PAUL BEN-VICTOR IN EMPIRE STATE
BEFORE THE SCENE WITH
TINA MAJORINO TRUE BLOOD’S
LAUREN BOWLES
PROLIFIC PRODUCER
RANDALL EMMETT
TREME’S
WENDELL
PIERCE UNDER THE WIRE
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VOL. 3, ISSUE 5 | August/September 2012 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Micah Haley CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erin Theriot MANAGING EDITOR Alexandra Fraioli EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Jenny Bravo, Jillian Aubin GRAPHIC ARTIST Burton Chatelain, Jr. DESIGN ASSISTANTS Alanna Scurlock, Joey Waguespack DIRECTOR OF SALES Gene Jones
EDITOR’S LETTER
O
ne of the best moviegoings of my life was seeing the midnight opening of The Dark Knight at the Prytania Theatre. The good nature and enthusiasm of that crowd still stands out as one of the best entertainment experiences I’ve ever had. And for weeks afterwards it was amazing to see the world echo my own reaction to the film. It felt like a truly global experience. I hoped for a similar experience with the release of The Dark Knight Rises. And though I thoroughly enjoyed the midnight screening I attended, while driving away, I heard the first reports of the horrors that befell a kindred audience in Aurora, Colorado. There was a gunman, they said. Many were dead, they said. What a violation. As filmgoers, we readily sit vulnerable for hours in a dark room. It takes
8 | August/September 2012
substantial trust to suspend our senses enough to enjoy a film. To be willingly distracted. In rooms filled with hundreds of strangers, we find enough trust to laugh, to cry, to think. We find enough trust to love. While it may have been the intentions of the gunman to destroy that trust, there was still love. There were still those who sacrificed themselves so that their loved ones might live. There are still those holding their loved ones even now. On the following Friday night, theaters across the country were filled. Millions gathered, undeterred. Some may characterize their willingness as indifference. But I think it was trust. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the tragedy in Aurora.
MICAH HALEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
editor@scenelouisiana.com
SALES Brinkley Maginnis, Sean Beauvais FASHION STYLIST Andi Eaton ASSISTANT FASHION STYLIST Yemaya Briggs Guzman COVER PHOTO Jason Kruppa CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Kruppa, Paul Shiraldi, Jenny Bravo, Jason LaVeris, Kelli Binnings, Caitlin Barry, , Alicia Antoinette, Steve Dietl Chad M. West, Patti Perret, Paris Frederick, Helen Sloan, Melinda Sue Gordon, Andrew Cooper, Murray Close, John Bramley, Stephen Vaughan, Merrick Morton, Wilson Webb, John P. Johnson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Elizabeth Glauser, Jenny Bravo, AJ Buckley, Jillian Aubin, James Napper, III Scene Magazine At Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge 10000 Celtic Drive • Suite 201 • Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-361-0701 At Second Line Stages 800 Richard St. • Suite 222 • New Orleans, LA 70130 504-224-2221 info@scenelouisiana.com • www.scenelouisiana.com Published By Louisiana Entertainment Publishers LLC CEO, Andre Champagne President, AJ Buckley Vice President, Micah Haley Controller, Jon Vail Display Advertising: Call Scene Magazine for a current rate card or visit www.scenelouisiana.com All submitted materials become the property of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers LLC. For subscriptions or more information visit our website www.scenelouisiana.com Copyright @ 2012 Louisiana Entertainment Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used for solicitation or copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher.
CONTENTS ON THE COVER
Wendell Pierce
10 | August/September 2012
SCENE ON THE TWILIGHT SAGA The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 rounds out the successful vampire series in theaters this November. NIKKI REED has been on board the franchise since its 2008 silver screen debut as Rosalie Hale, the beautiful and reserved member of the Cullen clan. Reed goes from glowing vampire to mere mortal in Empire State, the 1980s New York-set actioner filmed in New Orleans.
Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale photo by Andrew Cooper
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman photo by Murray Close
THE HUNGER GAMES In perhaps one of the best casting choices of 2012, STANLEY TUCCI gave an amazing performance as charming host Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games. He made the host of a televised teenager fight to the death actually likeable, an accomplishment few can boast. In Percy Jackson 2: Sea of Monsters, Tucci will play a more easily acceptable character – Dionysus – the god of wine and festivities. Percy Jackson 2: Sea of Monsters is now filming in New Orleans.
GAME OF THRONES
Logan Lerman as Charlie photo by John Bramley
SEAN BEAN’s tenure on Game of Thrones proved short-lived. Though a comeback in Westeros is unlikely, Bean returns to the second film in the Percy Jackson series, reprising his role as Zeus. Bean joins the rest of the cast in New Orleans to film the modernized Greek myth.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER September marks the big screen debut of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a feature film based on the 1999 young adult book. The story takes on a subtler plot than the teen-targeted Twilight and Hunger Games series, following fifteen-year-old Charlie during his first year of high school. Taking the lead is LOGAN LERMAN, a veteran actor at only twenty. The young star is currently in New Orleans filming Percy Jackson 2: Sea of Monsters. 14 | August/September 2012
Sean Bean as Eddard Stark photo by Helen Sloa
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SCENE ON KILLING THEM SOFTLY New Orleans’ most famous resident, BRAD PITT, won’t be going far for his next film. Steve McQueen’s latest, Twelve Years a Slave is currently filming in and around the city he calls home. The iconic actor will star as Henry B. Northup in the film, a story about a man tricked into thinking he was going to join the circus, only to be drugged and transported to Louisiana to become a slave. Pitt’s last Louisiana-shot project, Killing Them Softly, will hit theaters in September.
Brad Pitt as Jackie Cogan
Dwight Henry as Wink, Quvenzhane Wallis as Hushpuppy
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Before his screen debut in the indie hit Beasts of the Southern Wild, DWIGHT HENRY was known by New Orleanians as owner of The Buttermilk Drop Bakery. Henry may only have one acting credit to his name, but it was impressive enough to land him a role in Twelve Years a Slave. The baker-turned-actor will join some of Hollywood’s elite including Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Paul Giamatti for the latest from Shame director Steve McQueen. Henry and his pint-sized co-star QUVENZHANE WALLIS are filming the period piece in New Orleans.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander photo by Merrick Morton
Playing the complex character of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo garnered young ROONEY MARA her first Oscar nomination. The critically acclaimed actress and budding fashion icon will be in Shreveport filming Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, a film being described as a modern day Bonnie and Clyde caper.
MORE SCENE ON 16 | August/September 2012
SCENE ON THE DARK KNIGHT AARON ECKHART goes from district attorney in The Dark Knight to Commander-in-Chief in Olympus Has Fallen. Training Day director Antoine Fuqua brings cast and crew to Shreveport to film the dramatic actioner. The film will feature Eckhart as the US president and target of a terrorist attack. It will be up to a former secret service agent, played by Gerard Butler, to save the day.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent photo Stephen Vaughan
Casey Affleck as Charlie photo by Wilson Webb
TOWER HEIST Joining “It Girl” Rooney Mara in Shreveport for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is CASEY AFFLECK, younger brother to Ben. Recently seen in the action comedy Tower Heist, Affleck turned from familiar face to critical darling with standout performances in Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
CONTRABAND First it was Contraband, and then there was Broken City. Now MARK WAHLBERG is shooting Two Guns in the Crescent City to add to his New Orleans filmography. Wahlberg teams with his Contraband director Baltasar Kormákur for the film, currently shooting in New Orleans.
Denzel Washington as Tobin Frost
SAFE HOUSE After playing one of the world’s most dangerous criminals in Safe House, DENZEL WASHINGTON is ready to film his next action project in New Orleans. It’s Wahlberg against Washington in an organized crime thriller as the two investigate each other, only to find the whole thing is a set up. Denzel Washington will join his on screen adversary in New Orleans for the filming of Two Guns.
18 | August/September 2012
Mark Wahlburg as John Bryce photo by Patti Perret
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TINA MAJORINO Tina Majorino is a veteran actress who started her career as a child with memorable roles in When a Man Loves a Woman, Corrina, Corrina and Waterworld. She returned to acting as an adult with roles in 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite and on television in Veronica Mars, Big Love and True Blood.
What kept you from walking away?
I used to watch The Wizard of Oz everyday at the same time when I was a baby. There was something magical to me about Judy Garland and the idea that I could reach people the way she was reaching me. I knew from the get-go that acting was what I was meant for and it was what I wanted to do with my life.
Everything in my heart and soul tells me that this is what I need to do. It’s what I have to do. Knowing that I’ve known that since I was two years old keeps me from walking away. And seeing how greatly I can affect people I will probably never meet is such a gift. As actors, we have the ability to tell stories, teach lessons and shed light on things on a scale that an every day person can’t. We can make people laugh, make them cry, make them look at things differently, open up conversations, start transformations within people just from them watching a piece we are a part of. I know how greatly affected I’ve been by certain performances, and how validated and alive it made me feel. Knowing that I can do that for others… there’s no way I could turn my back on that.
What was your biggest fear?
What did you walk away from?
Fear really didn’t become an issue for me until I got older. It never entered my mind that things wouldn’t work out. It wasn’t until I had been acting for twelve years and decided to quit, and then decided to come back four years later that fear really set in. I think it was mostly because, by that time, I had a different understanding of the world and people. My ears opened up to people’s comments at that point and insecurities I had learned over the years took a toll on my confidence. I started to question myself a little bit, wondering if people were right. They’d say things like “You’ll never make it back in. You quit.” Somewhere inside though, there was still that voice of reason, however quiet it may have been, that kept my hope and faith alive. While the business may have changed and my outlook on it may have altered, my reasoning for wanting to do it and my attitude about it hadn’t changed a bit. I knew no matter what anyone had to say about my decisions or about how hard the business was that I had the will and the drive to make whatever I dreamed of come to fruition. Fear is definitely something you learn as you grow. It makes things harder. But it makes everything more rewarding when you don’t let it stop you. It doesn’t matter if you feel that fear. It only matters that you push through it. It’s not brave if you’re not scared first.
A conventional life. I’ve gotten a lot of flack because I didn’t live life the way one is supposed to. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I like that I’m different and I like that my life reflects that. I like that my family supported me in my decision to follow my heart and not a diagram of what a life is supposed to look like. I am thankful they encouraged me to forge my own path and never look back.
What made you become an actor?
What was your lowest point? I’ve had many low points just like anyone else. There’s not really one that stands out for me though. Every day is a test of your commitment to your dream. There are so many people out there who want to talk you out of following through and there are many obstacles that appear all the time. If you look at it out of the beliefs and perceptions you learn from society, you can really throw yourself off course. It’s hard to listen to the garbage and keep the truth alive in your heart. Sometimes I’m successful at that, and sometimes I’m not. I do my best, and some days my best is better than others. But I’m a work in progress, as we all are. I take the low points with as much happiness as I do the high points. Low points are great because you know there’s only one way to go from there… up! 22 | August/September 2012
Who was your closest ally? My family. They’ve stuck by me no matter what. No one in my family is in the business, so they went into this completely blind. And after their plan of trying to scare me out of wanting to do it backfired and they knew there was no stopping it, they threw themselves behind me and supported me through it all. They’ve always just wanted me to be happy, whether that meant I was an actress or a garbage man. And that has always meant the world to me. Because I know no matter what I decide in life, they’ll be there to cheer me on.
What were you doing the morning before the audition that changed your life? I was in grade school, I was seven years old. I know I was at school, just waiting for that damn bell to ring. It was my audition for When a Man Loves a Woman. That was one of those moments where everything came together.
What were the words that kept you going? Never give up and count your blessings. Giving up is just never an option. When you’ve been given a dream you have to hold onto it and go after it. You were given that dream for a reason and you would be doing yourself and the universe a disservice by letting it go to waste. Whether it’s a big dream or a small dream, it’s your dream and it means something. Being grateful is always important. I wake up every day overwhelmed with gratitude for my life and what’s happened in it… good, bad… you name it, I’m grateful for it. If one thing had gone differently I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today.
You are you for a reason and life is about discovering what that reason is. Never let anyone blow out your light or take your dreams from you.
How have you changed? I don’t stress the details as much. It’s easy to get distracted. I try to stay focused on where I want to go and the work I want to do and block out all the noise. I’m a firm believer that there is enough work for everyone in this world and what is meant to be mine cannot be taken away. And if something I really want doesn’t pan out, I’ll get something better. I’m much more hopeful now and trusting that the universe always puts me right where I’m supposed to be.
What words do you have to inspire others? Don’t waste time trying to be anybody else. You are you for a reason and life is about discovering what that reason is. Never let anyone blow out your light or take your dreams from you. Keep that faith alive within you and never stop trying because nothing is too wonderful to be true! S A partner in Scene Magazine and the president of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers, AJ has starred for the last eight years as Adam Ross on the hit TV show CSI:NY, now on Friday nights at 8pm on CBS. Originally from Dublin and raised in Vancouver, he has spent the past twelve years in Los Angeles acting, writing and directing. He is currently in pre-production in Louisiana on North of Hell, in which he will star and produce. Find out more on Twitter at @AJohnBuckley and at www.ajbuckley.net.
BEFORE THE SCENE
TINA MAJORINO www.scenelouisiana.com | 23
STATE OF THE ARTIST
LAUREN BOWLES BEWITCHES BON TEMPS by Elizabeth Glauser
T
he latest season of True Blood teems with cliffhangers and mysteries, but Lauren Bowles keeps tight lipped. “I can give nothing away, so don’t even ask,” says Bowles, better known to fans as Holly, the bewitching beauty with the honor of being one of the longest surviving waitresses Merlotte’s has employed since vamps surfaced in quiet Bon Temps.
24 | August/September 2012
STATE OF THE ARTIST
Lauren Bowles and Chris Bauer
photo by John P. Johnson/HBO
The D.C. native joined the cast at the end of season three, when Fan favorite or not, no one seems safe from the True Death in Bon Temps Sookie and company were busy fighting off royal vampires and their this season, with danger coming from the reemergence of the powerful ravenous werewolf followers in nearby Mississippi. She missed out on Russell Edgington, a pack of revenge-seeking werewolves and a murderous most of that mayhem, but kept an eye on the crew of Merlotte’s. The mob donning Obama masks set to extinguish supernatural beings. devoted single mom and Wiccan waitress was a big player in season As a True Blood regular, Bowles gets to know how this season will four, featured as a reluctant play out, but before she was participant in a plot to ON WORKING IN LOUISIANA: cast the actress was one of end the lives of vampires. the show’s millions of fans, The latest season has There’s something so romantic about watching the writing of showrunner Alan Ball play Bowles exploring the the region. It’s just steeped in drama out on the small screen. softer side of Holly as she “The audition came in and starts up a romance with and storytelling. I was a huge True Blood Bon Temps’ sheriff Andy fan, but even more than Bellefleur. “It’s really fun that I was an Alan Ball fan,” this year,” says Bowles. says Bowles. “I became obsessed with him after American Beauty. “Last year we got to explore her Wiccan world. This year is more I had never seen a movie like that before. And then Six Feet Under a focus on her personal life and that’s great fun as an actor to just and True Blood… his writing just so resonated with me so all I get to know, dimensionally, more aspects of your character and could think about was that I was going to meet him in the audition.” to get to play that stuff is really, really fun for me this season.” “Quite frankly the job seemed too big to get. I thought, ‘Well, “It’s a free-for-all,” Bowles reveals of the season. “Everyone is quite they’ll go with a name on this.’ My goal was just to not make too big literally running for their lives and I’ll leave it at that, but I am so confident that everyone is going to be on the edge of their seats this entire season.” of an ass of myself so that they’d bring me back for a guest spot www.scenelouisiana.com | 25
STATE OF THE ARTIST
Lauren Bowles and Carrie Preston
or something. It just wasn’t really on my radar that I would book it,” admits Bowles. “I went in and met Alan and I had to confess to him that I was just such a big fan and I was very nervous. He was so reassuring and the nicest guy so it totally put me at ease. Then I just auditioned and literally by the time I got home, I got the call that I had booked it. And you have to understand, in this town, for parts that size, that never happens. Usually it involves going back and reading for the studio, but because it’s HBO, they really kind of hire auteurs and let them do their thing, and that was definitely Alan. It was a total dream come true.” Bowles’ casting may have resulted in her dream job, but the anxiety of joining an already established show didn’t subside. “I joined at the end of season three so [I was] definitely new kid on the block and you just never know in terms of shows what you’re gonna walk into. It can sometimes be a nightmare, I’m not gonna lie,” says Bowles. “My first day, I’m in hair and make-up and I ask, ‘How is everyone, really?’ to kind of prepare myself. And they were like, ‘Everyone is awesome.’ And I said, ‘Come on.’ And they were like, ‘Seriously, everyone genuinely is awesome. You don’t last long on this show if you’re not!’ And I’ll be darned if that is not the exact truth.” Surviving more than two seasons into the show, Bowles is now a veteran member of the cast with her own supernatural storyline. Unfortunately, her late entrance left her out of their early 26 | August/September 2012
photo by John P. Johnson/HBO
visits to Louisiana for shooting. Now the Louisiana landscape is recreated in California to resemble fictional the bayou town of Bon Temps. “When you’re in these mountains and you see how they’ve dressed it, it’s the craziest thing,” says Bowles. “When you are down there, or up there rather, you wouldn’t believe it.” Even the uncanniest resemblance to southern swamps can’t take the place of the real thing, a fact that makes New Orleans and Baton Rouge one of the actress’s dream sites to work. “There’s just no region like it. There really isn’t. And there’s something so romantic about the region, I don’t mean just in the sense of boy-meets-girl romantic, but just like with the weather and the look of it all, the history behind it,” says Bowles. “It’s just steeped in drama and storytelling, so it’s not surprising for me that such interesting stories are set there.” Holly’s Louisiana story has Bowles portraying a fiercely protective single mother of two teenage boys with a penchant for witchcraft, but in reality the actress is happily married to actor Patrick Fischler with a baby girl. Her better half recently visited New Orleans for the filming of Two Guns with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, but filming True Blood and their young child kept her from taking a trip down to New Orleans. Keep up with the blonde beauty by following her on Twitter (@LaurenEBowles) and catch her at work playing Merlotte’s favorite Holly Sundays at 8:00pm on HBO. S
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FILM |
PAUL BEN-VICTOR NEW YORKER IN NEW ORLEANS by Alexandra Fraioli photos by Kelli Binnings
P
aul Ben-Victor has his roots in the New York theatre. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Ben-Victor made the transition from east to west coast early in his career. Scene spoke with him while shooting Emmett/Furla Films’ Empire State, a film set in New York but shot in New Orleans. “I started off a little bit in New York,” said Ben-Victor. “I started off on the off-off-off-off-off Broadway thing for about a year. I got some early commercials in New York… the original Levi’s 501 Blues campaign. And then I got shipped off to L.A. to do a Dodge Boy campaign commercial. I did a bunch of those. The weather was great, I didn’t have any allergies out there.” His budding film and television career grew during his early years in Los Angeles. “Back lots had no security,” Ben-Victor recalls about getting his start in 1980s Southern California. “I’d sort of walk on and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to walk in this building.’ ‘Alright.’ I’d walk in, I’d introduce myself. I did my monologues wherever I wanted to, an office here, an office there. Some guys said, ‘Come on in. You’d be good. Go in at four o’clock for a show called L.A. Law.’ I got my first guest on L.A. Law, and the rest is history. I started doing a scene here, an L.A. Law here, a Cagney and Lacey, a China Beach and a movie there. I became a member of the Actors’ Studio out there. I did a play by a playwright named Lyle Kessler who wrote Orphans.” Though his career seemed to be developing rapidly, it wasn’t without growing pains. “Twenty years ago, I was confused, I was less happy,” remembers Ben-Victor. “A little nuttier, a little angrier. I burned some bridges that I regret doing back then. Just being a little cockier. But there 30 | August/September 2012
was nobody to teach me otherwise. I had to learn these things alone.” Perhaps Ben-Victor’s biggest break came when he was cast in the HBO drama The Wire, also starring Wendell Pierce. “That was probably one of the most exciting times of my life, in terms of career,” he says. “That was probably one of the most exciting times of my career so far because I was doing several things at the same time. I had written a play with my mom that was playing in a beautiful theatre, The Hayworth Theatre in L.A. At that time it was called The Good Steno, but we’re changing the name to This Little Jew Girl. Morty is this horrible villain, and I play Morty. So it’s a great play, and I was doing that. And then I get an offer to do The Wire, which was the greatest offer at the time. I don’t know how exactly that happened but [The Wire casting director] Alexa Fogel… I owe her a lovely gift that’s long overdue.” “[Alexa] was amazing. She made that happen,” says Ben-Victor. “I don’t know how, but I get a call saying, ‘Paul, you start shooting next Monday. Get on a plane to play this Greek guy.’ I was doing Entourage at the same time, and I was doing The Good Steno, In Plain Sight. There was a lot of stuff happening that year. I was overwhelmed doing theatre, TV and film all at the same time. It was a great time.” Now a veteran actor, Ben-Victor has gone back to his roots, again collaborating with his mother, but this time as a writer. “It’s Should’ve Been Romeo,” says Ben-Victor. “I co-wrote it with my mom. She’s a playwright, Leah Kornfeld-Friedman. We started writing it fourteen years ago, based on a summer stock play I did thirty years ago. [It was] Romeo and Juliet where I played Benvolio. When I should’ve been Romeo, but I was Benvolio. So it was the seed and wrote a draft,
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then kept writing new drafts. Greg Ferkel is another writer that came on board and myself. And then my friend Michael Goldberg came on board, who wrote Cool Runnings and Snow Dogs. Big family film writer. And that’s what this is: it’s a wonderful, funny, lovable little family story. We wanted to make a funny movie, a lovable feel good movie.” “Over the years it just evolved and evolved and evolved and we finally put it together,” he continued. “And it stars Ed Asner, Carol Kane, Michael Rappaport, Alanna Ubach and Evan Handler. Kelly Osbourne has a wonderful cameo in it. Mary McCormack from In Plain Sight has a cameo. It’s chock full of cameos! We needed Tina Majorino (True Blood), so I think we had to work around her schedule for the movie. She’s wonderful. Again, she has a cameo, and then she turns around and hits it out of the park. Everybody does. Costas Mandylor is in it. Natasha Henstridge and I go back to the Van Damme movie we did twenty years ago, Maximum Risk. Evan Handler and I did The Three Stooges together. We became and are still very close friends. Matt Winston, he did In Plain Sight. It’s a wonderful thing to call your old friends and say, ‘Hey, could you come do a day for us? Could you come do a couple days?’ And they go, ‘Sure, when should I show up and where? If I’m in this country, I’ll get there.’” Now in New Orleans filming a movie about his native New York, Ben-Victor is enjoying himself. “Empire State is just exciting to just be a part of this thing,” he said. “It was exciting because it’s another Greek family that I’m playing that I’m a part of. And then I watched Dito Montiel’s movie, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. I was blown away by that, then I watched Fighting, which is one of his other movies. I got the script [for Empire State], and I didn’t put two and two together, ‘Oh, it’s this guy.’ He’s amazing. It’s just an exciting thing to be a part of.” “Empire State is a true story about these two neighborhood 32 | August/September 2012
kids,” he explains. “Two crazy kids from Queens back in the 80s, I believe. They were the biggest rip offs in history. One of them works for an armored car company, and they rip off fifteen million bucks. True story. It’s a great terrific project.” “We did a night the other night; we wrapped at like five in the morning,” Ben-Victor continued. “So we got through the night, it was a very exciting night. There’s a big climax. I read the script and I went, ‘Woah, this is a great role. It would be great to get this.’ And when I got the offer, I was thrilled.” “It’s great to be down here in this whole world, movie making down here,” he said. “Liam Hemsworth, a wonderful young actor, I play his father. A neighborhood immigrant from Queens back in the 80s just trying to hold down the fort, trying to be a good family man, and my son has his hands in some dirty business. We have a big week coming up where I’m going to meet with my family and work with some terrific actors. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great group of people.” “Liam Hemsworth and I were talking about [director Dito Montiel] the other night,” he said. “We’re like, ‘He’s sort of the perfect director,’ because he’s incredibly generous, incredibly warmhearted. He seems to really love actors and understand the actors, and yet, he’s really specific in what he wants. His direction is just really specific and really poignant. He seems to be able to say very little, and send you in another direction. He wants it to be very real, very organic. He’s very sensitive for it not to be anything stagy. He’s just got a beautiful quality.” Though he laments the loss of production in New York and Los Angeles, Ben-Victor has appreciated his time in Louisiana. “Hats off to you guys. I’m thrilled you guys have this influx of the industry.” For video clips and more from Paul Ben-Victor’s Should’ve Been Romeo, visit the official website at www.shouldvebeenromeo.com. S
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TODAY’S SCENE
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD PREMIERES IN NEW ORLEANS by Micah Haley photos by Kelli Binnings and Chad M. West Beasts producers Dan Janvey, Michael Gottwald and Josh Penn with director Benh Zeitlin
A
movie crafted by creatives at the beginning of their careers, Beasts of the Southern Wild erupted after its first screening at the Sundance Film Festival. Lauded as one of the best films to emerge from Park City in years, the Louisiana-set drama instantly inspired audiences and critics alike. After screening the film at festivals around the world – including the Cannes Film Festival in France – the filmmakers and stars of Beasts brought their movie home to New Orleans, the city that birthed the film. The city that many of them call home. The New Orleans premiere of Beasts of the Southern Wild was held at the Joy Theater, a symbol of post-Katrina recovery located on Canal Street. Severely dilapidated even before the storm, the historic Joy had been in operation since 1947. But by the mid-1980s the theater was far past its prime. “Dwight tells me stories about going to see movies there where nobody put their feet on the ground because there were just rats running around everywhere,” said Beasts director Benh Zeitlin. “It’s like this is a dream. From the moment I got to New 34 | August/September 2012
Beasts star Dwight Henry
TODAY’S SCENE
Beasts co-writer Lucy Alibar, director Benh Zeitlin and star Quvenzhané Wallis www.scenelouisiana.com | 35
TODAY’S SCENE
Beasts writer Lucy Alibar and actress Amber Henry
DIRECTOR BENH ZEITLIN:
Everything else is fantastic, but there is real meaning to the film playing here. I will come back here. This is where I want to be. The way that the film resonates here is the most important thing to me.
Orleans, driving by the Joy Theater — which was closed down — it was like, ‘It would be awesome to [do a premiere there].’” As the filmmakers traveled around the country with the film, distributor Fox Searchlight began to make plans for a New Orleans premiere at the newly renovated Joy Theater. “We were adamant about that,” said Zeitlin. “We wanted to do it much earlier, but we’re really happy. It’s great that it’s happening right before the release at the height of this whole thing.” Fox Searchlight teamed with Scene Magazine to produce the premiere, bringing in skytracker lights, a red carpet and as much local and national press as possible for the low budget film that would soon attempt a box office takeover. The premiere at the Joy Theater was actually the second showing of the finished film in Louisiana. The night before, filmmakers made the trip “down the bayou” to screen the film where it was shot. “We showed it in Terrebonne last night,” said 36 | August/September 2012
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TODAY’S SCENE
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DWIGHT HENRY:
That’s where I get my passion from when I played that particular part in the movie. Going through these things, I brought a certain passion to that part an outsider couldn’t. If you would’ve brought in Denzel Washington, he ain’t never lost nothing. He ain’t never been in a flood, he never lost his home. Big Chief Alfred Doucette
Zeitlin. “We were in Montagut at the Montagut Rec Center. It was awesome. It was the best screening we’ve ever had. It’s all people down there who we made the film with. Everybody that put us up, helped us out, lots of people from the crew, extras who hadn’t seen it, actors who hadn’t seen it. It was amazing. It was a real sense of closure. I think between that screening and tonight [at the New Orleans premiere], I’m going to walk away like, this is actually… that’s always what we imagined would be the first screening.” As the sun began to fall, the press lined up in front of the Joy Theater. The filmmakers and actors reunited on the red carpet with The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Associated Press, The Times-Picayune and more ready to talk to the talent behind the biggest surprise of the year. The genuine affection the director, producers and actors have for each other is apparent. Also present were actors from other projects 38 | August/September 2012
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TODAY’S SCENE
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Treme star Lance Nichols and wife Jaqueline Fleming
CO-WRITER LUCY ALIBAR:
So much of the values that my parents taught me are in the movie. filmed in New Orleans, Django Unchained and HBO’s Treme. “Everything else is fantastic, but there is real meaning to the film playing here,” said Zeitlin. “As much as I’ve been away from home the last month, and I’m going overseas and all that, I will come back here. This is where I want to be. The way that the film resonates here is the most important thing to me.” S 40 | August/September 2012
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scene GET OUT THE VOTE FOR THE CAMPAIGN by Alexandra Fraioli
E
lection season is upon us, and thus has begun the vigorous battle between candidates to gain massive constituent support; a process known as campaigning. Elections can get dirty. But director Jay Roach takes the campaigning to – you guessed it – another level. In The Campaign, Cam Brady (Will Ferrell), a Congressman of four consecutive terms, has never faced an opponent for his seat representing the 14th District in North Carolina. Suddenly, Brady finds himself pitted against Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), an average, awkward guy who thrusts his way into the political ring. The two big-time, small town politicians struggle for a coveted seat in the United States Congress. Antics ensue. This fatty glimpse into southern
fried politics (originally known as its working title, Dog Fight) was filmed last winter in New Orleans, with some work completed in Hammond and on the West Bank. The film wrapped on Thursday, February 16, just in time to celebrate Fat Tuesday in the Big Easy. In fact, funnyman Ferrell even reigned as Bacchus XLIV when the parade rolled on February 19. In addition to the traditional “throws” of beads and doubloons, Ferrell reportedly also threw cow bells, reminiscent of his highly illustrious performance in the renowned Blue Oyster Cult skit on Saturday Night Live. The film also includes New Orleans native Billy Slaughter in a role aspiring actors in Los Angeles would kill for. Do your civic duty and vote when the polls open everywhere August 10. S
Zach Galifianakis and Will Farrell in The Campaign photo by Patti Perret
BRAD PITT IS KILLING THEM SOFTLY by Jillian Aubin
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irector Andrew Dominik is back for his third feature film with another crime drama, Killing Them Softly. Like Dominik’s previous film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly features part-time New Orleans resident Brad Pitt, the actor’s first Louisianashot film since his role in 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pitt plays Jackie Cogan, a softspoken hit man who has to investigate an underground poker game gone wrong, resulting in a massive robbery. Pitt’s character must track down the minds behind the heist. Richard
44 | August/September 2012
Jenkins (The Cabin in the Woods), James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) and Scoot McNairy (In Search of a Midnight Kiss) team up with Pitt to bring the novel to the silver screen. The film was shot in New Orleans in the spring of 2011 under the title Cogan’s Trade, based on George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel of the same name. At its premiere at Cannes Film Festival, Killing Them Softly was nominated for the Palme d’Or and received a ten-minute standing ovation from the audience. Distributed by The Weinstein Company, Killing Them Softly opens wide on September 21. S
Brad Pitt as Jacky Cogan in Killing Them Softly photo by Melinda Sue Gordon
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RESHOOTS FOR GANGSTER SQUAD by Jenny Bravo
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et in 1949 Los Angeles, Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad stars Sean Penn as a ruthless mafia boss who controls the entire city’s politics and law enforcement. The screenplay is based on Paul Lieberman’s novel of the same name. The film follows a select crew of LAPD officials as they attempt to break Cohen’s hold on the City of Angels. The team assigned with the takedown must work “off the books,” as Nick Nolte instructs in the film’s trailer, which means no outside help for the covert agents. Based on true events, Gangster Squad showcases real-life mob boss Mickey Cohen (Penn) and his efforts to command a city using violence and brutality. During his lifetime, Cohen had ties to the American and Jewish mafias. Before relocating to Los Angeles, Cohen worked in Chicago for Al Capone’s crime organization, the Chicago Outfit. Fleischer’s crime
Official Gangster Squad poster featuring Anthony Mackie
drama boasts an impressive cast including Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Giovani Ribisi and Michael Pena. New Orleans native Anthony Mackie also stars in Gangster Squad as Coleman Harris, one of the detectives charged with restoring order to Los Angeles. Mackie received critical acclaim for his
courtesy of Warner Bros
role as Sergeant JT Sanborn in the Academy Awardwinning film The Hurt Locker. Gangster Squad also features fellow Louisiana native James Hebert. Originally slated to open in theaters on September 7, Gangster Squad has been moved to January 11, 2013 to allow time to reshoot a key scene that made some uncomfortable after the tragedy in Aurora. S
LOOK OUT FOR LOOPER by Elizabeth Glauser
I
n between his days as a goofy, longhaired alien in Third Rock from the Sun and his role as suave, sharp-dressed Arthur in Inception, Joseph GordonLevitt starred in Rian Johnson’ directorial debut, Brick. The neo noir thriller quickly became a cult classic and showed the world the talent of both actor and director. The two have paired up again for the sci fi thriller Looper. Combining time travel and organized crime, the film follows assassins tasked with killing targets sent back to them from the future. With this arrangement, the mob’s enemies are erased without a trace from the future, and the assassins, aka loopers, reap the extreme monetary benefits in the past. Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is living the good life as a looper until one of the targets sent back is himself. Hesitant after seeing his own 46 | August/September 2012
eyes staring back at him, Joe is overtaken by his older self, setting in motion the film’s action-packed events. The chase that ensues finds young Joe hunting down old Joe while running from his angry mob superiors. Though taking place in Kansas City in 2042, the film shot in New Orleans in 2011, bringing Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels and Garrett Dillahunt to Southern Louisiana. Looper pays homage to the crime classics of the 1930s and 40s with wardrobe and set design reminiscent of the period’s style. Adding that to a bit of the Blade Runner-style grit of the 80s, Johnson combines the film noir of the past, creating a truly original vision of the future. Brush up on mind-bending time travel paradoxes when it hits theaters everywhere September 28. S
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper photo courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment
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ABOVE THE LINE
WENDELL
PIERCE FAVORITE SON by Micah Haley
B
orn and raised in New Orleans, Wendell Pierce is one of the most lauded creatives ever to emerge from Louisiana. A veteran actor of stage and screen, Pierce
is perhaps best known as Detective Bunk Moreland on David Simon’s The Wire, an HBO series frequently cited as the best television drama of all time. Pierce now stars as trombonist Antoine Batiste on Simon’s New Orleans-set and shot drama Treme, now in its third season. We spoke overlooking the Mississippi River at Second Line Stages in New Orleans.
48 | August/September 2012
ABOVE THE LINE
photo by Jason Kruppa styling by Andi Eaton assistant stylist: Yemaya Briggs Guzman clothing courtesy of Rubensteins
www.scenelouisiana.com | 49
ABOVE THE LINE MH: As a local boy, I know you started your study of acting here in New Orleans. Can you tell me a little about that? WP: I went to Ben Franklin High School and NOCCA, the New
Orleans Center for Creative Arts. It was great. I was back in the third year of it. We were Uptown and it was great, man. I remember being there… all these young people …and they were very serious about training us. That set me on the road. After graduating from NOCCA, I went to Julliard, got out of Julliard and began my career. That was great but NOCCA was really the foundation of it. Great training and then also to be around people of like mind. Wynton and Branford Marsalis were there, Harry Connick Jr., Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison. Someone is going to look back on that time and just say, “Wow!” At this particular time, this school put out all of these people of like mind. And it goes on. I remember talking to Anthony Mackie. He said, “Hey, I went to NOCCA. I came here and I want to go to Julliard.” And I was like, “Yes.”[laughs] And look at him now. There’s a real legacy of artists that come out of this city that went through NOCCA.
MH: When you think about it, it’s really not surprising that our culture has produced a school like NOCCA. WP: That’s the great thing about
Louisiana and New Orleans. The reason people will come here, the reason we’re world-renowned, is because of our culture. We actually live our culture more than other places. It is a part of our life. We demonstrate the role of culture better than most communities because culture is where people intersect with life itself and how they deal with life. That intersection is culture: how we deal with love, death, food, joy, everything. We see it in our cuisine, we hear it in our music, we see it in how we exhibit our culture. How do we deal with life itself ? And what that means is thoughts are to the individual as culture is to the community as a whole. It is to reflect on who we are, where we’ve been and where we hope to go. It’s a tangible thing. Entertainment that comes from our culture is the residual. The role of it is, “Man, I lost my momma, so we’re going to send her out right.” A homecoming, let’s cook this wonderful meal. A birthday, a celebration… all of that happens in all cultures in all societies, but the way we do it is so specific and so special and unique that people around the world admire it.
MH: Having Treme here has been awesome for the city. WP: It’s been a classic example for me of life imitating art and art 50 | August/September 2012
imitating life. It’s going to be a marked period in my career and in my life together. Where your two worlds come together, you know? The whole family’s life was turned upside down and destroyed, and actually coming to the city and talking about people as they are rebuilding their lives… you couldn’t have a more cathartic experience.
MH: That’s such a great word, catharsis. A welcomed word. WP: That’s really what it is for me. It’s an emotional roller coaster
ride to relive stuff, to go through stuff. I just imagine years from now, people having that set of DVDs of Treme where they’ll be able to pull it out, look at it and mark down a period in time. That’s what we were going through then and this is what we were saying about it. This is what this production was trying to say. I just came back from Paris… and to see the Soul Rebels that were playing in Paris, to hear a brass band playing at three o’clock in the morning, all these French kids trying to play New Orleans music… the impact of our culture around the world you get to see and to attempt to try to honor that is really cool too.
MH: I am an enormous fan of The Wire. It’s a show that I watch in its entirety once a year. After working with David Simon on that show, when did he come to you about possibly working on Treme. Did they come to you early on, or after they had written a pilot? WP: It was early on, actually. They had talked about it going all the way back to Homicide. We were shooting The Wire, maybe even the fourth season, when Katrina happened and that kind of expedited things. That’s when David said, “I really need to do this show now. I’m going to do a show about the music and culture of New Orleans. And now I really need photo by Jason Kruppa to do it because that culture and city is threatened.” And he came up to me on the set of The Wire and said, “I’m writing a show about New Orleans. That’s going to be my next project.” And I go, “Ok.” [laughs] He said, “I know you’re from New Orleans.” And I’m like, “Yeah.” [laughs] And I didn’t say it but I was thinking, “I better be in that show.” [laughs] Then one day he just kind of gave me an opening, just a little scene he had written. It didn’t have a title... it just had “musicians.” It evolved to the scene between me and Kermit and Steve Zahn outside of Vaughan’s [Lounge]. It was these musicians talking about if you could leave or should we stay in New Orleans. It’s that classic scene in the first season where Kermit says, “You just going to stay here, barbeque and smoke weed?” And he said, “Yeah…that’ll work!” [laughs]
ABOVE THE LINE
Wendell Pierce as Antoine Batiste
MH: Kermit’s just amazing on the show. WP: Yeah, he is. So, David gave me the early version and then
came back to me and said during the last season of The Wire, “I’m writing a role for you in it.”
MH: He drew it out like that, huh? WP: Yeah. He did. He wrote the scene, it was like we finished one
season, came back and he was like, “So I’m moving on with this pilot and I wrote a role in there for you.” I was like, “Oh, thank you!” [laughs] And that’s one of the highest honors anybody can give an actor; to write a role for them. I realized now that I’ve been working with David since 2001. It’s been a special, special decade for work.
photo by Paul Shiraldi
MH: That’s amazing. And the show has brought you home. WP: Yeah! It brought me home. My parents are happy about that. I
was terrified at the beginning because I’m from New Orleans, man.
MH: You have everybody’s eyes on you. WP: Yeah, everybody was looking at me like, “You better get it
right!” I told David, “New Orleans, man, they are always going to be on you. It better be correct.” So, I felt a certain dread and fear and responsibility of getting it right but David’s very, very specific in that he wants to find the real, authentic - whatever it is - the authenticity in whatever he writes. I knew he was going to be approaching it right. It’s still hit and miss, you know. Not www.scenelouisiana.com | 51
ABOVE THE LINE everyone loves the show and you can’t please everyone. But the one thing I’m proudest of is, I feel as though we are authentic. More authentic than any other depiction of New Orleans. Years from now, we’ll be able to look back at these shows, even with a critical eye, and say, “No, I didn’t like that about it. I did like that about it.” But the one thing that everybody will have to say is “that moment really spoke truth to me.” That was authentic, that was a real moment. I’ve had people tell me that there’s a moment when Clarke [Peters] comes back into his house for the first time and they said, “Wow, I hadn’t dealt with losing my house until I saw that moment.” I remember the mud. I remember seeing the mold on the wall. I remember all that and having an emotional moment five years after the fact. Or four years after the fact, since I’ve kept it all bottled in. So that’s the thing I really like about this show. I was on it pretty early on. I was really happy that David wrote a part for me.
MH: One of the great things for me about Louisiana’s entertainment incentives is that they have brought some of our favorite sons and daughters back to Louisiana. Talented people like you have been able to return home and work. WP: And here’s the other thing:
the film industry in Louisiana now is real. It is substantial. It is something I feel is not going to be temporary. It is established. We have now passed New York in production. And I call all the flights to L.A. the actor’s express. It just shows you that it’s real. And the thing New Orleans has - unlike the other states and other cities that have picked up on the tax credits – is that this is the place people want to come. People want to come here to cut their films even if they shoot them other places. To have the industry here, I see it as one and the same [with Los Angeles and New York]. I feel like I’m going from one neighborhood to another now when I go from L.A. to New Orleans. It’s real and it’s only going to grow more and more. I am pleased to see the industry here and I know it’s only going to grow and get bigger.
MH: Where do you spend most of your time? WP: I’m tri-coastal. I’m between L.A., New York and here [New
Orleans]. Before I would split my time between Los Angeles and New York.
MH: You’re not making it easy on yourself are you? [laughs] 52 | August/September 2012
WP: [laughs] No! No, I’m not at all. But you know something? It works out. As crazy as it is I go between cities like I’m going from one room of my apartment to the next. And it’s seasonal. Treme is done now so I’m in Los Angeles more right now. It’s great to be home. MH: Do you feel like it has benefited your career outside of Treme? Do you feel you’ve gotten other opportunities on films that you wouldn’t otherwise have gotten? WP: What happens is, when I’m down shooting Treme, people go,
“What? Wendell’s down here?” [laughs] It actually works out for them because they don’t have to house you or fly you in, you know? So yeah, they love that stuff. That’s the next part of the evolution is making sure those principle roles get to local actors here. There are a lot of local actors I know who are building up their resumes before they go out to California. Now it’s also great to see New Orleans and Louisiana actors, who I’ve known in Los Angeles and New York, say, “I’m moving home.” [laugh] It’s so great to see that.
MH: Because David Simon’s shows are so authentic, the city itself becomes a character in the show. WP: Yeah, Baltimore was definitely
a character in The Wire just like New Orleans is a character in Treme. What’s great about David is he populates the world, and he wants to tell the story of the world he has created. So once he has populated the world and wants to go back to the storyline, he’ll call back that actor and that character. What sometimes happens is that one character that photo by Jason Kruppa may start off as just a walk on one day evolves into a real storyline in a couple of years. It’s great to be home and it’s great to be doing the show. I’m very proud of it. I accept the praise along with the criticism because that’s all a part of it. It’s real.
MH: Some people who don’t live in New Orleans say that Steve Zahn’s character is so annoying. I don’t get that. The thing is, I have known so many guys like him in New Orleans and they are annoying! WP: First of all, have you met the real guy? [laughs] MH: He’s hitting the nail on the head! He’s doing his job. WP: Yeah he is and Steve is one of the nicest guys ever. It’s real!
People annoy you in life.
ABOVE THE LINE
photo by Paul Shiraldi www.scenelouisiana.com | 53
ABOVE THE LINE MH: It’s an awesome show and I can’t wait for the third season to come back. WP: Yeah, it’s going to be interesting. MH: What does Antoine Batiste have in store for us in the third season of Treme? WP: What’s great for me is
carrying on the tradition. I love working with kids and these are real New Orleans kids. Carrying on that tradition of passing on the music and legacy of the music. I go a little further on my teaching job this year and that’s the thing that I love the most because that is such a New Orleans thing. That for all the people who have come here since the storm and New Orleanian evolution that’s happening in the city of the old and the new. The one thing that is constant is that tradition of passing on the cultural legacy that Antoine gets more involved in this year.
MH: Do you have any other projects you can tell me about? WP: Parker, which we shot here, comes out in January with Jennifer
Lopez and Jason Statham. Four, which doesn’t have distribution yet. Me and my castmates just won Best Actors in the Los Angeles Film Festival for that independent movie. I just got back from Europe where we were shooting this movie called Mobius with Tim Roth and Jean Dujardin, which is a French film. I play an American in it. It’s an espionage movie. I play a CIA guy. And I just shot a local film here called Runaway Hearts. John Schneider is in it and J.K. Johnson. J has the lead in it. Those four projects are coming out and I just won the Tony Award producing Clybourne Park on Broadway.
MH: I was so happy to see that you won the Tony! WP: Thanks. I have a lot of irons in the fire that are on the
artistic side. That’s the way to do it. Then on the entrepreneurial side, I’m doing grocery stores here, which the first one opens in Marrero next month, Sterling Farms. One of the things is rebuilding Ponchartrain Park, seeing the needs of the neighborhoods and really making that commitment. It’s an opportunity to do well, to do good. The food desert areas that hadn’t had grocery stores or had lost grocery stores after the storm… as a part of the recovery, I wanted to participate in that. To have convenience stores called Sterling Express and the grocery stores will be Sterling Farms. So the first Sterling Farms opens in Marrero next month. It’s opening actually in September when Treme comes back on.
MH: Have you had an opportunity or thought about doing any theatre in New Orleans? There’s been a little bit of a revival… 54 | August/September 2012
WP: Yeah, there has. In 2007, I did a production of Waiting for Godot in the Lower 9 th Ward. Right where the barge had broken through the levee and that really was another cathartic moment for me. The play was perfect timing after what we had been dealing with after the disaster. How are we going to come back after so much loss had happened… that play really deals with the isolation of man and a difficult void of life; and dealing with issues of hope. So it really played well there. I’ve been thinking about it. I want to do a play. This film that I just did, the crew was a ton of film students and I was talking to the head of the program over photo by Paul Shiraldi there and I wanted to do a production for the Tennessee Williams Festival here. So I’m thinking of doing a production of Night of the Iguana. Got a lot of irons in the fire. MH: I have one more question for you. When are you going to run for Mayor? WP: I’m not going to ever run for mayor. Never. That’s the
downside of coming back, I’m reminded of our politics. There’s one thing about Louisiana, I hope we’re working through it, there’s always a zero sum game when it comes to politics. There’s politics everywhere but I hope that we evolve away from the politics of zero; “I can’t succeed unless you don’t succeed.” That is so against growth. My civic involvement just comes out of the need that I saw in my community after our devastation. I want to bring solutions to the table. That’s all. People want to complain and I told my community that we can complain all we want but let’s bring solutions to the table. The common goal is bringing New Orleans back and making it better. And not at the expense of anyone because if you make New Orleans better, it helps everyone and that’s what growth is about. W hat happens then is when you get involved people automatically assume that you want to go into politics because politics is such a primary and dominant thing here in Louisiana. It always has been. But I’m a private sector guy. I have nothing against government but all I’m saying is bring solutions to the table. I told my community, “Exercise your right to self-determination.” And that’s the mantra I try to live by. So whenever you see my civic involvement it really is that; exercising a right of self-determination and that comes from my life as an artist. You say, “ W hat am I going to do? W hat do I want to express as an artist?” So when you see the need in your community you say, “ W hat do we need? Let’s create it.” So let’s exercise our right of self-determination and that’s the spirit that you actually see in New Orleans post-disaster. People saying, “I want to bring my city back.” That’s my favorite line from Treme. My favorite line. I think about it, and I almost want to cry every time. I just want my city back. I just want my city back. S The first and second seasons of HBO’s Treme are available on DVD now. The third season premieres on Sunday, September 23.
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ON FIRE:
THE FLAMING LIPS MAKE HISTORY AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES
by Alexandra Fraioli
photos by Caitlin Barry
A
s The Flaming Lips began The Flaming Lips were on fire their set at the House of throughout their day touring the Blues in New Orleans, Southeast. “At five o’clock this morning multicolored confetti exploded out of you thought you were going to crawl cannons, raining down on the crowd. in, barely be able to sing and hope you Lights flashed while the rainbow can just survive it,” said lead singer flecks of paper floated through the Wayne Coyne after being informed air. Dozens of colossal confettithey had set a new record. “But as filled balloons fell from the ceiling, the day went, everywhere we would releasing another shower of colored go they’d give us energy. Now I feel I confetti as they popped. Rainbow could go another twenty-four hours.” streamers shot out from the stage The Flaming Lips have created and rained down from the ceiling, The Guinness Book of World Records officially announces the rock music for nearly three decades, whirling fans in a tornado of color. record broken garnering great national and Lead singer Wayne Coyne ceased singing for only a few moments international success. The band released several albums throughout as his now iconic, clear plastic globe began to inflate at his feet. the eighties and early nineties before signing with Warner Brothers, Climbing inside as it continued to fill, Coyne nudged forward to leading to their first hit single, “She Don’t Use Jelly” in 1993. move his man-sized bubble off the stage. Confidently crawling The Lips continued to release records and maintain commercial atop a sea of outstretched hands, he crowd surfed from inside his success - more so in the UK and Europe than the US - with thin plastic shell, pausing only to acknowledge fans below him. albums like The Soft Bulletin in 1999 and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Unbelievable is that this performance was the final in a series Robots in 2002. The band had achieved three Grammy Awards of eight concerts happening during the preceding twenty-four by 2007, including “Best Rock Instrumental Performance” twice. hours. The Flaming Lips were on a mission to set a new record Nominated for “Best International Act” at the BRIT Awards in the Guinness Book of World Records for most live concerts in 2007, the Lips’ extravagant, interactive shows are visually in multiple cities in one day. Breaking the world record required pleasing, with complex, psychedelic rock music to match. the band to perform eight separate concerts within twenty- The band was dubbed one of the “50 bands to See Before four hours, for a period of at least fifteen minutes at each venue. You Die” in 2002 by Q Magazine, a British music publication. The title was previously held by Jay-Z, who played seven shows Their most recently released album, The Flaming Lips and Heady across the United States, traveling by private plane. The Lips set out Fwends, is a collaborative project with tracks featuring Ke$sha, Bon on their 699 mile journey, traveling by bus, down the Mississippi Iver, Nick Cave, Erykah Badu and Neon Indian. The album was released River beginning in Memphis, eventually leading to The Varsity in on April 21 as a limited edition on vinyl and on June 26 digitally. Baton Rouge and closing in New Orleans at the House of Blues. The seemingly arbitrary mix of artists sparked some controversy Officially documented by Guinness World Records, the precisely among critics, with the majority still giving positive reviews. planned tour succeeded, earning the band a spot in the Guinness Book Though the Lips have no current plans on setting additional records of World Records on June 27, 2012. With twenty minutes to spare. this year, their world tour continues through the end of summer. S
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MUSIC |
COUNTRY TAKES OVER TIGER STADIUM
by Jenny Bravo photos by Jenny Bravo
B
aton Rouge welcomed country music’s biggest superstars with cowboy boots and beers in hand at the 2012 Bayou Country Superfest. The singers repaid the adoring crowds with beer showers, crowd strolls and personalized shout-outs to our treasured LSU Tigers. “When it comes to partying,” said country bad boy Eric Church, “Nobody in America – nobody – out-parties you guys.” Twang-filled, the musical event began with a tribute to an LSU tradition: tailgating. The concert’s Fan Fest allowed for the sweaty May masses to eat, drink and meet the country upand-comers Jerrod Niemann and Joe Nichols, while bands took to the Bud Light stage. The free event gave ticketholders and non-concertgoers alike the chance to pregame the exciting concert and shell out their money for fan merchandise. Saturday, May 26, Jerrod Niemann started the night right with hits like “Lover, Lover” and “One More Drinkin’ Song” that got the crowd crooning along. He was quick to leave though, as people continued to pack into Tiger Stadium. Next, the power quartet Little Big Town, featuring the voices of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Philip Sweet, rocked the stage with their banjos and perfect harmonies, bringing the fun to the festival. They played hits like “Little White Church” and “Pontoon” but also accepted the challenge of countrifying pop queen Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way.” Before the better-known names of Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban ruled the stage, Eric Church charged out, kicking and screaming. Church skipped across the stage with his iconic shades and fits of energy, bringing the crowd to their feet and screams to the seats. There were smoking stacks, spilled beers and a collaborative sing-along to hits like “Homeboy,” “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand.” “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. We started way back. What was it? The Varsity?” said Church, referring to the storied music venue at the university’s North Gates. Carrie’s bronzed legs did some stomping of their own once the sun set. “Will someone please turn on the air-conditioning please?” she said, prancing around in her Bob Dylan t-shirt. While her voice rung out with unbelievable force, her relationship with the crowd was less than satisfying. Underwood fell short at the personal connection that artists like Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley established, and she missed a key opportunity by forgetting to add her song that speaks of 1-10 and LSU. “Next time,” she promised. Keith Urban was, and usually is, the performer to see. Donning his LSU t-shirt once again, the Aussie’s genuine exuberance to play for Louisiana fans was hard to overlook behind that big, toothy smile. “As soon as I found out we were going to be playing here again at Bayou Fest, I was like yeah buddy, this is going to be fun,” he said. He reminisced about the last time he’d performed
58 | August/September 2012
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at the stadium, and told fans that it had been a while since they had been on stage, making the night even more special. Urban walked through the crowds twice, making the rounds from both sides of the stadium, and cutting through the floor seats where fans danced behind him and his guitar. Urban’s crowd interaction surpassed all other entertainers on the Superfest stage, extending his performance by nearly half an hour and taking the time to shake every hand on the catwalk before exiting the stage. He gave away his guitar to a little girl and wore his LSU jersey with pride. He worked the crowd’s spirit with fast-paced hits like “Put You in a Song” and “I Wanna Kiss a Girl,” then slowed it down with favorites like “For You” and “Stupid Boy.” With the voice, the looks and the charm, Keith Urban won over Tiger hearts. Sunday rolled around with the same blue skies and even more booming speakers. The part-Cherokee Joe Nichols also appeared at Fan Fest and sang hits like “Gimmie That Girl” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” Sara Evans brought sweetness to the stage with hits like “A Little Bit Stronger” and covers like Edwin McCain’s “I Could Not Ask For More.” As she sang, she signed autographs and kicked beach balls to the audience with her heels. Cool guy Dierks Bentley appeared newly shaven, making women swoon as he stripped down to his white t-shirt and sang his ballad, “Settle for a Slowdown.” If this weren’t enough, he energized the crowd with his additional verse to hit song “Am I the Only One,” including the lyrics, “Me and the dudes get down to Baton Rouge and rock it with the country crowd!” With eighteen singles and nine No. 1 hits, 60 | August/September 2012
Bentley had plenty to sing, including “What Was I Thinkin,” “Sideways” and “Home.” Jason Aldean evoked an Americana feel on Sunday night as rural images reeled on a screen behind him, accompanying songs like “Amarillo Sky” and “Flyover States.” A little bit country, a little bit rock-and-roll, Aldean proved he’s found professionalism in his skyrocketing success. He pulled out all the stops, including a projected video of Kelly Clarkson to sing along with him to their hit, “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” Joining him on stage was a “Duck Dynasty” cast member, a tradition Aldean has started since he brought along one of the stars of “Swamp People” in 2011. When rocker Aldean left the stage, he made way for soulful singer Gary LeVox and the rest of the Rascal Flatts. “You Tiger fans are getting crazy,” LeVox told the crowd as they sang along to upbeat hits like “Bob That Head” and “Life is a Highway.” Like Carrie Underwood, the music appealed primarily in sound alone, the performance failing to live up to predecessors like Keith Urban and Jason Aldean. Audiences sang along with spirit to heartfelt tunes like “My Wish” and “What Hurts the Most,” but Rascal Flatts cut out early shortly after 11pm. The 3 rd Annual Bayou Country Superfest proved to be the most successful yet, attracting approximately 75,000 fans. If the music wasn’t enough, the tributes to veterans that Memorial Day weekend moved everyone, as hundreds who served stood proudly in the stadium to rounds of applause. With ten dynamic performances and a meaningful reason to gather, the 2012 Bayou Country Superfest promised a hopeful future for the event. S
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MODE FASHION WEEK by Alexandra Fraioli fter appearing on the ninth season of Lifetime’s fashion-centric reality show Project Runway, Anthony Ryan Auld returned to Baton Rouge on a mission. A cancer survivor, Auld was eager use the exposure afforded him by the hit reality show to help others affected by the disease. He founded the RockOne1 Movement, an organization benefitting those affected by cancer. “I’m trying to partner fashion and cancer awareness and kind of bring the two together,” says Auld. The core of RockOne1’s mission is to inspire patients with positive, uplifting experiences like shopping trips and beauty treatments. “I really want it to be fun and playful and really lighthearted to have that positive mindset when you’re going through something that dark.” During a week of workshops, cocktail parties and fashion events for the inaugural Mode Fashion Week, Auld enlisted the talents of fellow Project Runway alums Bert Keeter, Laura Kathleen and Joshua McKinley to premiere their fall collections on the runway.
Main photo by Chad M. West. Clothing by Anthony Ryan Auld. Top to bottom: (1-2) photos by Alicia Antoinette, (3) photo by Chad M. West, (4-6) photos by Ashley Merlin.
64 | August/September 2012
| FASHION
BERT KEETER Bert Keeter’s fall collection featured a line of cocktail and evening wear to please even the most discerning tastes. The sophisticated line remains understatedly elegant while avoiding the mundane. Rich, clean fabrics effortlessly wrapped the models, and the sleek silhouettes spoke for themselves. “I don’t go into a lot of ‘gimmicky’ things,” explained Keeter. “I like my collection to stand on its own without extraneous accessories and hair and makeup.” Throughout his career, Keeter has worked with a multitude of major designers, including Arnold Scaasi, Bill Blass and Halston. “Haltson influenced me the most. His style is very minimal and understated, which is what I’m [honoring] in my collection.”
Main photo by Chad M. West. Top to bottom: (1-2) photos by Alicia Antoinette, (3) photo by Chad M. West. www.scenelouisiana.com | 65
FASHION |
photo by Alicia Antoinette
photo by Ashley Merlin
photo by Chad M. West photo by Ashley Merlin
JOSHUA McKINLEY Joshua McKinley highlighted his vivacious summer collection of casual menswear, perfect for steamy summers here in Louisiana. The combination of tank tops and shorts immediately illuminated the runway with vibrant colors and patterns. “I thought I’d come down to Baton Rouge and bring some bright colors for the summer,” McKinley said. His eagerness and zeal for fashion emanates from his designs, and his enthusiasm is contagious. “I’m extremely passionate about what I do, my craft,” he said. “I think this collection really helps to represent what I’m doing and who I am.”
LAURA KATHLEEN Laura Kathleen Planck presented her fall collection, highlighting original fabrics featuring mesmerizing prints and bold colors, a mix of Bohemian and French styles. Meandering prints accentuated and flattered feminine curves, a stark contrast with the clean cuts of her designs. The pieces easily fit into an everyday wardrobe with blouses, skirts and dresses appropriate for the office but able to effortlessly transition for a night out. “She’s a woman that wants to stand out and be different, but she’s extremely classy,” said Laura Kathleen of the client that inspires her. Such versatile pieces she described as “Wardrobe Workhorses,” or pieces that will be worn over and over until they are literally worn out. 66 | August/September 2012
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Anthony Ryan Auld showcased his collection of ready-to-wear clothing any customer could easily rock right off the rack. “I love street wear,” said Auld. “I love to see it on the everyday person.” Many of his prints were vividly hypnotic, featuring patterns that were actually magnified rock, custom printed specifically for this line. Auld’s hallmark use of color was also apparent, seamlessly merging classic shapes with unconventional textures and fabric, creating pieces that were both unique and actually wearable. “It kind of came from this whole idea of leaving Project Runway and that five minutes of darkness you’re in,” he reflected, “but from that comes life.”
Main photo by Chad M. West. Top to bottom: (1) photo by Alicia Antoinette, (2) photo by Ashley Merlin, (3) photo by Chad M. West.
68 | August/September 2012
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HAIR & MAKEUP BY
RIGSBY FREDERICK SALON & GALLERY & KETT COSMETICS photo by Paris Frederick
A
fter a week of fashion events and workshops, the hair and makeup team led by Rigsby and Sarah Frederick arrived prepared to sculpt looks to compliment the Mode designers’ fall collections. With an enormous amount of work to do and only a few hours to accomplish hair and makeup for eighty models, the team – comprised primarily of artists from Rigsby Frederick Salon and Gallery – shouldered a heavy burden. They carried it in stride. All smiles and enthusiasm, the hair and makeup professionals were a breath of fresh air to the entire event staff. “It makes my job easy to work with people who are positive, pleasant and hard working,” says Sarah, who noted that convincing the team to participate in Mode Fashion Week was easy. “Everybody wanted to do it. When everybody’s on board, it’s just fun. This was an opportunity to experience it together. It was bonding for our team.” Rigsby has cultivated a culture of teamwork with his unconventional approach to business. “Most salons are just booth rentals,” he says. “This is a situation where everybody works for the corporation. Everybody works as a team.” Sarah adds, "People are not out for themselves here. We work together.” “You live inside of art. You don’t just look at it,” says Rigsby of the inspiration at the heart of his business. “You go through life and there are very few things you can truly own that are one of a kind.” For almost thirty years, Rigsby has created a following by training the next generation according to his singular philosophy. His students are now legion. This army of artists accepted the responsibility of providing hair and makeup for the week of exhibitions and shows, including the final 72 | August/September 2012
photo by Alicia Antoinette
| FASHION
SARAH FREDERICK ON MODE FASHION WEEK
The energy of the whole week was exhilarating. Our team bonded and we made connections with new people in a sister industry. It was worth every second of hard work.
Rigsby and Sarah Frederick photo by Caitlin Barry www.scenelouisiana.com | 73
FASHION |
photo by Alicia Antoinette
runway event with over eighty models. “One thing I do want to give credit to is my creative team,” says Rigsby. “In a situation [like Mode Fashion Week], you have to have an army to take care of eighty models.” Planning the logistics of the runway show was a massive undertaking, an accomplishment that may not have gone as smoothly “if it wasn’t for [Sarah] really spearheading it and organizing it,” says Rigsby. “It is nice to have a vice president that can handle that.” “It all revolves around the designers’ looks. Everything depends on what the designers want, how difficult the look is, and how much time it’s going to take,” says Sarah. “When we are working with clothing designers we have to keep in mind that the clothes are the focus. The hair and makeup need to compliment the designer’s work without distracting from it; the clothing designs need to be the stars of the show. Creatively you must combine your efforts into something cohesive that works for everyone.” Planning began months in advance for the Mode team and the Fredericks. One of the first steps for Sarah was meeting with Anthony Ryan Auld. “He was very informative, and I just think he has a good perspective. He’s not all about himself. He’s proud of his work and he has a vision, but he’s just so calm about it.” The other designers were similarly superb to work with. “Bert Keeter was the one backstage that started communicating with us the most,” explains Sarah. “He started coming and giving us some feedback. He was so pleasant. He communicated well.” With a good handle on the creative vision, Sarah turned to logistics, working closely with fashion week producer Drew Langhart to ensure all of hair and makeup’s power and equipment needs were in place. “He was very, very nice, and anything I needed, anything I asked for, I would text him and he would respond,” she said. “I was so impressed with him.” The venue’s glass ceiling added additional challenges for the artists as day turned to night and sunlight faded. Sarah and her team adjusted tints and 74 | August/September 2012
colors as sunlight required throughout the day. “It was bright light outside during the day”, explained Sarah. “But where we were prepping had no natural light. Being within a venue like the Atrium is challenging because of all the different lighting situations we found ourselves in throughout the day. We prepped in no natural light, had the stage run-through in bright afternoon sunlight, did touchups backstage before the show in fading evening light and then the the models walked after the sun went down in bright stage lighting. So it was a challenge.” By show time, the models were perfectly groomed and ready to own the runway for the crowd of eager onlookers. To combat the intense and often unforgiving stage lighting, the Rigsby Frederick team exclusively used makeup from Kett Cosmetics. “Kett’s color correction is amazing,” says Sarah. “The way Sheila designed her color palette is genius and easy to use.” The feeling is mutual for Sheila McKenna, president of Kett Cosmetics. “Working with Sarah Frederick was one of the most pleasant experiences of working Mode Fashion Week,” she says. “She was able to roll up her sleeves to fix electrical problems, deliver hair and makeup designs, set up hair and makeup stations and keep every chair filled with a model in it. She had the ability to manage two teams of hair and makeup people, totaling more than twenty five, and keep a smile on her face at every stage. She was truly a pleasure to work with and I look forward to working with her again.” A staple in the film industry, Kett Cosmetics was specifically created for the digital revolution that was happening in film and television. As high definition cameras dramatically increased what complexion flaws could be seen on television and in theaters, McKenna realized new makeup technology was needed to protect onscreen talent. Now that protection is widely available to both professionals and consumers. “By using an HD camera to test all of our products for the ‘invisibility’ factor, we kill two birds with one stone,” says McKenna. “If the makeup we are creating is invisible to the HD eye, it will surely be invisible to the human eye.”
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“While airbrushing was being promoted as the only way to do makeup on HD, I knew that this was a false and misleading claim,” says McKenna of her experience in the industry. “I formulated Kett’s Hydro Foundation for application with an airbrush or makeup sponge. To accompany this liquid, a series of cremes were formulated for use as a concealer or foundation for the entire face. The Kett Fixx Creme ranges were extended specifically for the TV personalities that did not have professional makeup artists on staff and were forced to do their own makeup on HD. We’ve had reports that for the first time, network men were wearing their ‘TV faces’ out of the studio and not feeling made up.” The designers took full advantage of McKenna and Kett Cosmetics. “[Bert and Joshua] are extremely pleasant and both gave clear direction for the makeup looks they wanted to achieve,” explains McKenna. “While Joshua’s looks on the men were straight forward, Bert’s makeup design was a traditional beauty makeup with a classic style. This is beauty makeup at its absolute best. Anthony Ryan’s edgy rocker chic look was a bit more involved yet lots of fun to create.” “The vibe and venue was amazing,” says McKenna. “It’s always exciting for me to work on live shows. It’s an immediate gratification and rush. Enjoying Mode Fashion Week is an understatement.” For photos visit www.scenelouisiana.com, and for more information about the inaugural Mode Fashion Week, visit the official website at www.modefashionweek.com. S 76 | August/September 2012
photo by Paris Frederick
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by Jillian Aubin
G
rowing up in New Orleans, Billy Slaughter always knew he wanted to be an actor. He just didn’t know that he’d be doing it in his hometown. The Louisiana native has landed roles on projects such as Columbiana, Click, Drop Dead Diva and Beauty and the Briefcase. This August, Slaughter appears alongside Will Ferrell in The Campaign with Zach Galifianakis. “This was my first career. I’m proud to say I’m someone who is actually what I wanted to be when I grew up. I did my first play my freshman year of high school and was hooked.” Slaughter counts himself lucky among the masses of acting hopefuls in the industry. “But while others who wanted to pursue this were given a barrage of reasons not to, things kept moving forward for me. I found something I loved and was good at. It just all made sense to me.” Slaughter attended Jesuit High School, after which he enrolled in the University of New Orleans drama program. Slaughter also received intensive classical training at the British American Dramatic Academy (BADA) in England. “At the highest level of my training in England, we were doing final presentation of our Shakespeare scenes with our toughest instructor, a well-known British actress. She had finished ripping through the rest of the scenes and actors, some were in tears, and then she got to me, ‘William… no notes.’ It was one of those rare moments when a respected peer says simply: there was nothing you could have done better.” Slaughter’s career got off to an interesting start. Dustin Hoffman recruited the actor to relocate to Los Angeles and be his personal stand-in for several years. “Getting to walk in the footsteps of the masters and learn directly from some of the best to ever play the game was an incomparable experience. There were times when I’d get to rehearse the scenes or act off-camera with my idols: the likes of Hoffman, De Niro, et cetera. Other times, I’d rehearse the scene as a stand-in, then see Dustin or Bob come down to set, hit their marks and independently make the same choices I did – that was a true confirmation I was on the right track.” After working in Los Angeles, Slaughter found himself returning to his home state to shoot his film Utility. “That was going to be my career vehicle. It was on schedule to film at the start of ’06, when the project — and I — lost everything in Katrina.” After spending a year rebuilding from the hurricane, Slaughter made the decision to stay in Louisiana permanently. Since moving back, Slaughter has enjoyed working on numerous projects as an actor in his home state. His most recent projects include The Campaign with Ferrell and Galifianakis. Slaughter plays Ferrell’s intern, Dermot. “I played him as a cross between a collegiate George W. and a younger version
78 | August/September 2012
photo by Kelli Binnings
ON WORKING WITH WILL FERRELL:
He’s one of the most humble, generous, down-to-earth guys you’ll work with. He’s really smart and understands comedy. of Will’s character. We’re certainly the blind leading the blind.” Slaughter enjoyed working closely with Ferrell. “He’s one of the most humble, generous, down-to-earth guys you’ll work with. He’s just really smart and understands comedy.” Slaughter’s success in returning to Louisiana has reaffirmed his conviction that anything is possible. “I can now look into my three-year-old daughter’s enormous blue eyes and tell her you don’t have to sell out on your dreams.” S
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Q
I’ve just started working on a few films and when I do my employment paperwork, there’s an option to be employed through a “loan-out company”? Exactly what is that? A loan-out company is used by above-the-line talent such as writers, directors and actors for the sole purpose of providing the services of the talent to a film production. The company is called a loan-out company, simply because it loans out the talent’s services to each film production the talent works on. All of the money earned from the talent’s services is paid directly to the loan-out company, which then pays the
business expenses and the talent’s salary. Because of this, all agreements with the production company are actually made with the loan-out company instead of directly with the talent. Additionally, there should also be an agreement between the loan-out company and the talent. Below-the-line employees of a film production may also choose to use a loan-out company for tax purposes, but it is less common.
Q
GOT A QUESTION FOR JAMES?
Submit your legal questions to
lettersoflaw@scenelouisiana.com. To contact James Napper directly, email jnapper@napperlaw.com or visit www.napperlaw.com
82 | August/September 2012
I want to produce a script from a writer, and it turns out she is part of the WGA. What do I need to know about hiring a WGA writer? What are separated rights? Do I have to become a signatory and what is that? The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is a union for professional writers, specifically those writing screenplays, television series and certain new media. Hiring a WGA writer will require meeting certain guidelines when contracting with a writer that is a member of the guild. The employment of WGA writers is subject to, and must be in accordance with, the collective bargaining agreement of the WGA, known as the WGA Theatrical and Television Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). The MBA controls the minimum deal terms for contracts with WGA writers. It includes such items as: the minimum payment for WGA writers, the payment terms for option agreements with WGA writers, the qualification and determination of credits, reacquisition of rights and what is known as “separation of rights.”
Members of the WGA have special rights called “separated rights,” which are dependent on the nature of the work and its originality. “Separated rights” are certain rights which may be retained by the writer. They are based in copyright and can include: publication rights, stage play rights, sequel payments, radio rights, reacquisition rights, merchandising rights and television series rights. The award of separated rights is driven by the WGA credit the writer qualifies for on that particular production. A signatory is a company or producer that has signed and agreed to abide by the terms of the MBA. You do not have to become a WGA signatory to work with a WGA writer, as WGA writers are allowed to work with non-signatories as long as the terms are in compliance with WGA Minimum Basic Agreement.
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FILM |
Randall Emmett on set in New Orleans with Mark Wahlberg
photo by Patti Perret/Universal
Prolific Producer
RANDALL EMMETT
by Micah Haley
“I
love Louisiana,” producer Randall Emmett tells me at his office in New Orleans’ central business district. “I was in a hotel here for a year straight. I never checked out, and then I finally rented a house in Uptown, and I love it.” After producing films in almost every state that offers incentives, Emmett - and his business partner George Furla - are settling in. “I’ve shot for a long time in Shreveport, I’ve shot in New Orleans. This has been the easiest. The crew, the cast… everybody loves it here. My partner hasn’t left Louisiana in the year and a half he’s been here… I think he’s gone home maybe ten times. Maybe. And it’s not just us: it’s everybody in our company. Probably five or six of us will end up buying homes or condos.” With three projects filming at once, Emmett has little time to spare, but he has been making time to speak with the media about his long term plans for Louisiana. “The people that are against the incentives in the state only see how the filmmaker benefits,” he says. “What they don’t ever take into consideration is the amount of money, the amount of people, outside of the direct movie businesses, that are affected. The neighborhoods that we spent our money in: the pizza parlors, the dry cleaners, the movie theaters, the shopping malls. When my family and friends come to town, we go to the mall, we go to the movies, to the bars. You have cast dinners. You’re spending millions 86 | August/September 2012
a year in all these places. All [critics] want to do is say, ‘Oh, well, the taxes incentives only benefit the direct movie crew.’ And that’s not true.” Before settling in New Orleans, Emmett was producing a slate of films in Michigan, which offered a different – and ultimately unsustainable – type of tax incentive. When Michigan abruptly pulled the plug on its still-young film incentive program, Emmett/Furla Films were eager to find a more mature program that would offer real stability. Louisiana was tried and true. “The state of Louisiana has been so good to the movie business. Louisiana is the role model for all tax incentives in the United States because it was the first, and it’s the most successful,” he says. “So I opened up offices here, and I signed a five-year lease, took large offices here, and we haven’t stopped.” As a native of Florida, Randall Emmett comes here prepared for the heat of Louisiana’s late summer months. “Not a lot of people know this, but I grew up as an actor in Miami,” he says. “I trained as an actor. That’s why I have such love and respect for actors because I really understand that. In high school, I was always making student films, and then I went on to New York as an actor. It was there that I got to work on my first feature film in the summer as a P.A. on a movie called The Hard Way. And from there, I knew that I would never go back to acting." “I enrolled in a film school, and I kind of fell into producing. I knew it
| FILM
Liam Hemsworth in Empire State
was kind of my calling,” he remembers. “I was just really good at taking seniors who were doing thesis films, budgeting their films, putting equipment together, the logistics. I just loved that. Nobody really tells you about the business and how to raise money, how to deal with investors and distribution, et cetera. So I moved to Los Angeles and I struggled as an assistant. I worked at a talent agency, and then Mark [Wahlberg], who was very generous, gave me a job as his assistant.” While working alongside Wahlberg, Emmett kept his goal in front of him. “I was obsessed with the great producers that I looked up to like Brian Grazer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Rudin and Joel Silver, many of whom I have a relationship with today,” he says. “To make a movie is one thing; to understand the business of making movies is a whole other animal. And I think that took years for me to grasp and be able to raise finances. Eventually, I got lucky and partnered with George Furla, who’s my partner of fifteen years now in the business, and we’ve created Emmett/ Furla Films. He came from a financial background, and he had put some
photo by Steve Dietl/Emmett-Furla Films
money up for the first film. Since then, we’ve made over seventy films.” Those films include Neil LaBute’s now classic Cage-sploitation flick The Wicker Man, director Richard Donner’s 16 Blocks, Sylvester Stallone’s return to Rambo and many others. “It was never a job to me, it was always a passion,” says Emmett. “So I felt like, ‘Wow, I get to do something I love.’” Among the films Emmett/Furla Films has produced since returning to New Orleans are Broken City, Empire State, Two Guns and The Tomb, starring action legends Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwartzeneggar. “Working with Stallone and Schwartzeneggar, two of the most iconic action stars, I mean, these are guys I grew up on,” says Emmett. “When Rocky came out when I was a kid, I wanted to be a boxer. I was so influenced by movies, I was so driven by them, so working with these guys together is just epic for me.” Once thought to be too big for the same movie, seeing Stallone and Schwartzeneggar in the same film is a treat for anyone who grew up in the 1980s or 1990s. “It’s a big movie, it’s a big action www.scenelouisiana.com | 87
FILM | film, it’s a lot of fun and it’s going to be a really great ride,” Emmett promises. “We built big prisons, because the whole movie is about Stallone’s character being a specialist who was trained to break out of prisons. So we built these enormous sets, and it’s been a lot of fun.” Currently filming in New Orleans, Two Guns stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. “It’s a big milestone in my career. It’s definitely the biggest-budgeted movie I’ve ever been involved in,” says Emmett. “It’s expensive, but I mean, it’s Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. It’s one of my best friends and then, Denzel. I know every one of his movies! I’ll be like a kid on the set.” “I sometimes wonder, ‘Am I going to wake up and my mother’s going to be trying to get me ready for high school?' Because every day feels like a dream. I’ve really appreciated the blessings that I have making these kinds of movies. These are actors I looked up to when I was in junior high and high school. I wasn’t a sports kid, I didn’t play football, but I watched a lot of movies and I wanted to Dwayne Johnson in Empire State emulate these people as a kid. I have such admiration for actors, so for Denzel, to watch him every day is going to be like a master class.” In addition to Emmett/Furla Films, Randall Emmett also owns Cheetah Vision with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. “He’s the best. A great actor, great musician, great producer and one of the smartest people I know. He’s taught me a lot about business. I always think I know everything, and then you meet someone like him. He’s done so many things with so many different brands. He was on the forefront of branding as an artist, back with Vitamin Water.” Emmett met Curtis Jackson while casting the film Home of the Brave. “He’s like one of the funniest guys in the world. We developed a friendship on that movie,” recalls Emmett. “We went on to do another movie together called Righteous Kill that he was in, and after that movie, he and I just talked. He really wanted to have more of a presence in the movie business. He had come up with the idea to start a company and we decided that we would partner on this venture together. And it’s been three and a half years, and in that time we’ve made probably a dozen movies.” “He’s so personable. He’s very engaging, and when you sit with him, he treats everybody the same. He’s one of those really nice guys who will sign autographs,” says Emmett. “For the success he has, he’s down to earth, he’s never changed. He’s just like, ‘Listen, I get to wake up every day and do something that I love. How can I complain about it?’ There’s very little celebrity to his personality. He’s almost the opposite. He just 88 | August/September 2012
wants to work. He flies to Africa for one day to go see an orphanage, to contribute and give money. He’ll be there for twelve hours, fly back and then go to work. He’s a machine. Me? I need four days to recover from a trip like that. Just recently he got off stage performing at the Coachella music festival, he got on a plane at one o’clock in the morning, flew all night back to Louisiana and went to the set. So I said to him, ‘Listen, is this going to be a problem?’ And he’s like, ‘What do you mean? I got four and a half hours of sleep on the plane, that’s plenty. I’ll be ready to work.’ He understands that opportunity, and he doesn’t really question the logistics. He’s just like, ‘I have a job to do, and I love to do it, and I’m not going to ask that anybody be inconvenienced for my busy schedule,’ which is really refreshing.” With three films shooting at once, Emmett is clearly grateful for the leadership shown by others on set. “Mark Walberg’s like that, too. Stallone’s like that. I’m just saying these guys are leaders. And when they come on the set, they’re early, they’re photo by Steve Dietl/Emmett-Furla Films prepared. It’s like, who’s going to show up with anything less than that? That’s what makes making movies with certain people such a treat, because they’re there an hour before, they’re prepared, so everybody falls into line,” says Emmett. “That for me as a producer is everything. When you have actors who set the tone, it really makes everyone else step up. Without preaching, something I’ve realized is that actors who have the success of Curtis Jackson, Mark Walberg, Stallone, these guys… there’s a reason they’ve been around for as long as they have. They haven’t been successful all these years because they got lucky over and over. They have a work ethic, they have a passion, they have a discipline that they need, and they’ve carried that throughout their career. That I think applies to anybody in any business, but I think that’s what separates them from others.” One of the most prolific producers working in film today, Randall Emmett’s advice for the next generation is simple. “It’s real basic, it’s not controversial, it’s real down the middle: determination and persistence,” he says. “Those words are really simple. They’re just 'determination' and 'persistence.' Just say them, and they come out really easy, but they’re the hardest two words in the world. If you are driven and determined and persistent, you cannot fail.” “We’ve built some really great relationships with crew, with vendors, with the hotels, with the locals all over, I mean we’re really, really happy here,” Emmett says as we finish our conversation. “And I think we’ll stay here as long as Louisiana allows us.” S
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For more information, call 985.781.3650 or email: info@harborcenter.org www.scenelouisiana.com | 89
ON THE SCENE
MODE FASHION WEEK Runway Show & After Party Photos by Ashley Merlin, Alicia Antoinette and Chad M. West
As the sun fell, fourteen hundred people gathered for the inaugural Mode Fashion Week, held inside of the glass-topped Atrium at the BELLE OF BATON ROUGE. Presented by Mercedes-Benz and produced by Scene Magazine, the fashion event of the year featured fall collection presentations by Laura Kathleen, Joshua McKinley, Bert Keeter and Anthony Ryan Auld.
Supporters who donated to ANTHONY RYAN AULD’S ROCKONE1 MOVEMENT received gift bags as they took their seats by the runway. Drinks were chilled through a RockOne1 ice sculpture carved by MANSUR’S ON THE BOULEVARD.
Laura Kathleen, Anthony Ryan Auld and Bert Keeter
90 | August/September 2012
Ice sculpture by Mansur’s on the Boulevard
ON THE SCENE
In the VIP Lounge, sponsored by the LSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, guests mingled with LSU FOOTBALL HEAD COACH LES MILES, who took photos with anyone who asked. While enjoying drinks including MALIBU RED, fashionistas relaxed on stark white furniture provided by MONOCHROME FURNITURE + DESIGN.
www.scenelouisiana.com | 91
ON THE SCENE
MODE FASHION WEEK Runway Show & After Party Photos by Ashley Merlin, Alicia Antoinette and Chad M. West
Fans with Coach Les Miles During the runway show and into the night, DJ THE REAL STEVEN kept the glass room filled with music. Then the myriad sounds of CAPTAIN GREEN took the stage to turn up the party.
DJ The Real Steven
Captain Green
After the runway show, guests enjoyed complimentary food provided by some of the best restaurants in Louisiana. HELLO SUSHI offered fresh rolls presented on two live models.
NOLA Fashion Week creative director Andi Eaton 92 | August/September 2012
Hello Sushi presented fresh rolls on two live models
Bert Keeter, Laura Kathleen and Anthony Ryan Auld with fans
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ON THE SCENE
MODE FASHION WEEK Runway Show & After Party Photos by Ashley Merlin, Alicia Antoinette and Chad M. West
Leading the way for men’s summer fashion were the male models of Aristocracy.
94 | August/September 2012
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THE UNSCENE Beyond the Big Easy In the 1960s, a simply stated goal defined American exceptionalism to the world. From the earth to the moon. NASA’s mission was more than mere scientific curiosity. It spoke to strategic national security concerns raised by the Sputnik Crisis. American politicians and citizens became concerned that the great moat separating the Unites States from the Soviet Union could now be quickly traversed by the same technology that brought Sputnik I into orbit. Now, fifty years removed from the space race, private sector companies are carving out commercial chunks of airspace. And as Sir Richard Branson and others begin to make possible Memorial Day trips to the moon, NASA has retreated from territory it first traversed a half century ago. The Constellation Program, which promised return trips to the moon and a first manned excursion to Mars, has been shuttered. The downsizing of NASA has left federal property dormant across the country, including in Louisiana. When film soundstages were scarce, enormous air-conditioned properties owned by the federal government were attractive indeed. And films that wanted to make Louisiana work despite a lack of soundstages utilized them. On its face, the NASA facility’s entry into the market presents a boon for the local film industry. When purpose-built soundstage facilities are filled, any suitable overflow is welcomed over a film finding itself busy patching holes in dilapidated roofs of New Orleans warehouses, or worse, leaving the state altogether. Residents and local film industry workers welcome big productions and their accompanying economic boom with open arms. But indigenously conceived, financed and constructed film soundstages should not be continually underbid and displaced by a federally owned facility. A facility that has no shareholders, no mortgage and pays no taxes is competing on an uneven playing field. An entity operating on federal land that is earning state tax credits should be reformed. It is the proper role of government to allow a playing field for the private sector to compete. Not to compete directly against the private sector. - The UnScene Writer Submit tips to unscene@scenelouisiana.com. Anonymity guaranteed.
96 | August/September 2012