MARK LICHTMAN / the LICHTMAN GROUP [email protected] 2
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1 Contact: MARK LICHTMAN / THE LICHTMAN GROUP [email protected] 2 AS LONG AS I’M FAMOUS THE STORY As Long As I’m Famous is an expansive, yet intimate true story of desire, artistic ambition, fidelity, and secrets of the elite; legends, who revel in their “normalcy” in a world that coveted privacy; well before social media pulled the curtain on every facet of a celebrity’s life. Although nostalgic, its themes are timeless for both contemporary audiences and fans of classic Hollywood and Broadway. Told through the eyes of a then 24 year old Sidney Lumet (Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Verdict), writer- director Bruce Reisman, a veteran of TV, stage, and screen, raises the bar on the Independent Film genre, by collaborating with an extraordinary creative team. Photographed by Ryan Brown, this film boasts a “Masterpiece Theater” look from its detailed art direction, period costumes, and acclaimed performances by an ensemble of both newcomers and established artists, culled from the theatre, film and television. 3 As young “Sid” Lumet breaks the “fourth wall” on occasion, he leads the audience on a journey to the past. As the typist to Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning playwright-director Joshua Logan, young Sid worked and rubbed elbows with the show business elite of the time, including composer Richard Rodgers, retired prize fighter Gene Tunney, silent screen star Theda Bara, and most notably, Hollywood legend, Montgomery Clift; the sensitive heartthrob whose friendship with Lumet grew into something more passionate and risky for everyone involved. As Sid says at the start of our journey, “1948 was the summer I saw stars”. As young Lumet climbs the ladder to his eventual Oscar-winning fame, he confronts his own fears and ambitions while coaching at the Actors Studio, being a guardian and loyal friend to his legendary mentors, and confronts his demons and delights of a show business era long gone by. As Long as I’m Famous premiered in March 2019 at the legendary Fine Arts Cinema in Beverly Hills; a Red Carpet media event and screening, which thus far has garnered rave reviews across the board. “Director-writer, Bruce Reisman, raises the bar for “lower budget” independent movies with ‘As Long As I’m Famous’. Visually, the film is rich and takes cinematic risks including a black & white homage to ‘noir’ and costumes and sets that rival ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ (special kudos to cinematographer Ryan Brown)… it’s intelligent script and dialogue inspires a terrific ensemble of actors to go where some (especially David Chokachi (‘Baywatch’) have never gone before…” – HOLLYWOOD REPORTER “The wit and style of Reisman’s script is an intellectual’s veritable candy store that audiences will find gratifying. Under his direction, Reisman was able to pull out powerhouse performances from his cast. The film’s cinematography, under the eye of artistic Ryan Brown, is positively mesmerizing, set against composer Gordon Smith’s original music score. The film larger-than-life locations, which are astounding for a ‘small’ film, takes audiences through the urban streets of New York, costal locations, the Hollywood Hills and opulent interiors of The Golden Age of Film…” – BALTIMORE OUTLOUD 4 A CAST OF LEGENDS AARON FORS AS SIDNEY LUMET Aaron Fors was raised in Southern California, and attended Palmdale High School, graduating 6 years early, at the age of 11. Aaron began his acting career at 8 years old, appearing in Guest Star and recurring roles in television on Lizzy Maguire, Even Stevens, NYPD Blue, The Agency, Mad T.V., The Martin Short Show, The Brother's Garcia, I'm with Her, The Closer, The O.C., Zoey 101, Without a Trace, and as a series regular on Disney's U.K. Movie Surfers. He is also a voice over artist and performs on stage. Aaron has always had a passion for dialects and began attending master classes with dialect Robert Easton at 10. He practices multiple forms of martial arts, (Tae Kwon Do, boxing, Kung Fu), archery, and stage fighting. Aaron is a self- admitted super geek, takes after his father in his love for biology and genetics, and is rarely seen anywhere without his Rubik's Cube. He is currently busy studying acting and working in indie features and shorts. In June 2014 he performed for the fourth time in the The Blank Theatre's 22nd Annual Young Playwrights Festival. As Long As I’m Famous”marks this veteran actor’s first leading role in a feature film as a young adult, anchoring the story with his charismatic looks and emotional range. 5 DAVID CHOKACHI AS GENE TUNNEY David Chokachi began his acting career in 1995 on Baywatch as "Cody Madison", as a main cast member. In 1999, he left Baywatch and took up the role of Jake McCartey in the TV series Witchblade, which lasted until 2002. Following that, he appeared in various TV series and made-for-TV movies. Chokachi then landed the role of main character Justin Healy on The N's 2006 TV series Beyond The Break. He also appeared on VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol, a reality show in which former teen idols attempt to revitalize their careers. He also appeared in the feature film, Soul Surfer. In the last few years, David has become a mainstay on both Lifetime and SyFy, landing lead roles in movies made expressly for those popular cable channels. His international fame draws huge ratings, and although Chokachi was one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 1997. it’s always been his dream to take on more challenging roles. His astonishing dramatic performance in As Long As I’m Famous, portraying legendary boxer, Gene Tunney (20 years after he won the world championship twice in 1926), has already rendered him virtually unrecognizable, based on his previous work. 6 GAVIN ADAMS AS MONTGOMERY CLIFT The role of Montgomery Clift marks Gavin Adam’s first leading role in a feature motion picture, after spending most of his career performing on the stage. It was this extensive theatre experience that ultimately led director Bruce Reisman to cast the charismatic young actor in this pivotal role. Having received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre & Film from St. Joseph’s University, Gavin expanded his passion for craft by appearing regional theatre productions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie, and All My Sons – which he played on stage in Milan, Italy. The casting process was so exhaustive and specific for the roles of Monty and Sid, that production was held-up due to the director not finding exactly what he wanted from the two actors who’d ultimately be playing. Bruce Reisman chose an unorthodox method to zero-in on casting Gavin: he hired him, as a “reader” opposite prospective actors to play Sid. He even shot other actors’ screen tests to gain a real comfort level before being tested himself with Aaron Fors (who went through four call backs and a screen test before being cast). It was their immediate chemistry that locked them into these roles, which transferred on screen to close to a million views on YouTube for just a 28 second clip of these young men “in character” and in love. 7 CAMILLE MONTGOMERY AS NEDDA HARRIGAN LOGAN Camille has been part of the As Long As I’m Famous / Broadwood Media family for three years, during the project’s various incarnations, starting with the original play. She then appearing as Nedda in Bruce Reisman’s short film, Drinks Prior; which turned out so well, that the entire 38 minutes of footage were jettisoned to create an entirely new “take” on this Golden Age story. There was never a doubt that this beautiful actress would remain locked in to portray this real-life woman, who was not only an actress, an empowered wife, but who also created The Actors Fund which evolved into Broadway Cares – Equity Fights Aids. Camille Montgomery is a classically trained actress, who attended the British American Drama Academy. Although she is the female heart and conscience of the feature, As Long As I’m Famous, she followed this prestigious biopic with the horror thriller, Sick for Toys in 2018. She has appeared in a number of film and television projects, but her roots are in the theatre, like most of this company’s cast members. Though small in stature at barely five feet tall and 100 lbs, Camille brings strength, comic timing, sexiness, and an ability to create priceless moments on the spot. There are several sequences in As Long As I’m Famous, where bursts of improvised mannerisms and dialogue bring a depth to this bigger-than-life historical woman that wasn’t written on the page. 8 ERIC LUTES AS RICHARD RODGERS Eric Lutes was the last actor cast in As Long As I’m Famous, and it almost didn’t happen. Just a week prior to shooting, and one day into rehearsals, the actor previously cast as legendary composer Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein), fell out. A pivotal role, requiring a trained actor with, as they say, “chops” was needed. Director Bruce Reisman reached out to Kate Edwards, a highly respected personal manager he’s known for 30 years, in the hopes she could help. She suggested Eric Lutes, and the director’s response was, “Would he do this?” She trusted Bruce, and asked for the script. “You never know,” she said. In 24 hours, Eric responded with a “yes”. The following day, actor and director met, and the deal was closed an hour later.