

“When I was a kid, my mother told me that I was a little piece of blue sky that came in to this world because she and Dad loved me so much. It was only later when I realized that it wasn’t exactly true.” - Anna

When Sara Fitzgerald gave birth to Kate, she and her husband Brian rejoiced over their new baby girl. But joy turned into fear when their beloved child was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Kate’s health became the fulcrum of the family, which grew with the birth of her sister Anna. But Anna wasn’t just another welcome addition. She was a necessity, conceived as a perfect genetic match, specifically designed to save Kate’s life. Cameron Diaz, who stars as Sara, relates, “When I first read the script, it was just one of those stories that haunted me. I connected with Sara, but I didn’t always agree with her, and that interested me.” Eleven years into this routine - endless medical procedures, complications and hospital stays - Kate’s kidneys are failing. She needs a new one, so, as they have for all of her young life, her parents look to Anna. But Anna, all of 11 years old, says, for the first time, “What about me?” And, for the first time, she refuses to give up a part of herself for her sister Kate. Instead, she decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. Anna’s decision will have profound and dire consequences. “Anna knows that her parents are going to be mad at her, that everyone is going to think she’s selfish and mean,” says young actress Abigail Breslin, who plays Anna. “But there is more to her decision; she has her reasons.” “My Sister’s Keeper” is based on Jodi Picoult’s provocative novel of the same name. By the time it attracted the attention of filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, it was already the author’s best-selling work and a beloved topic of discussion and debate in book clubs worldwide. In films as disparate as “John Q,” “Alpha Dog” and “The Notebook,” Cassavetes has investigated the nuances of the human condition, the nature of love and free will and human dignity - all themes that resonate in Picoult’s book.

2 “When I read the novel, I was very moved,” says Cassavetes. “I started thinking about the movie as a simple story about how a family could deal with facing the death of a child, and I thought, ‘This is a story I’d like to tell.’” Producer Mark Johnson adds that, in addition to the book’s compelling themes and characters, the structure lent itself well to film. “At its core, the book is about family and that really speaks to so many readers. Jodi taps into issues and situations to which we all connect and makes us wonder how we might react. What she also does very cleverly in the book - and hopefully we do in the film - is tell the story through multiple narrators, so you get the sense of the entire family speaking. It’s incredibly rich material for a filmmaker - an intimate family drama with huge implications, which is something that Nick really gravitates toward and understands,” Johnson notes. Although several of Picoult’s books have been adapted for television, “My Sister’s Keeper” marks the first time her work will be brought to the big screen. “I’ve always believed that this story could work on screen, but I was especially excited when I learned it would be a feature film,” the author reveals. “Then to have the cast and the director they assembled, that is truly remarkable.” To adapt the work from book to screenplay, the filmmakers knew it was important to find a screenwriter who appreciated and respected the novel’s themes and gradations, in addition to character and plot. “My Sister’s Keeper” reunites writer/director Cassavetes with screenwriter Jeremy Leven, with whom he previously collaborated with great success on “The Notebook.” Leven, who, apart from his filmmaking career, has a background in child psychology, neuroscience and psychopharmacology, offers, “I suppose that my medical training gave me some added understanding. I really felt it was important to be sensitive to what this family was dealing with,” Leven attests, “and how a mother’s entire life can be defined by her investment in saving the life of her child, sometimes at the expense of others in the family. But, simply being a parent to five children myself and experiencing how a parent is so involved in the well-being of his or her children, gave me more insight than anything else.” Johnson, who also produced “The Notebook,” believes that the Cassavetes/Leven combination was right for this project because “Jeremy has the ability to tell a very sensitive story but is also able to rein it in and, in so doing, make it more real. Nick directs the same way.” The producer also admires Cassavetes’ way of working with actors. “I think the audience believes in the story, the characters and the situations because Nick has a way of making it feel real, that it is something that could happen. He takes a story that could potentially be overly sentimental, but doesn’t allow that to happen because he peoples it with very real and true performances,” Johnson says.

“Just so you know, I’m not going to let her die. I’m not.” - Sara

In the pivotal role of the family matriarch, Cameron Diaz was the first actor

3 cast. The part of the single-minded mother of a sick child intrigued her because her first reaction to Sara Fitzgerald was profound. “I wanted to understand her, who she was, how she became that way and why she makes the decisions she does,” she says. “That exploration was very compelling to me and I thought it would be challenging to try to tell her story.” “For me, this movie is serious on so many levels,” notes Cassavetes, “and there are a finite number of actresses that you think of for this type of role. Each of them has an impressive body of work. But I really didn’t want to cast an actress who had done something similar for this film.” Perhaps better-known for her comedic roles, it was Diaz’s dramatic performances that appealed to Johnson. “I’ve been a fan of Cameron for a long time and, frankly, her dramatic roles are among my favorites. I think what she did in ‘In Her Shoes’ was remarkable; she was astonishing in ‘Being John Malkovich,’ in ‘Vanilla Sky’...the list goes on. Cameron was our first choice for Sara, and I remember when we first found out she was interested, Nick and I looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe how lucky we are?’” Johnson remarks. “Cameron’s great in whatever she does,” offers Cassavetes, “and I’m so proud of her work in this film. She had to dare to be unsympathetic, because the character of Sara has tunnel vision; everyone around her seems to have some perspective, and she’s just ‘Save her, save her, save her, save her.’” In the process of inhabiting Sara Fitzgerald and portraying her staunch devotion to her sick child, Diaz learned not to evaluate her. The character is not easily delineated as “good” or “bad,” but rather navigates a murky moral area; Diaz instead tried to empathize with her and to understand the terrible situation that led to her actions. In preparing for the role, Diaz says, “I talked to parents who had sick kids and to their children, to try to understand what it would be like to be in this position. The truth is you can’t know what you’d do unless you’re in her situation; until you have a deathly ill child, there is no way to say to what lengths you would go to save that child. And I thought that was very interesting to examine, because we love to judge people, don’t we? But, with Sara, I found that impossible to do,” Diaz remarks. Kate, Sara’s daughter who is afflicted with leukemia, is played by Sofia Vassilieva. While her character lives with the specter of death throughout the film, the teenaged actress says it was the universal bonds of family presented in the script that attracted her to the part. “ The beautiful, intricate relationship this family develops and the connections they form appealed to me,” says Vassilieva. “Although not all families go through something as drastic as the Fitzgeralds do, the story of how one person can affect the entire family unit struck me as very real, touching and beautiful.” She was particularly drawn to Kate’s spirit and her love of life. “Because

4 Kate is so close to death, she appreciates everything - every smell, every bird, every breath is precious to her - all the things we take for granted. There is a sort of purity to her that grabbed me; she is one of the most incredible characters I have come across so far,” Vassilieva says. Kate’s counterpart and lifeline, Anna, is the catalyst for the sudden change in course the family goes through. “ I really believed that the lynchpin of the film had to be Anna, that the honesty of her emotions were what was going to anchor the film,” says author Jodi Picoult. Already an Oscar-nominated actress, Abigail Breslin, who turned 12 during production, committed entirely to Anna, whose lawsuit against her parents is waged out of an abiding love for her sister and family. “I remember reading the script for the first time and saying to my mom, ‘I have to be this girl.’ I just loved it. I loved all the characters, I loved the family - it was something I had to do,” Breslin says. Breslin initially worried that the mood on set might be sad and intense, but says this was not the case. “When I found out I got the role, I thought, there are parts of this that are so sad, everyone is going to be very serious about it all. But everyone was very nice and it was so much fun. Some of the scenes were sad but the set was not,” Breslin recalls. She attributes this atmosphere to her director, who kept the mood light, the pace quick, and offered a supportive but firm approach. “Nick was always really fun and I felt like he was always there for me. You can talk to him about anything. And he’ll always listen to what you have to say about the movie or your role, or really anything that you want to talk about. He will always let you try out your ideas. He’s just really cool,” Breslin says. Eschewing elaborate rehearsals, Cassavetes opted for a more spontaneous approach, and created a safe emotional environment for his actors. In particular, he never talked down to his younger cast members, always treating them with respect as fellow artists. “You find yourself talking with ‘babies’ about the most personal and deep things, major questions in life, and that they are able to understand better than you,” the director marvels. “As a person that’s older than they are, you feel you must be the teacher; but in many ways they are the teachers. Whether it’s a testament to their talent, or to their great insight as human beings to be able to feel and understand these kinds of things, I don’t know. But I really got lucky.” Picoult was particularly excited about the seasoned Breslin taking on the role of Anna. “Anna is the one who's the heart, and I honestly cannot think of another actress Abby’s age that I would've trusted as much with that role.” The author remembers a set visit she made during the filming of a particularly emotional moment for the character. “I watched her film a scene where Anna is crying at Kate's bedside when Kate's very, very sick. And I

5 watched them do this scene...I don't know...eight or 10 times in a row. And after Nick would yell ‘Cut,’ Abby would start laughing about something. And then she would do the scene again beautifully. And I just thought, ‘This little girl is incredible.’” While Anna’s mother is fixated on saving her sister, Anna’s unprecedented refusal to help forces her father to start looking at things from a different perspective. Jason Patric takes on the role of Brian, Sara’s loving but increasingly frustrated husband. “ Pairing Jason with Cameron felt like one of those exciting situations where one and one make more than two, one of those combinations where you say, ‘I wonder what that will bring forth,’” states Johnson. “ Brian is really the one who is torn,” observes Patric. “He and his wife have sort of a Solomon-type problem, choosing between the needs of the two girls, but he is more conflicted. His wife is dead-set on her course, but he thinks more about balancing the needs of both children.” Johnson notes, “I have made several movies with Jason and he is a strong dramatic actor who really immerses himself in his roles. Nick had been a big fan of his, too. Jason really wanted to know who Brian was, so we spent several days in an intensive dialectic trying to mine his place as a father, a husband and a man enmeshed in this big drama.” Completing the family are Heather Wahlquist as Sara’s sister and confidante, Aunt Kelly, and Evan Ellingson as Jesse, Sara and Brian’s teenage son who finds himself somewhat lost in the family shuffle. The young actor, Diaz points out, really blossomed as Jesse, and the part became more and more pivotal over the course of shooting. “ It was amazing to watch. He and Nick kept adding more to the role because Jesse was clearly so big a part of the Fitzgerald puzzle. Evan is a lovely soul and it was wonderful to watch this happen,” she says.

“When Anna Fitzgerald first stepped into my office, I thought she was selling Girl Scout cookies.” - Campbell Alexander

Coming to Anna’s legal aid is Campbell Alexander, the charismatic lawyer who takes Anna’s case. Alec Baldwin stars in the role, and though much of his screen time takes place during the highly charged courtroom scenes, in between takes he often regaled his director and castmates with jokes and stories. Ironically, one of the movie’s main draws for Baldwin was that it was not a comedy. “Well, I’m doing a TV show that is a comedy, so the chance to do a tough, emotional drama was very attractive.” Baldwin describes his character as “a larger-than-life attorney with billboards all over town, who has a very self- promoting quality. Interestingly enough, that’s all it takes for Anna to hire him: she says, ‘You’re the guy on the bus.’ More discerning people might not hire him,

6 but 11-year-old girls? He’s got that demographic,” the actor laughs. Perhaps Baldwin does as well. Picoult visited the set several times but, on one occasion, she had her 12-year-old daughter with her. The author recalls, “At the time, his daughter was also 12. And during the breaks, when he wasn't on camera, his entire modus operandi was to make my daughter giggle - anything he could do to make her laugh. And I loved that.” Mark Johnson agrees. “Alec makes me laugh, not just because he’s funny, but because he’s funny in such an original, unexpected, idiosyncratic way. And I so embrace his work because what you want an actor to do more than anything is surprise you. He’s just one of those actors that, as a producer, you sit off to the side of the set watching him work and you say to yourself, ‘I can’t believe we got him.’” When Anna’s emancipation case brings the Fitzgerald family’s predicament into the courtroom, they meet Judge De Salvo, who presides over the trial. De Salvo has been dealing with her own heartache, so the timing of Anna’s lawsuit is particularly challenging for the character. Joan Cusack stars in the role, which, Johnson reveals, was originally written for a man. “ Bringing in Joan as Judge De Salvo was an inspired bit of casting by Nick,” the producer says. “Obviously, Joan is known for her comedies. But Nick is so good at finding the unconventional but entirely appropriate actor, and that’s what makes his work interesting to watch.” Rounding out the cast are Thomas Dekker as Taylor, another cancer patient who becomes romantically involved with Kate, and David Thornton as Dr Chance, Kate’s long-time oncologist at the hospital. Johnson sums it up. “Nick is so good at the unconventional. Often I’ll read a script and say, well, this person’s right and that person’s right. But Nick will say the fact that they’re right makes them inappropriate, find somebody who’s not right and have him or her make that part work, it’ll be better. And I think we’ve done a lot of that in this movie.” “I want to go to the beach. I want to see the waves.” - Kate

“ My Sister’s Keeper” was shot almost entirely in Los Angeles. The production’s locations spanned from Downtown to the beaches of Malibu and Santa Monica to the stately neighborhoods of San Marino. Whenever possible, the production filmed in practical locations, underscoring Cassavetes’ penchant for realism. To capture the sequences at the fire station where Brian Fitzgerald works, the production moved into Engine 27 in Hollywood, where real firemen were on hand as advisors. The hospital sequences were shot in the shuttered Daniel Freeman Hospital. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel’s work underscored the movie’s naturalistic sensibility. The camera moves were spare and performance-driven; occasionally, he and Cassavetes let the entire scene play out even if they might

7 only use a portion of it, to encourage and support the actors’ process. The hair, make-up and costume departments also hewed closely to reality. Sara Fitzgerald, a woman in crisis, so singularly focused on her child, has no time for or interest in personal glamour and her look reflects it. Dark roots peek through Diaz’s blonde hair and, throughout most of the movie, she is devoid of make-up. Costume designer Shay Cunliffe dressed the Fitzgerald family in basic t- shirts, cardigans and jeans, favoring hues of blue and gray. In keeping with Sara’s make-up and hair, the character often wore the same outfit over and over, conveying that she was consumed by bigger issues. The only “colorful” character was Abigail Breslin’s Anna, who wore pinks and browns, stripes and plaids. Cunliffe purposely dressed her differently and slightly rebelliously, as she is the one who turns the family’s life upside-down. The most extreme makeover, however, was reserved for Kate. To expose the ravages of her disease and the effects of the grueling treatments to cure it, Vassilieva wore contacts that caused her eyes to appear bloodshot and cloudy, and a subtle, ghostly layer of make-up that mottled her skin and sunk her eyes, giving her a pallor that reflected her character’s increasing debilitation. But, in the most demanding test of her dedication, the young actress, who came into the production with a mane of long blonde hair, shaved her head and eyebrows. While the actress is quick to point out that her bald pate did not nearly approximate what real cancer patients undergo, she says it certainly was a start toward understanding it. “ Shaving my head was an extraordinary experience that caught me off guard and frightened me; then I realized that Kate is too beautiful a character and that shaving my head was a sacrifice that needed to be made,” Vassilieva says. It helped, she adds, that she had a technical advisor in the form of 16- year-old Nicole Schultz, who is a vivacious leukemia survivor, now with a full head of blonde hair. “Nicole has become one of my great friends. Her battle with leukemia was very similar to Kate’s and she knew when I needed support more than anyone else. When I was shaving my head, to provide an escape from the bittersweet reality, we chanted ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,’” Vassilieva smiles. “Ask a kid to shave her head and her eyebrows for a movie...let’s put it this way: I felt out of line even asking,” declares Cassavetes. “But she’s quite a kid,” he says of his young star. Because Vassilieva appears in a regular role on the television series “Medium,” the production fashioned her hair into a wig that she could wear on the show until her own grew back. She will then donate it to Locks of Love, the non- profit organization that supplies hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term hair loss due to any medical condition. Indeed, wigs

8 figured heavily into Sofia’s role, as she had to wear several different ones throughout the film. A special wig schedule was devised to keep track of them all during the shoot. Like Vassilieva, Thomas Dekker, who plays Taylor, a young man Kate meets during chemotherapy, also shaved his head. He found it to be a liberating and enlightening experience. “What was most interesting about it was life outside the movie. People treated me very differently because they assumed that I had cancer. I often got these very pitying or strange looks, and it gave me a small idea of what it must be like to go through life like that, singled out as a sick person,” Dekker says. Of course, part of what draws the characters of Kate and Taylor together is their shared understanding. Dekker adds that he, Vassilieva and Cassavetes all wanted to emphasize the joy and camaraderie in Kate and Taylor’s relationship. “I think for Kate, Taylor brings a lot of humor and love into her life in a way that only another person who has gone through the cancer experience can. We wanted to stress the fun and silliness they enjoy together, as well as their affection for each other, because we figured if your life was really short, you’d try to have as much fun as possible in the time you have,” Dekker explains. Adding to the cast and filmmakers’ own understanding of what cancer patients go through were the extras and technical advisors, who were often one and the same. “ One of the things we did for authenticity’s sake is make sure that our actors and extras in the hospital were as close as possible to the people who would actually be there,” offers Johnson. “And we had a number of patients who came and worked with us in various ways and really helped us to better understand so much about the movie we were making.” Throughout the production, Ileana Geestman and her organization, The Desi Geestman Foundation, provided information and advice about cancer- stricken children and how the illness affects them and their families, both physically and emotionally. The foundation’s mission is “to improve the quality of life for children suffering from cancer and their families. The foundation provides environments of support that alleviate emotional and economic trauma.” The charity was named in honor of Ileana’s daughter, a brave 12-year-old girl who fought a courageous battle with neuroblastoma at The City of Hope. Ileana arranged for several of the children affiliated with her foundation to appear as extras and to serve as de facto advisors for the cast and crew. “I got a phone call one day from City of Hope,” Geestman recalls, “asking if our foundation wanted to participate in the movie...and maybe I could specifically answer some questions from the perspective of a mom having gone through this with my child. I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity not only to help but also to bring awareness to the children, their disease and their families. Having said that, my initial reaction was also one of protection because

9 of what the children and their families go through - I wanted to make sure they were taken care of and that they were not going to be exploited in any way and that they would be treated as regular kids.” Geestman was more than pleased with the result. “All of that happened - tenfold. Nick told me he wanted to keep the movie as real as possible and asked if some of the children would participate, and completely reassured me that they would be taken care of and respected. The children loved meeting and working with everyone on the set; Nick was so friendly with them and talked to them on their level. Sofia was a real sweetheart - they all felt like she was their best friend. The kids really wanted to be a part of it. We took some of them out of the hospital and it became an adventure for them. And these adventures are so important because their journey sometimes gets very lonely at the hospital. So their involvement in the movie brightened their lives tremendously,” Geestman affirms.

“I guess you could say we’re a little dysfunctional, but everybody loves each other, and we do the best we can.” - Anna

The presence of these young people also brightened the days of the entire cast and crew. “ Making ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ was one of the most amazing, joyous experiences I’ve had,” Cameron Diaz reveals. “It was a very serious movie about a serious subject, but the tone Nick set for the film, the way he is telling the story, is the complete opposite of what you might expect. He never tried to play on those heartstrings or go for the obvious tearjerker moment; what he created instead was something vital and full and immediate. Just when you think it’s about death, you realize it’s really about life. Before we even started the movie, he told me that we would laugh a lot and have a good time.” Reflecting on her own experience making the film, Abigail Breslin offers, “You know, it’s sometimes hard when you’re doing such hard scenes, crying scenes...you get kind of sad sometimes. But when it’s over, you have to know that you’re just telling a story and you’ll be okay. And everybody on set was so nice and so much fun, it was one of the best times that I’ve ever had on a movie.” “It’s like anything else,” asserts producer Mark Johnson. “You want to see a story that fascinates you and you want to see who you might be able to identify with, react or respond to in that fascinating story. There is a sense of, ‘If I were in this situation, what would I do?’ And I’m not for one moment saying that I would have done what all of these characters did. It comes down to that notion of ordinary people living through extraordinary events. And I think this particular story speaks to something that’s very important to me. It speaks to family. And there’s something so wonderful about the strength of a family.” “These kinds of things don’t just happen to people who are ready for it,” offers Nick Cassavetes. “Most of the time, you’re not ready for this sort of thing at all. But as human beings, we must trust in ourselves and in our capability to make the right decisions with the amount of information we have. The future of

10 medicine is going to keep bringing up many ethical and moral questions the further we go. But this is our children’s world and our children’s children’s world, and how we handle it, well, that’s why this story interested me - it’s universal. That’s why I made this film.”

ABOUT THE CAST CAMERON DIAZ (Sara Fitzgerald) has been honored for both her dramatic and comedic work in a wide range of both major studio hits and acclaimed independent releases. A four-time Golden Globe nominee, Diaz earned her first nod in 1999 for her performance in the title role of the Farrelly brothers’ smash hit comedy “There’s Something About Mary.” She was also named the Best Actress of the Year by the New York Film Critics Circle, and won an MTV Movie Award for her work in the film. The following year, she was Golden Globe-nominated for her role in Spike Jonze’s “Being John Malkovich,” for which she also received nominations for a BAFTA Award and an individual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, as well as a second SAG Award nomination shared with the cast. Diaz garnered her third Golden Globe nomination, as well as SAG Award and American Film Institute Award nominations, for her performance opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe’s 2001 film “Vanilla Sky.” She earned her fourth Golden Globe nod for her role in Martin Scorsese’s epic drama “Gangs of New York,” opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Diaz made her feature film debut in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy “The Mask.” She went on to star in the smash hit romantic comedy “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” with Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney and Rupert Everett. In 2000, she teamed with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as “Charlie’s Angels” in the blockbuster hit actioner. She more recently starred in the sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” In 2001, Diaz gave voice to the feisty Princess Fiona, who found her one true love, and her true self, in the Oscar-winning mega-hit “Shrek.” She reprised the role of Princess Fiona in the sequel “Shrek 2,” which was the number one film of 2004 and still ranks as the top-grossing animated feature and the top-grossing comedy film of all time. Diaz was again heard as Princess Fiona, who rallied the fairy tale princesses to defend Far Far Away in “Shrek the Third,” and she is currently voicing the character in “Shrek Goes Fourth,” which is planned for a 2010 release. Her other credits include such diverse films as “The Sweetest Thing”; “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her,” with Glenn Close, Holly Hunter and Amy Brenneman; Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday,” with Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid and Jamie Foxx; Edward Burns’ “She’s the One”; “Feeling Minnesota,” opposite Keanu Reeves; “Head Above Water”; Danny Boyle’s “A Life Less Ordinary”; Peter Berg’s “Very Bad Things,” opposite Christian Slater; “Invisible Circus”; Curtis Hanson’s “In Her Shoes,” with Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine;

11 and Nancy Meyers’ “The Holiday,” with Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. Diaz most recently starred in the comedy hit “What Happens in Vegas,” opposite Ashton Kutcher. She will next be seen starring opposite James Marsden and Frank Langella in the thriller “The Box,” directed by Richard Kelly, which is slated for release in Fall 2009. ABIGAIL BRESLIN (Anna Fitzgerald) earned an Academy Award nomination as well as BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and a Best Actress Award from the Tokyo International Film Festival, and was named 2008’s ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow for her performance as an ambitious young girl obsessed with winning a beauty pageant in the critically acclaimed, irreverent comedy “Little Miss Sunshine.” One of the most versatile and sought-after actresses of her generation, Breslin is set to voice characters in three animated features: this year’s “Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey,” starring Chris Pine, Amanda Peet and Samuel L Jackson; Gore Verbinski’s “Rango,” opposite Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher; and “The Wild Bunch,” with Willem Dafoe and Chris Klein. Breslin can be seen later this year alongside Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Mila Kunis in the upcoming live action horror-comedy “Zombieland.” Breslin recently starred in Scott Hicks’ “No Reservations,” with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart; in Adam Brooks’ romantic comedy “Definitely, Maybe,” with Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Ryan Reynolds; in the title role of “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl”; and as Nim in the family adventure “Nim’s Island,” opposite Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler. Previously, Breslin starred with Mel Gibson in M Night Shyamalan’s “Signs,” and in “Raising Helen,” for director Garry Marshall, opposite her older brother Spencer Breslin and Kate Hudson. She appeared in the independent drama “Keane,” directed by Lodge Kerrigan and produced by Steven Soderbergh; in “The Ultimate Gift,” co-starring James Garner; and in “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.” On television, Breslin has guest-starred on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “NCIS,” “What I Like About You,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” ALEC BALDWIN (Campbell Alexander) will be seen later this year in writer/director Nancy Meyers’ next film, a romantic comedy also starring Meryl Streep, John Krasinski and Steve Martin. For his work on the small screen, Baldwin’s ongoing performance on the critically acclaimed series “30 Rock” has garnered him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical. Baldwin has collaborated twice with director Martin Scorsese, in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture “The Departed” and in the Academy Award-winning Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” for which he shared in a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance. Baldwin had previously earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor

12 for the 2003 independent film “The Cooler.” His performance in that film also brought him the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as Golden Globe, SAG Award and Critics’ Choice Award nominations. Baldwin’s many additional film credits include “My Best Friend’s Girl”; “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”; “Running with Scissors”; “The Good Shepherd,” starring and under the direction of Robert De Niro; “Along Came Polly”; “The Cat in the Hat”; David Mamet’s “State and Main,” which won the National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble; “The Edge”; Rob Reiner’s “Ghosts of Mississippi”; “Heaven’s Prisoners”; “The Juror”; “The Shadow”; “Malice”; the screen version of Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross”; “Prelude to a Kiss”; “The Hunt for Red October”; Mike Nichols’ “Working Girl”; Jonathan Demme’s “Married to the Mob”; and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” In addition to his recent Emmy win, Baldwin received a previous nomination for his work on “30 Rock,” as well as another Golden Globe nomination. He also earned two consecutive nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor on a Comedy Series for his role on “Will & Grace.” Baldwin received both Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his portrayal of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in the HBO movie “Path to War,” and had earlier garnered Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” He also starred in and executive produced the miniseries “Nuremberg,” gaining Emmy and SAG Award nominations for his performance, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Outstanding Miniseries for his work as a producer. A native of Massapequa, Long Island, New York, Baldwin graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. An accomplished stage actor, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Kowalski in the 1992 Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and an Obie Award for his work off-Broadway in 1991’s “Prelude to a Kiss.” His other stage credits include the Broadway plays “Twentieth Century,” “Serious Money” and “Loot”; the New York Shakespeare Festival production of “Macbeth”; and David Mamet’s “A Life in the Theatre,” presented off-Broadway. JASON PATRIC (Brian Fitzgerald) made his feature film debut in 1987 in Joel Schumacher’s comedy-thriller “The Lost Boys.” He then starred in the drama “The Beast of War.” His performances in the erotic thriller “After Dark, My Sweet” and in Lili Fini Zanuck’s drama “Rush” earned Patric critical acclaim. He next starred in “Geronimo: An American Legend,” with Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall, and as the title character in “The Journey of August King.” He also starred with Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro in the drama “Sleepers,” from writer/director Barry Levinson, playing the part of Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra, who authored the book on which the film was based. Patric then starred in “Your Friends and Neighbors,” from writer/director Neil LaBute, which was the first feature Patric produced for his production company, Fleece. Patric later starred in the drama “Narc,” which made its debut at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and in “Downloading Nancy,” which was nominated for

13 the festival’s Grand Jury Prize in 2008. He also recently starred in Paul Haggis’ “In the Valley of Elah,” alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. On stage, Patric starred opposite Ashley Judd in the Broadway production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” at the Music Box Theatre. His other theatre credits include Neil LaBute’s “Bash” and “In A Dark, Dark House”; “Beirut”; “Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap”; “The Tempest”; “Henry V”; and “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” On the small screen, Patric recently appeared as himself in HBO’s hit series “Entourage.” SOFIA VASSILIEVA (Kate Fitzgerald) was most recently seen in the fifth season of the NBC series “Medium,” opposite Patricia Arquette. In 2006, Vassilieva won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series (Drama), for her portrayal of a young girl struggling to balance her life as a teenager with her emerging, mysterious psychic gifts. In 2003, she starred opposite Julie Andrews as the fun-loving title character in the classic television movies “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmastime.” For her performance as Eloise, Vassilieva received the 2004 Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special. Her additional television credits include the role of Cindy Brady in the telefilm “The Brady Bunch in the White House,” starring Shelley Long and Gary Cole. Vassilieva's feature film credits include “Hurt,” with Melora Walters, William Mapother, and Jackson Rathbone; “Day Zero” with Elijah Wood, Ginnifer Goodwin, Chris Klein, and Jon Bernthal; and “Inhabited,” with Malcolm McDowell and Patty McCormack. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents that emigrated from Russia, Vassilieva has lived all over the United States and traveled extensively around the world. She has enhanced her international interests by studying cultures and several languages, including Russian, French and Spanish. At the age of seven Vassilieva participated in the International Model and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention, where she won many awards including “Child Actress of the Year 2000.” She quickly caught the eye of casting directors and made her acting debut in the television series “The Agency,” playing the granddaughter of a Russian general in scenes spoken in Russian. HEATHER WAHLQUIST (Aunt Kelly) recently completed filming on Peter Ettinger's "Lonely Street," with Joe Mantegna and Jay Mohr, and can also be seen in such diverse films as Nick Cassavetes’ "The Notebook," with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, "Alpha Dog," with Emile Hirsch and Bruce Willis, and "John Q," with Denzel Washington; and "The Incredible Mrs Ritchie," with James Caan and Gena Rowlands. Born in Oklahoma to Swedish/Cherokee and Lebanese/Italian parents, Wahlquist traveled abroad often as a child. Graduating high school at only 16, she soon found herself in Europe, living in such exciting locales as Zurich, Switzerland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Bari, Italy and İzmir, Turkey while

14 studying languages and acting. With her return to the States, Wahlquist began work in commercials before quickly moving on to film with Jim O'Malley's "Simon Says." Steve Rash's "Good Advice" would follow before she began her long collaboration with director Nick Cassavetes. Wahlquist currently resides in Los Angeles. When not working, she enjoys painting, cooking and playing competitive poker; this summer she will play against the world's best at the World Series of Poker. She is actively involved in the Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation for breast cancer awareness and Women's Care Cottage, an organization for single mothers on the brink of being homeless. JOAN CUSACK (Judge De Salvo) has garnered two Academy Award nominations, the first for her comic portrayal of a Staten Island secretary in “Working Girl,” with Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith, and the second for her role as Kevin Kline’s jilted bride in the critically acclaimed “In & Out.” Cusack was the recipient of an American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in “Runaway Bride,” with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, under the direction of PJ. Hogan, and an Annie Award for her performance as the voice of Jessie in “Toy Story 2.” She also received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her work in “Peep and the Big Wide World.” Most recently, Cusack appeared in Hogan’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” and also in “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl,” alongside Abigail Breslin. Cusack has starred in such films as “Friends with Money”; “Ice Princess”; “Raising Helen”; “School of Rock”; “Arlington Road”; “High Fidelity”; “Cradle Will Rock”; “Where the Heart Is”; “War, Inc.”; “Grosse Point Blank”; “Martian Child”; “Addams Family Values”; “Nine Months”; “The Cabinet of Dr Ramirez”; “Corrina, Corrina”; “Toys”; “Hero”; “My Blue Heaven”; “Men Don’t Leave”; “Broadcast News”; “Say Anything”; and “Sixteen Candles.” She made her screen debut in “My Bodyguard,” at the age of 15. Cusack’s appearances on the small screen include a regular role on “Saturday Night Live,” during the show’s 1985-86 season, and a starring role alongside Anne Bancroft in the BBC production of Paddy Chayefsky’s “The Mother.” She also starred in the sitcom “What About Joan.” Her theatrical work includes the premiere of “Brilliant Traces” at New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre; “The Road” at La Mama; and the role of Imogen in “Cymbeline” at the Public Theatre in New York. Cusack portrayed Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, where she was also directed by JoAnne Akalaitis in “‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore.” She studied acting at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Chicago and, while at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she graduated with a degree in English, she appeared with the improvisational group “The Ark.” Cusack will next be seen in the telefilm “Acceptance,” based on the Susan Coll novel, and is currently working on "Progress Notes,” a TV comedy which she will produce and in which she will star, in Chicago.

15 THOMAS DEKKER (Taylor Ambrose) is currently filming the re-imagining of the classic horror film “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” opposite Jackie Earle Hailey, and recently completed work on the horror movie “All About Evil,” with Natasha Lyonne and genre icon Cassandra Peterson. Dekker was last seen in the television series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” playing the lead role of John Connor. The first and second seasons of the series premiered to number-one ratings and season one was Fox's highest-rated scripted series debut in over seven years. Dekker can also be seen in “Laid to Rest,” with Lena Headey and Jonathan Schaech, and in the lead role in the film “From Within,” which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was the directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, and focuses on the residents of a small American town who begin to die one-by-one by apparent suicide. Dekker directed the behind-the-scenes footage of the movie, which will appear as a short film on the DVD release. The actor wore multiple hats as writer, director, editor and co-star in the film “Whore,” alongside Heady, Megan Fox and Rumer Willis. The film centers around a large group of teens living on the streets of Hollywood, trying to make it in the movie business. On TV, Dekker’s credits include the hit series “Heroes” and three seasons as a lead character in the series, “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.” He has been acting professionally in both television and film since he was five years old, including a lead role in John Carpenter’s “Village of the Damned.” In addition, his voice has been featured both speaking and singing in various animated films, including the “Land Before Time” series, for which he voiced the lead character Littlefoot, and as Fievel in the sequels to “An American Tale.” EVAN ELLINGSON (Jesse Fitzgerald) can currently be seen as the son of David Caruso’s lead character, Horatio Caine, on the hit television series “CSI: Miami.” Prior to this role, Ellingson played Josh Bauer, son of Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer, on the Emmy Award-winning drama series “24.” Ellingson previously starred in the comedy series “Titus” as the 10-year- old incarnation of the title character. Following a successful appearance on “MAD TV,” he was then chosen to play one of five teenaged sons being raised by Keith Carradine’s single dad in the Mel Gibson-produced sitcom “Complete Savages.” Ellingson garnered a Young Artist Award nomination for his performance as Kyle Savage. The young actor then took on a dramatic role in the film “The Bondage,” which premiered at the 2006 SXSW Film Festival, and was also cast in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning World War II epic, “Letters from Iwo Jima.” Ellingson’s other feature film credits include “Confession,” starring Chris Pine; “Time Changer”; “The Gristle”; and the lead role in “Walk the Talk,” with Cary Elwes and Illeana Douglas. DAVID THORNTON (Dr Chance) has the honor and distinction of being

16 the only actor to have appeared in every film that director Nick Cassavetes has made, from “Unhook the Stars” through “My Sister’s Keeper,” which marks their seventh collaboration. The actor received critical acclaim for his performance in Steve Zaillian’s “A Civil Action,” with John Travolta and Robert Duvall. However, the majority of Thornton’s work has been in the indie world, in such films as “The Last Days of Disco,” under the direction of Whit Stillman; Austin Chick’s “XX/XY”; Lisa Cholendenko’s “High Art”; John Turturro’s “Illuminata” and “Romance & Cigarettes”; Tom DiCillo’s “The Real Blonde”; Cindy Sherman’s “Office Killer”; and Alan Rudolph’s “Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle,” produced by Robert Altman. Most recently, Thornton appeared in the Tribeca Film Festival favorite “Here and There,” from director Darko Lungulov. He can next be seen in “Horizon,” with Jay O Sanders. Thornton has made numerous appearances on the small screen as well, including a recurring role on “Law & Order: SVU” as Lionel Granger, a character he has also played on the original “Law & Order.” On stage, he was the recipient of a Dramalogue Award for the Los Angeles production of Quincy Long's “The Johnstown Vindicator.” Thornton is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama, and is married to rock icon Cyndi Lauper. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS NICK CASSAVETES (Screenwriter/Director) strives to create personal films marked by narrative authenticity and universal resonance while remaining true to his independent roots. He recently wrote and directed the gritty drama “Alpha Dog,” based on a true story and starring Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Emile Hirsch. Cassavetes also directed the hit romantic drama “The Notebook,” based on the bestselling Nicholas Sparks novel and starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Gena Rowlands. Prior to that the director helmed “John Q,” starring Denzel Washington, and “She’s So Lovely,” the only film to win two awards at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn and John Travolta. Cassavetes’ facility for character-driven intimacy was first evident in his feature film directorial debut, the critically acclaimed “Unhook the Stars,” starring Marissa Tomei, Gerard Depardieu and Gena Rowlands. Cassavetes also co- wrote the incisive drama, which was recognized by the National Board of Review and garnered Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Rowlands and Tomei. Cassavetes studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before beginning his career as an actor and appearing in such films as “Blind Fury,” “Quiet Cool,” “The Wraith” and “Twogether.” He starred opposite William H Macy in Henry Bromell’s “Panic”; with Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron in “The Astronaut’s Wife”; and with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Ted Demme’s “Life.” He also made a cameo appearance in Demme’s “Blow,” after co-writing

17 the screenplay. In addition, Cassavetes appeared as playwright Robert E Sherwood in Alan Rudolph’s “Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle,” and with John Travolta and Nicholas Cage in John Woo’s “Face/Off.” Cassavetes has also appeared on television in such series as “LA Law,” “Quantum Leap,” and John Sayles’ “Shannon’s Deal,” and in the telefilms “Just Like Dad” and “Shooter.” JEREMY LEVEN (Screenwriter) is currently gearing up to direct a film in Paris, based on his own screenplay about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum. He is also completing the third novel of a trilogy - the first two are entitled Creator and Satan’s Psychotherapy - as well as two plays, one to be produced in New York and the other for the Comedie de Theâtre Champs Elysées in Paris, about the life of François Premier. Leven wrote and directed the feature film “Don Juan DeMarco,” starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. He has written several other films, including Nick Cassavetes’ “The Notebook,” starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Gena Rowlands; “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” starring Will Smith and Matt Damon under the direction of Robert Redford; Rob Reiner’s “Alex & Emma,” starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson; and “Creator,” with Peter O’Toole and Mariel Hemingway. Leven has also worked on projects with Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta and Jennifer Aniston, among others. Immediately after college, Leven worked as a director/producer for the NBC television affiliate in Boston, where he founded, wrote and directed a satirical review called “The Proposition,” which ran for many years in Boston and off-Broadway. Born in South Bend, Indiana, Leven spent the first 10 years of his life moving about, until his family finally settled in Rye, New York. He attended St John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, earning a degree in philosophy; Harvard University, where he studied education and child psychology; the University of Connecticut, studying neuroscience; and Yale University, where he was a fellow in the Department of Psychiatry’s Child Study Center. Leven has also taught public school, directed the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Model Cities Program, and been a member of the faculty at Harvard, a professor of psychopharmacology, director of a mental health center, and director of drug treatment and methadone programs. MARK JOHNSON (Producer) won the Best Picture Academy Award for Barry Levinson’s poignant 1988 drama “Rain Man.” One of several films Johnson made with Levinson during a 12-year span, it won a total of four Oscars and also captured a Golden Globe for Best Picture. Johnson is currently in pre-production on “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” the third film in the “Narnia” franchise, and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” which he is producing with Guillermo del Toro. He is also executive producing the third season of the AMC television show “Breaking Bad,”

18 which stars Bryan Cranston, who won the 2008 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Johnson’s recent motion pictures include “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” both directed by Andrew Adamson; the 2008 Sundance hit “Ballast,” which marked Lance Hammer’s directorial debut; “The Hunting Party,” starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard; the drama “The Notebook,” directed by Nick Cassavetes; “The Wendell Baker Story,” the directorial debut of filmmaking brothers Luke and Andrew Wilson; “The Alamo” and “The Rookie,” both directed by John Lee Hancock; director Bob Dolman’s films “The Banger Sisters,” starring Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn, and “How To Eat Fried Worms”; Brad Silberling’s drama “Moonlight Mile”; Tom Shadyac’s supernatural thriller “Dragonfly”; Robert Zemeckis’ thriller “What Lies Beneath,” starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer; the hit comedy “Galaxy Quest”; and the acclaimed family drama “My Dog Skip.” Johnson earned his undergraduate degree in drama from the University of Virginia and his MA. in Film Scholarship from the University of Iowa. Moving to New York, he entered the Directors Guild Assistant Director Training Program. He first met Barry Levinson while working as an assistant director on Mel Brooks’ “High Anxiety.” During their successful partnership, Johnson produced all of Levinson’s films from 1982 to 1994. In addition to “Rain Man,” their collaborations include “Diner”; “The Natural”; “Young Sherlock Holmes”; “Tin Men”; and “Bugsy,” which brought Johnson his second Best Picture Oscar nomination. In 1994, Johnson established his own independent production company and won the Los Angeles Film Critics Associations’ New Generation Award for his very first effort, “A Little Princess,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Under his own banner, Johnson also produced the comedy “Home Fries,” with Drew Barrymore, and the dramatic thriller “Donnie Brasco,” starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. He also served as executive producer on a variety of projects for the small screen. Additionally, Johnson has either executive produced or presented “Shooter,” starring Mark Wahlberg; Luis Llosa’s directorial debut, “Sniper”; Tim Robbins’ directorial debut, “Bob Roberts”; Steven Soderbergh’s “Kafka”; Robert Redford’s Oscar-nominated “Quiz Show”; and “Journey of Hope,” winner of the 1990 Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Johnson currently serves as chair of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Foreign Language Film Award Committee and is also a member of the Academy’s Board of Governors. CHUCK PACHECO (Producer) previously served as producer on Nick Cassavetes’ drama “Alpha Dog,” based on the life of drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood, one of the youngest men ever to appear on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Pacheco also served as a co-executive producer on director Bob Joyce’s

19 short film “Drum Solo.” SCOTT L GOLDMAN (Producer) has been developing and writing film and television projects in Los Angeles for over 10 years. As President of Scott L Goldman Productions, he is currently producing “Gross National Happiness,” a golf comedy set in Bhutan and based on a true story, for National Geographic Features. Last year, Goldman was the executive producer of Jodi Picoult’s "The Tenth Circle," starring Kelly Preston and Ron Eldard, which aired in June to high ratings for the Lifetime Television Network. Prior to starting SLG Productions, Goldman was the Director of Development for Orly Adelson Productions. During his three years at the company, he developed and produced projects for DreamWorks, CBS, ABC, Fox Family, USA Networks, VH1, and TBS. In addition, Goldman was a partner in the advertising company Pocket Billboards, where he oversaw major campaigns for clients including Paramount Pictures, DIRECTV, ESPN, Telemundo, Univision and Nickelodeon. Goldman graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont with a BA. in film studies. JODI PICOULT (Author) is one of the top-selling novelists in the world, with #1 bestsellers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. She has published 16 novels, including the New York Times bestsellers My Sister’s Keeper, Vanishing Acts, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, and Change of Heart, which had a one million-copy first printing and was on the New York Times bestseller list for 11 weeks. Her latest novel, Handle With Care, has also made the prestigious list, debuting in the top spot. A filmed adaptation of The Tenth Circle premiered in June 2008 on the Lifetime Network, starring Kelly Preston. Both The Pact and Plain Truth were also made into television movies for Lifetime, garnering the network some of its biggest ratings. Picoult has been nominated for three different British book awards and, for her body of work, was awarded The New England Bookseller Award for Fiction in 2003. In 2007, she wrote five issues of Wonder Woman for DC Comics, only the second woman to script the series since the character’s creation in the 1940s. Born and raised on Long Island, Picoult studied creative writing at Princeton and had two short stories published in Seventeen magazine while still a student. After graduation, Picoult held a number of different jobs before entering Harvard University to pursue a master’s in education. DIANA POKORNY (Executive Producer) most recently served as a producer on Iain Softley’s fantasy adventure “Inkheart,” starring Brendan Fraser and based on the book by Cornelia Funke. Prior to that, Pokorny executive produced the comedy “Mr Woodcock,” directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Susan Sarandon.

20 Pokorny’s credits as a co-producer include the thriller “Dark Water,” directed by Walter Salles and starring Jennifer Connolly; Lasse Hallstrom’s “The Shipping News,” starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Pete Postlethwaite; “Hanging Up,” directed by Diane Keaton, who also starred with Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow; the sci-fi thriller “The Astronaut’s Wife,” pairing Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron; “A Thousand Acres,” directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse; and the Nicholas Hytner films “The Object of My Affection,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, and “The Crucible,” based on Arthur Miller’s enduring play. Pokorny also served as the line producer on “Safe Passage.” For HBO, Pokorny produced the powerful and controversial 1995 docudrama “Indictment: The McMartin Trial,” directed by Mick Jackson from a screenplay by Abby Mann and Myra Mann. Based on the infamous 1984 McMartin Pre-School child abuse case, the telefilm won both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. STEPHEN FURST (Executive Producer) began his career as an actor, starring as the naïve freshman Flounder in one of the all-time classic comedies, “Animal House.” He has since played numerous memorable roles on both the big and small screens, in features including Howard Zieff’s “The Dream Team,” with Michael Keaton, and in such prestigious television series as the multi-award winning medical drama “St Elsewhere,” and the space station saga “Babylon 5,” from creator J Michael Straczynski. Furst has also directed many feature films and television episodes, winning the Directors Gold Award at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival for his family film “Baby Huey’s Great Easter Adventure.” He has directed several movies for the Sci Fi Channel, earning the network its highest rating for an original film with his action fantasy “Dragon Storm.” Recently, Furst has started producing his own projects, including a Lifetime Television “red carpet” event film, “The Tenth Circle,” based on My Sister’s Keeper author Jodi Picoult’s bestselling title of the same name and starring Kelly Preston and Ron Eldard. Furst is currently producing two other projects through his company, Curmudgeon Films - the feature “Are You Prepared” and the telefilm “Sleeping Beauty Proposal” - and has several other projects in development. Furst is also the author of the humorous memoir “Confessions of a Couch Potato (Or, If I’m So Skinny, Why Do I Still Feel Like Flounder?).” MENDEL TROPPER (Executive Producer) currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of NTB Media Solutions. Through its patent-pending online and mobile content delivery platform, NTB works to increase ad effectiveness and brand recall via social media networks and premiere publishing partner destination websites. A graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema- Television, Tropper began working in feature film and television development and

21 packaging at the Ruddy Morgan Organization, an independent production company responsible for features including “The Scout” and “Heaven’s Prisoners” and television’s “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Tropper then spent five years at The WB Television Network. First a publicist handling corporate communications, he went on to handle the campaigns and launches for such series as “7th Heaven,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “Felicity.” He later served as a writer, producer, and director on branding and image campaigns for the network and its affiliate group. Tropper also created television and radio commercials for many shows, including “Dawson’s Creek,” “Friends,” “Charmed,” “Pokemon,” and the number-one rated Kids’ WB! programming block. He was also on the original team that built and launched the network’s revolutionary hi-tech group of over 100 new digital, virtual affiliate stations across the country. In 2001, Tropper left The WB and established Picture Plant, an advertising, marketing and production company focusing primarily on the entertainment industry. The firm was responsible for creating more than a dozen high-profile national television campaigns, including the launch of the hit series “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” the re-branding of “Seinfeld,” the syndicated launch of “Just Shoot Me!” and the world premiere of the miniseries “Uprising.” Tropper is also the co-founder and president of Pocket Billboards, an innovative new media platform featuring print and interactive audio ad delivery. The company is focused on helping large advertisers reach the Hispanic consumer market in a meaningful and results-oriented manner, and counts amongst its clients American Airlines, Wal-Mart, Bank of America, Time Warner Cable, ESPN, Domino’s Pizza, Univision, Telemundo, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures. TOBY EMMERICH (Executive Producer) is President and Chief Operating Officer for New Line Cinema. From 2001 to 2008, he was President of Production and oversaw the most successful period in company history, thanks to the success of such hits as the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy; “Wedding Crashers,” which was 2005’s highest-grossing comedy; “Monster-in-Law”; “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”; “Elf”; “The Notebook”; “Hairspray”; and “Sex and the City.” Under the New Line banner, he was more recently an executive producer on such films as “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” the holiday comedy “Four Christmases,” and the romantic comedies “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” A long-time studio veteran, Emmerich previously served as president of New Line Music, in addition to working as an accomplished screenwriter and producer who wrote and produced the New Line sleeper hit film “Frequency.” Emmerich attended Wesleyan University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Neil Bogart Foundation and the American Cinematheque, and is on the Board of Trustees for The Calhoun School in New

22 York City. MERIDETH FINN (Executive Producer) is Vice President of Production at New Line Cinema. Based in New York City, she covers the publishing world for the studio. Finn is currently overseeing several book adaptations and life rights projects, including “Peaceable Kingdom,” which follows the life and work of Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who runs an elephant orphanage in Kenya; “The Rite,” a non- fiction book adaptation to be directed by Mikael Hafstrom, about a priest who goes to exorcism school at the Vatican; and “Agent Zigzag,” which follows the exploits of real-life British/Nazi double agent Eddie Chapman during World War II. She also recently acquired the bestselling memoir Dewey, which Temple Hill Entertainment is producing with Meryl Streep set to star. Finn is also an executive on the American re-make of the Spanish film “The Orphanage,” which is being executive produced by Guillermo del Toro. Finn was previously the New Line liaison to former art house label Picturehouse. She also served as an acquisitions executive at Fine Line Features, where she was involved in acquiring “American Splendor” and the Academy Award-winning film “The Sea Inside.” She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University. MARK KAUFMAN (Executive Producer) is Executive Vice President of production at Unique Features, a newly formed production company headed by New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye and his long-time business partner Michael Lynne. Over the course of his 15 years at New Line Cinema, Kaufman played an instrumental role in the studio’s music, film production and theatrical divisions. As a film production executive, he oversaw such films as “Secondhand Lions,” “Take the Lead” and “Hairspray.” He more recently served as an executive producer on the hit comedies “Four Christmases,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, and “17 Again,” starring Zac Efron. Kaufman holds an MFA in Film Studies from Columbia University and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. CALEB DESCHANEL (Cinematographer) is a five-time Academy Award nominee, for his work on “The Passion of the Christ,” “Fly Away Home,” “The Natural,” “The Right Stuff” and “The Patriot,” the latter of which also earned him an American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement. His photography for “The Black Stallion” stunned audiences with its beauty, and brought him a BAFTA nomination. In addition, he received the National Society of Film Critics Award for cinematography in 1979 for his work on both “The Black Stallion” and “Being There.” Deschanel’s other credits include “Anna and the King,” “The Hunted,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Hope Floats,” “More American Graffiti,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “The Slugger’s Wife” and “It Could Happen to You.” He most recently photographed “Killshot” and “The Spiderwick Chronicles.”

23 His credits as a director include “The Escape Artist,” “Crusoe” and a number of short films. His short film “Trains” won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and the short “Valley Forge” has been shown around the world by the United States Information Agency. He also directed several episodes of the television series “Twin Peaks,” “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” and “Bones.” Deschanel graduated from Johns Hopkins University and studied at the University of Southern California Film School and the American Film Institute before interning with cinematographer Gordon Willis. Deschanel began his career in commercials, short subjects and documentaries. JON HUTMAN (Production Designer) has previously collaborated three times with writer/director Nancy Meyers, on the films “What Women Want,” “Something’s Gotta Give” and “The Holiday,” and is currently at work on their fourth feature project together, starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. On television, he was honored with both an Emmy Award and an Art Directors Guild Award for his design on the pilot episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.” Hutman also produced and directed the series “Gideon’s Crossing.” He served as production designer and co-producer of Lawrence Kasdan’s films “Dreamcatcher” and “Mumford,” production designer on Kasdan’s “French Kiss,” and art director on Kasdan’s “I Love You to Death.” Hutman served as production designer for Robert Redford on “The Horse Whisperer,” “Quiz Show” and “A River Runs Through It,” and on Sydney Pollack’s “The Interpreter.” Hutman’s other feature credits include “Coyote Ugly”; Adrian Lyne’s “Lolita”; Michael Apted’s “Nell”; Steve Kloves’ “Flesh and Bone”; Arthur Hiller’s “Taking Care of Business”; Walter Hill’s “Trespass”; Michael Lehmann’s “Meet the Applegates”; and Jodie Foster’s directorial debut, “Little Man Tate.” He earned his first credit as a feature production designer on Lehmann’s cult fave “Heathers.” Hutman earned a degree in architecture from Yale University, where he also studied scenic design, painting and lighting at the university’s School of Drama. He returned to his native Los Angeles and entered the film industry as an assistant in the art department on “Hotel New Hampshire,” and then as a set dresser on “To Live and Die in LA.” Hutman earned art director credits on “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” “Surrender,” and “Worth Winning,” before moving up to design films on his own. ALAN HEIM (Editor) is an award-winning editor who received an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and an Eddie for his work on Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz.” Heim also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Film Editing on the drama series “Holocaust,” and another Eddie for HBO’s “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” starring Halle Berry. Heim first worked with Nick Cassavetes on the hit romantic drama “The Notebook,” followed by the writer/director’s “Alpha Dog.” “My Sister’s Keeper” marks their third collaboration.

24 A native of The Bronx, Heim began his career in film as a projectionist at PS. 20, and then for the Police Athletic League. He later attended film school at City College of New York, and was drafted and stationed at the Army Pictorial Center in Queens - now the Kaufman-Astoria Studios - where he polished his skills as a music and sound editor. Heim’s first feature film job was for director Sidney Lumet, as a sound editor on “The Pawnbroker.” He went on to work with Lumet several more times, editing sound on the films “The Group” and “Bye Bye Braverman,” and as the film editor on “The Sea Gull” and “Last of the Mobile Hotshots.” Their final teaming was the seminal film “Network,” for which Heim earned his first Oscar, BAFTA and Eddie nominations. Heim also served as sound editor on Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” and later cut Brooks’ “The Twelve Chairs.” This was followed by Fosse’s legendary TV special “Liza with a ‘Z,’” which led to their work together on such films as “Lenny,” “All That Jazz” and “Star 80.” Throughout his career, Heim has worked extensively on both the big and small screens. His additional film credits include Milos Forman’s “Hair” and “Valmont”; George Roy Hill’s “Funny Farm”; John Hughes’ “She’s Having a Baby”; Robert Benton’s “Billy Bathgate”; and “American History X” For television, he edited such projects as “Skip Tracer,” from director Stephen Frears, and “Grey Gardens,” which recently premiered on HBO, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange and based on the Maysles’ documentary of the same name. Heim is a member and past president of the American Cinema Editors Society and has co-produced a prize-winning film on editing, “The Cutting Edge.” JAMES FLYNN (Editor) grew up in the coastal town of Narragansett, Rhode Island, and majored in Film and Performing Arts at Boston’s Emerson College. He then moved to Los Angeles and began his career in film in the cutting room of Oscar-nominated editor Ray Lovejoy. Flynn then entered into a 10-year apprenticeship with some of the best cutters in the industry, working as an assistant or associate editor on films such as “The Fighting Temptations”; John Lee Hancock’s “The Alamo”; Peter Berg’s “Friday Night Lights”; “The Last Mimzy”; the hit romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You,” directed by Ken Kwapis; and “Alpha Dog,” his first outing with director Nick Cassavetes. “My Sister’s Keeper” marks Flynn’s full-length feature editorial debut. SHAY CUNLIFFE (Costume Designer) has designed the costumes for an eclectic list of film and television projects over the past 20 years. Her work was most recently seen in Ken Kwapis’ romantic comedy hit “He’s Just Not That Into You,” and can be seen later this year in the science fiction thriller “2012,” directed by Roland Emmerich. Cunliffe served as the costume designer on four films released in 2007: Paul Greengrass’ blockbuster “The Bourne Ultimatum,” starring Matt Damon; “Mama’s Boy,” starring Jon Heder; “Because I Said So,” starring Diane Keaton

25 and Mandy Moore; and Amy Heckerling’s “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. She was also a consultant on 2007’s animated hit “The Simpsons Movie.” Her recent film credits also include “The Family Stone”; James L Brooks’ “Spanglish”; John Sayles’ “Silver City”; “Spartan,” written and directed by David Mamet; “Alex & Emma” and “The Story of Us,” for director Rob Reiner; “What a Girl Wants”; and Michael Apted’s “Enough,” starring Jennifer Lopez. Cunliffe had previously designed the costumes for such films as Steven Zaillian’s “A Civil Action”; Brad Silberling’s “City of Angels”; Harold Ramis’ “Multiplicity”; John Sayles’ “Lone Star”; “Dolores Claiborne” and “Bound by Honor,” for director Taylor Hackford; “Of Mice and Men” and “Miles from Home,” directed by Gary Sinise; John Schlesinger’s “The Believers”; and “Little Havana” and “Mrs Soffel,” directed by Gillian Armstrong. Cunliffe earned an Emmy Award nomination and won a Costume Designers Guild Award for her work on ABC’s 1999 television presentation of the musical “Annie,” directed by Rob Marshall. Her television work also includes the movies “Dinner with Friends,” “Indictment: The McMartin Trial” and “Life Under Water.” Cunliffe earned a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Bristol and also studied at the Lester Polakov Studio of Stage Design. She has also lent her talents to a variety of theater projects. AARON ZIGMAN (Composer) is a classically trained pianist who had an early foundation for writing melody and a command of rhythm and different styles. His work will soon be heard in this summer’s romantic comedies “The Proposal,” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, and “The Ugly Truth,” starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. Zigman began his musical career as a producer and arranger to popular music stars, including Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Oleta Adams, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Chicago, Nona Gaye, Carly Simon, the Pointer Sisters, Huey Lewis, Christina Aguilera and Seal. His passion for orchestration also led Zigman to become an accomplished composer of concert works, having written numerous symphonic pieces. Among his works is a 35 minute-long tone poem divided into five movements, written as a tribute for Ytzhak Rabin, which was performed by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. The USC Symphony orchestra has performed Zigman's "Impressions," a suite for a wind ensemble. He got his start in feature films in 2002, composing the score for director Nick Cassavetes’ “John Q,” starring Denzel Washington. Soon after, the two collaborated again on Cassavetes’ “The Notebook,” starring Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands and James Garner, and more recently on “Alpha Dog,” starring Emile Hirsch and Justin Timberlake. “My Sister’s Keeper” marks their fourth collaboration. Zigman’s other film credits include “The Wendell Baker Story,” the

26 directorial debut of Andrew Wilson and Luke Wilson, starring their brother Owen Wilson, Eva Mendes and Eddie Griffin; “Raise Your Voice,” with actress/pop star Hilary Duff; “In the Mix,” with R&B superstar Usher; “ATL”; the music-driven “Take the Lead”; “Akeelah and the Bee,” starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett; the dance films “Step Up” and its follow up, “Step Up 2: The Streets” in 2008; “Flicka,” a drama starring Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw; “Bridge to Terabithia”; “10th & Wolf,” with Giovanni Ribisi, James Marsden and Dennis Hopper; “Martian Child,” starring John Cusack; Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?,” “Meet the Browns” and “The Family That Preys”; “Good Luck Chuck,” starring Jessica Alba and Dane Cook; and the box office smash hit “Sex and the City.”