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| A FEW WORDS ON THE TALENT by Jeffrey Grellman |
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OREN ZIMM as "HARVEY ROOSTER"
Oren approaches every moment, every line, every decision and every action as the truth. He isn't capable of giving any less to a performance. If the character is tortured so will he be in a "method" which may be more effective on screen than any kind of "sense-memory" method. I haven't ever seen this kind of realism in movies before and therefore feel unusually fortunate to have, what very well could be, one of the new actors, of the next generation, upping the ante for everyone else. This feeling, I would imagine, was shared by Fred Zinnemann in 1950 after directing Marlon Brando in his first picture, "The Men" or by Brian DePalma in 1968 after directing Robert De Niro in "Greetings". My only approach to directing Oren was to give him as much breathing room as possible so that he could follow his incredibly sharp instincts and give him any help he needs in finding the purpose of the character and the moment at hand. I was constantly shocked by his ability to adopt a completely foreign action to him (like solving the mystery of a crime scene, saying lines that are more "movie-like" than realistic and swinging over a giant gorge) and transforming it into a sophisticated and believable delivery devoid of the cliches most actors fall prey to. Despite this intensity and passion he possesses for acting, he can surprise the camera upon command with a superior wit and awe-inspiring, comedic-timing unrivaled by anyone I've seen. It must also be noted that this actor was pushed to the limit in physical acting. To keep the "Harvey" character a believable hero and to engage the audience by actually showing the character's face in dangerous situations, Oren felt it necessary to perform all of his own stunts. This was a low-budget film and I wanted as much realism as possible in the action scenes so performing this was a risky feat to attempt. If "Harvey" was walking on beams high above ground, swimming under water with the weight of boots and metal props, sliding down a rocky hill or free-fall repelling down a 200 foot cave then Oren was actually doing it and somehow keeping character throughout. The result is an adventure film with a sympathetic hero the audience can embrace in every frame. Regarding his relationship to the screenplay, he will commit to the writer's dialogue to the point of digesting the material completely and totally as his own. Much to my gratitude, he would contribute to the "Harvey" character by simplifying every line down into it's most realistic, most direct and often most funny form. However, he will never over step his contribution to the writing process as he remains constantly aware of his boundaries as an assistant story-teller. I welcomed his opinion on most everything as a result. He has a good eye for quality, story and suffers from a "perfectionist" disorder like me. Oren has been committed to WHISKEYBLUE since it's inception many years ago and has devoted himself to helping the project whenever and wherever he can. This guy is down to earth, he's a real actor and a good friend.
-J. Grellman
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RENA MARIE JONES as "CASSANDRA ABBEYWISE"
Rena is an angel and the brightest light on the set. I can't imagine there ever being an enemy in her life. She exudes warmth and charm to such a degree, "working" with her feels more like hanging out and enjoying her good company. She's just such a natural when it comes to her acting that it becomes difficult to see the line between her acting and when she's just being herself. The greatest quality she possesses, however, is that she never lets on how good she really is. She doesn't 'act' gifted ... she just is. There is an obvious movie star sparkle here that will continue to blossom into much greater things and it certainly doesn't take a director to see it. Every set she graces, every interview she gives, every character she portrays will set a beacon for the rest of us to follow and anyone who is fortunate enough to work with her or call her a friend will fall head over heels for her remarkable talent and shining personality. If ever there was an actress destined to be in the movies, it's Rena.
-J. Grellman
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