ANYTHING ELSE
A film by WOODY ALLEN
With
CHRISTINA RICCI
JASON BIGGS
WOODY ALLEN
DANNY DEVITO
PRODUCTION NOTES
www.anythingelse-themovie.com
www.pathefilms.ch
Im Verleih von
Monopole Pathé Films
Neugasse 6, Postfach
8031 Zürich
Tel. 01 277 70 83
miriam.nussbaumer@pathefilms.ch
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Jason Biggs (“American Pie,” “American Wedding”) and Christina Ricci
(“The Opposite of Sex,” “Sleepy Hollow”) pair up in the romantic comedy
“Anything Else.”
Jason Biggs stars as Jerry Falk, an aspiring writer in New York, who falls
in love at first sight with a free-spirited young woman named Amanda (Christina
Ricci). Jerry has heard the phrase that life is like “anything else,” but he soon
finds that life with the unpredictable Amanda isn’t like anything else at all.
The comedy also stars Oscar® nominee and Emmy winner Stockard
Channing (“Six Degrees of Separation,” TV’s “The West Wing”), Danny DeVito
and Jimmy Fallon.
“Anything Else” is written and directed by Woody Allen and produced by
Letty Aronson, with Helen Robin serving as co-producer. Stephen Tenenbaum is
the executive producer, and Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe are the coexecutive producers.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar®-nominated director
of photography Darius Khondji (“Evita”), three-time Academy Award-nominated
production designer Santo Loquasto (“Zelig,” “Radio Days,” “Bullets Over
Broadway”), editor Alisa Lepselter, and costume designer Laura Jean Shannon.
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Woody Allen’s new romantic comedy “Anything Else” is a lesson in the reality
that love at first sight isn’t always 20/20. Jason Biggs stars as Jerry Falk, who learns
that lesson the hard way when he falls head over heels in love with the beautiful but
flighty Amanda. “I think love at first sight ultimately lends itself to some relationship
problems down the road,” Biggs says. “Jerry falls in love at first sight, but then is
blind to everything that happens thereafter, so it’s all downhill from there.”
Christina Ricci, who stars as Amanda, remarks frankly, “Amanda is very
seductive and very good at playing into what a man would want, but she’s basically
just a child, who is incapable of really loving anyone…probably not even herself.
She’s emotionally immature, but she calls it a ‘commitment problem’ because it
sounds a lot more mature and dignified than saying ‘I’m just a big baby,’” she laughs.
“She’s really the ultimate nightmare girlfriend.”
“I would absolutely agree with that,” Biggs states, though he is quick to add
that his character, Jerry, has his own set of problems, as evidenced by the fact that
he puts up with everything Amanda throws at him and keeps coming back for more.
“Jerry is a pushover,” he acknowledges. “He’s a little too forgiving of Amanda and
those certain qualities about her—like her infidelity and her relationship committal
issues. Jerry is very timid about ending relationships that he needs to break from for
his own good. I suppose he is very unselfish in a way; he puts others before
himself.”
Ricci sees the problem a little less altruistically from Amanda’s perspective. “I
think the fact that she is always just beyond his reach and never really gives herself
to him is what keeps him chasing after her.”
In casting Christina Ricci as Amanda, Woody Allen says that he fulfilled one
of his ambitions as a director. “I am repeatedly asked whom I would want to work
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with that I haven’t already. I would always say Christina Ricci. I have been a big fan
of hers for years, and she really came through for me here.”
Ricci says that what first excited her when she read the script was, “I thought
it was a great mixture of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘Stardust Memories,’ which is my favorite
Woody Allen movie. And Amanda is such a typical Woody Allen girl, so I figured if
you’re going to do a Woody Allen movie, you might as well play the quintessential
Woody Allen girl.”
To star opposite Ricci, Allen cast Jason Biggs as Jerry after seeing a clip of
him in one of his earlier films. “I loved him instantly,” the director affirms. “He is very
gifted.”
“It happened so quickly,” Biggs recalls. “I was told that Woody Allen had a
possible part for me in his next project and asked if I would meet with him. Of
course, that was a no-brainer. The meeting lasted less than five minutes. We didn’t
even sit down; we just stood in the doorway to his office. He started telling me about
the story, and talking as if I had the role. I left the office wondering, ‘Do I have the
part?’”
Although it soon became clear that Biggs did, in fact, have the part, he admits
it was several weeks before it really sank in. “I am confident in my abilities as an
actor, but we’re talking about Woody Allen. It took about two weeks of actual filming
for me to be convinced that Woody really wanted me in his film. I was so nervous.”
Allen admits to having some fun capitalizing on those nerves. “I was always
teasing him, but he’s a terrific guy and did a great job.”
“You have to be prepared for Woody’s style,” Biggs notes. “He can be
brutally honest. He will tell you exactly what he thought of your performance, and he
doesn’t always package his criticism in a nice fluffy package. Sometimes his
comments are tongue-in-cheek…and other times you’re hoping they were tongue-incheek. But he is quite funny, and, look, I’d rather have a director tell me that I put
him to sleep with my performance in a scene than tell me it was okay and he can cut
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around some stuff and use it. No, tell me I put you to sleep, and I will try to wake
you up on the next take.”
Ricci agrees, “I was so grateful to have a director who knows what he wants
and is not afraid to tell you when you’re screwing up. Woody is very direct and very
honest, and I’d rather have that than someone who says ‘Good job,’ while they’re
thinking they can fix it in editing. I would rather do the work I am there to do, so I
appreciated that about Woody.”
“There are actually two sides to Woody the director,” Biggs offers. “There is
the Woody who can get pretty specific, and the Woody who gives you the freedom to
improvise. But then Christina and I would look at each other and we’d be like, ‘I got
nothing,’ because Woody’s words were better than our words.”
Having previously worked together on the soon-to-be-released “Prozac
Nation,” Biggs and Ricci remark that they enjoyed a certain comfort level coming into
their first Woody Allen film. “We are very comfortable with each other,” Ricci says.
“Jason is really funny and he knows me really well, so we have enough of a
background to be able to play around and make fun of each other, and I think that
level of fun carries through.”
“It is easy to have fun with Christina,” Biggs adds. “I was lucky enough to
work with her before, but I didn’t realize what comedic chops she has. Most of my
stuff is reactionary to her character, and she is hilarious. If I can say modestly, I
think we had really great chemistry.”
The main cast of “Anything Else” also included award-winning acting veterans
Danny DeVito and Stockard Channing, and a relative newcomer to the big screen,
Jimmy Fallon.
Woody Allen comments, “Casting Stockard Channing and Danny DeVito is a
given. I never had to direct them. I just turned them loose and they made me look
good. And Jimmy is very quick, very smart and funny…and he was willing to come
in and play the role of the guy Amanda dumps for Jerry.”
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DeVito stars as Harvey, a manager whose client list has been whittled down
to one—Jerry Falk—which Jerry learns is not necessarily a good thing. Biggs notes,
“I think Jerry is aware that Harvey is holding him back, but Jerry is just too loyal. He
knows he needs to make a change, but the idea of leaving Harvey and the potential
consequences to Harvey’s life are just too much for Jerry to deal with. As a result,
his career ends up taking a back seat to his personal relationship problems. That
becomes a big motivator for Jerry to start heeding the advice of Woody Allen’s
character, David Dobel, and break free of his ties to Harvey.”
Channing stars as Amanda’s mother, Paula, who moves in to Jerry’s small
apartment with Amanda, lock, stock and piano. “I think Paula is even more out there
than Amanda,” Ricci states. “She’s been married several times, is a booze hound
and fancies herself a singer. She’s very selfish and demanding. Paula shows why
Amanda would be so immature, having been raised by someone so immature.”
In trademark Woody Allen style, “Anything Else” was filmed entirely in and
around New York City with set designs created by Allen’s longtime production
designer Santo Loquasto. Marking her fifth teaming with Allen, Alisa Lepselter
served as the editor on the film. Two of the creative team count “Anything Else” as
their first collaboration with the director: cinematographer Darius Khondji and
costume designer Laura Jean Shannon.
The title “Anything Else” has had some asking if it is missing a question mark.
But in the context of this film, “Anything Else” is presented as more of an answer
than a question. Jason Biggs offers, “I think in Woody’s world, it’s sort of like saying,
‘Hey, this is life. All of these relationship problems, commitment issues, neuroses…
That’s just how it is.’”
Christina Ricci concludes, “There are those people who walk around
analyzing and worrying about everything, so I think the message in the title is, it’s
like anything else, so why worry about it. But then, it’s a Woody Allen movie, so that
really can’t be it.”
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ABOUT THE CAST
JASON BIGGS (Jerry Falk) was a relatively unknown young actor when he was
catapulted to stardom in the summer of 1999’s smash hit comedy “American Pie.” His
work as Jim Levinstein in that film brought him two MTV Movie Awards nominations for
Best Comedic Performance and Best Breakthrough Male Performance, as well as
nominations for a Blockbuster Award and a Movieline Magazine Award. He went on to
reprise his role in the hugely successful sequel “American Pie 2,” and he is currently
gathered together again with his “American Pie” cast mates in the third installment of the
franchise, “American Wedding.”
Biggs again stars opposite Christina Ricci in the film adaptation of Elizabeth
Wurtzel's best-selling biography Prozac Nation, which premiered at the Toronto film
Festival and will be released wider this winter. Biggs also stars with Ben Affleck,
Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler in Kevin Smith’s upcoming romantic comedy “Jersey Girl,”
due out in February 2004. Biggs’ earlier film credits include starring roles in “Saving
Silverman” and “Loser.”
Last year, Biggs returned to Broadway to star opposite Kathleen Turner in the
stage adaptation of “The Graduate,” also starring Alicia Silverstone. He had made his
Broadway debut at the age of 13 when he co-starred with Judd Hirsch in the critically
acclaimed play “Conversations With My Father.”
A native of Hasbrouck, New Jersey, Biggs began his career at the age of five in
national commercials. He went on to co-star on the television series “Drexell’s Class”
and “Total Security.” He also earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for
Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Pete Wendell on “As
the World Turns” during the 1994 – 95 seasons.
CHRISTINA RICCI (Amanda) virtually grew up in front of the camera to emerge
as one of the most respected actresses of her generation. In 1999, she was honored
with Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award, and American Comedy Award
nominations for her wickedly funny performance as DeDee Truit in “The Opposite of
Sex.” She also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for
her work in that film, as well as “Buffalo 66” and “Pecker.” In addition, she won two
consecutive Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for her roles in Tim Burton’s “Sleepy
Hollow” and the thriller “Bless the Child.”
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Ricci first made her name with an impressive roster of younger roles, beginning
at the age of eight when she played Cher’s youngest daughter in “Mermaids.” She went
on to play the comically macabre daughter Wednesday in Barry Sonnenfeld’s mega-hit
comedy “The Addams Family” and its hit sequel “Addams Family Values.” She later
starred in the 1995 summer hit “Casper.” That same year, Ricci earned the prestigious
Star of the Year Award at ShoWest.
In 1997, Ricci made a seamless transition to more mature roles with her widely
praised performance in Ang Lee’s acclaimed ensemble drama “The Ice Storm.” She
subsequently had a memorable cameo role in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las
Vegas.” She also starred in “Prozac Nation,” which marked her producing debut; “The
Man Who Cried”; the award-winning cable docudrama “The Laramie Project”; “Pumpkin,”
which she also produced; and “The Gathering.”
Following “Anything Else,” Ricci will be seen in several features, including
“Monster,” with Charlize Theron; “I Love Your Work,” directed by Adam Goldberg; and
“Cursed,” for director Wes Craven.
STOCKARD CHANNING (Paula) has been honored many times for her work on
stage, screen and television. Last year, she won dual Emmy Awards: one for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in “The West Wing”; and the second for Outstanding
Supporting Actress in the true-life drama “The Matthew Shepard Story,” for which she
also won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award. Her portrayal of First Lady Abigail Bartlett
on “The West Wing” has also brought Channing three additional Emmy nominations, the
latest coming this year, as well as a SAG Award nomination. She also shared in the
SAG Award won by “The West Wing” cast for Outstanding Ensemble.
In 1994, Channing garnered Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award
nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Ouisa in the film
adaptation of John Guare’s play “Six Degrees of Separation,” in which she starred with
Will Smith and Donald Sutherland. She had originated the role of Ouisa on Broadway,
for which she received a Tony Award nomination and won an Obie. She subsequently
earned a nomination for an Olivier Award when she reprised her role in London.
Channing received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Eleanor of
Aquitane in “The Lion in Winter,” opposite Laurence Fishburne. She also won a Tony,
as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, for her role in “Joe Egg,” and
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she garnered two more Tony Award nominations for her work in the John Guare plays
“The House of Blue Leaves” and “Four Baboons Adoring the Sun.”
Channing became a favorite of film audiences with her performance as Rizzo in
the smash hit screen adaptation of the musical “Grease,” for which she won a People’s
Choice Award. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for Mike Nichols’ “The
Fortune,” and earned a SAG Award nomination for her role in “Smoke.” Her long list of
film credits also includes “The Cheap Detective,” “Without a Trace,” “Heartburn,” “Meet
the Applegates,” “Married to It,” “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!, Julie Newmar,”
“The First Wives Club,” “Up Close & Personal,” “Moll Flanders,” “Twilight,” “Practical
Magic,” “Where the Heart Is” and “Life or Something Like It.” She can currently be seen
as part of the ensemble cast of the comedy “Le Divorce,” and she next stars in Stephen
Fry’s “Bright Young Things.”
Channing has received numerous honors for her work on television. In addition
to the aforementioned awards, she earned Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and Independent
Spirit Award nominations for “The Baby Dance”; Emmy and SAG Award nominations for
“An Unexpected Family”; Emmy nominations for “Road to Avonlea,” “Perfect Witness”
and “Echoes in the Darkness”; and another SAG Award nomination for “The Truth About
Jane.” She most recently appeared in the miniseries “Hitler: The Rise of Evil.”
DANNY DEVITO (Harvey), an actor, producer and director, most recently
finished directing “Duplex,” starring Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller.
In 1992 DeVito co-founded Jersey Films, which has produced over 20 motion
pictures, including “Erin Brockovich,” which earned an Academy Award® nomination for
Best Picture, “Man on the Moon,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty,” “Hoffa,”
“Matilda” and “Living Out Loud.”
DeVito co-starred in two Academy Award®-winning Best Pictures, “One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Terms of Endearment,” before the part of Louie De Palma
propelled him to national prominence as the star of the hit television show “Taxi.” In a
1999 readers poll conducted by TV Guide, DeVito’s Louie De Palma was voted number
one in “TV’s Fifty Greatest Character’s Ever.”
Following “Taxi” and before the creation of Jersey Films, DeVito starred in such
films as “Junior,” “Batman Returns,” “Twins,” “Romancing the Stone,” “Jewel of the Nile,”
“Ruthless People” and “Tin Men.” He has since starred in many films not produced by
Jersey, including “Big Fish,” “Renaissance Man,” “The Big Kahuna,” and “Heist.”
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DeVito grew up in Summit, New Jersey, and studied acting at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He began his career on the stage in one of
three one-act plays presented together under the title of “The Man With the Flower in His
Mouth.” He went on to appear in such plays as “Down the Morning Line,” “The Line of
Least Existence,” “The Shrinking Bride” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
In 1975, under a grant from the American Film Institute, Danny and his wife,
actress Rhea Perlman, wrote and produced “Minestrone,” which has been shown twice
at the Cannes Film Festival and has been translated into five languages. They later
wrote and produced a 16-millimeter black-and-white short subject, “The Sound Sleeper,”
which won first prize at the Brooklyn Arts and Cultural Association competition. DeVito
also wrote, directed and produced several short films in his early career before his
emergence as a feature-length filmmaker in 1984.
JIMMY FALLON (Bob) is next set to star opposite Queen Latifah in the feature
“Taxi,” for director Tim Story.
Fallon is today best known to television fans for his work on NBC’s seminal latenight series “Saturday Night Live.” Since becoming a regular cast member in 1998,
Fallon has become an audience favorite for his dead-on impressions and his quick wit as
the host of the “Weekend Update” newscasts. He recently segued into more dramatic
parts with a featured role in the Emmy-winning miniseries “Band of Brothers.”
Fallon, who started out as a stand-up comedian, earned a 2003 Grammy Award
nomination in the category of Best Spoken Comedy Album for his record “The Bathroom
Wall.” He has also enjoyed successful stints as the host of the 2001 MTV Movie Awards
and the 2002 Video Music Awards. In addition, Fallon (and his sister Gloria) co-wrote
the book I Hate This Place: The Pessimist’s Guide to Life, which was recently rereleased by Warner Books.
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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
WOODY ALLEN (Director/Writer/Actor)
Filmography:
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
1965: screenwriter, actor
WHAT’S UP, TIGER LILY?
1966: co-screenwriter, actor
CASINO ROYALE
1967: actor
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
1969: director, co-screenwriter, actor
BANANAS
1971: director, co-screenwriter, actor
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS
WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX
BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
1972: director, screenwriter, actor
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
1972: screenwriter, actor
SLEEPER
1973: director, co-screenwriter, actor
LOVE AND DEATH
1975: director, screenwriter, actor
THE FRONT
1976: actor
ANNIE HALL
Academy Award® nominee (& winner):
Academy Award® nominee (& winner):
Academy Award® nominee (& winner):
Academy Award® nominee:
1977: director, co-screenwriter, actor
Best Director
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actor
INTERIORS
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee:
1978: director, screenwriter
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
MANHATTAN
Academy Award® nominee:
1979: director, co-screenwriter, actor
Best Original Screenplay
STARDUST MEMORIES
1980: director, screenwriter, actor
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S
SEX COMEDY
1982: director, screenwriter, actor
ZELIG
1983: director, screenwriter, actor
BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee:
1984: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO
Academy Award® nominee:
1985: director, screenwriter
Best Original Screenplay
HANNAH & HER SISTERS
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee (& winner):
1986: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Director
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay
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RADIO DAYS
Academy Award® nominee:
1987: director, screenwriter
Best Original Screenplay
SEPTEMBER
1987: director, screenwriter
ANOTHER WOMAN
1988: director, screenwriter
NEW YORK STORIES
(Oedipus Wrecks)
1989: director, screenwriter, actor
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee:
1990: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
ALICE
Academy Award® nominee:
1990: director, screenwriter
Best Original Screenplay
SCENES FROM A MALL
1991: actor
SHADOWS AND FOG
1992: director, screenwriter, actor
HUSBANDS AND WIVES
Academy Award® nominee:
1992: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Original Screenplay
MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY
1993: director, co-screenwriter, actor
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
Academy Award® nominee:
Academy Award® nominee:
1994: director, co-screenwriter
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
DON’T DRINK THE WATER
(Made-for-television movie)
1994: director, screenwriter, actor
MIGHTY APHRODITE
Academy Award® nominee:
1995: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Original Screenplay
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
(Made-for-television movie)
1995: actor
EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU
1996: director, screenwriter, actor
DECONSTRUCTING HARRY
Academy Award® nominee:
1997: director, screenwriter, actor
Best Original Screenplay
CELEBRITY
1998: director, screenwriter
ANTZ
1998: actor
THE IMPOSTERS
1999: actor *cameo
COMPANY MAN
1999: actor *cameo
SWEET AND LOWDOWN
1999: director, screenwriter
PICKING UP THE PIECES
1999: actor
SMALL TIME CROOKS
2000: director, screenwriter, actor
THE CURSE OF THE
2001: director, screenwriter, actor
JADE SCORPION
HOLLYWOOD ENDING
2002: director, screenwriter, actor
ANYTHING ELSE
2003: director, screenwriter, actor
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Academy Award® summary:
Nominated 6 times for Best Director:
Won for “Annie Hall”
Nominated 13 times for Best Original Screenplay:
Won for “Annie Hall” and
“Hannah and Her Sisters”
Nominated 1 time for Best Actor
Won for “Annie Hall”
Nominated 2 times for Best Picture:
LETTY ARONSON (Producer) previously produced Woody Allen’s “Hollywood
Ending” and “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.” She also served as the co-executive
producer on Allen’s “Small Time Crooks.” Her extensive film, television and stage
experience includes numerous other collaborations with Allen. She co-executive
produced such films as “Don’t Drink the Water,” which marked Allen’s first foray into
television moviemaking; “Bullets Over Broadway,” which garnered seven Academy
Award® nominations, winning for Best Supporting Actress (Dianne Wiest); “Mighty
Aphrodite,” for which Mira Sorvino was awarded the Best Supporting Actress Oscar®;
and “Sweet and Lowdown,” for which Sean Penn and Samantha Morton both earned
Oscar® nominations. Her other credits as a co-executive producer include Allen’s highly
acclaimed musical comedy “Everyone Says I Love You,” “Celebrity,” “Deconstructing
Harry” and “Small Time Crooks.”
In addition, Aronson co-executive produced “The Spanish Prisoner,” written for
the screen and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and critically acclaimed
filmmaker David Mamet. Critics universally praised the film when it was released in
1998. She also co-executive produced “Into My Heart,” which was written and directed
by two newcomers, Sean Smith and Anthony Stark; and Coky Giedroyc’s “Women
Talking Dirty,” starring Helena Bonham Carter, which marked Aronson’s first European
co-production with Elton John’s Rocket Pictures.
Her credits also include “Dinah Was,” the off-Broadway musical about blues
legend Dinah Washington; “The Story of A Bad Boy,” written and directed by acclaimed
playwright Tom Donaghy; “Just Looking,” a heartwarming coming-of-age film directed by
Jason Alexander; and the comedy “Sunburn,” directed by Nelson Hume, which screened
at the Galway Film Festival and the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival.
Her television work includes “Saturday Night Live” and “The Robert Klein
Comedy Hour,” both for NBC. In the world of theatre, Aronson served as associate
producer of “Death Defying Acts,” an off-Broadway comedy consisting of three one-act
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plays written by Elaine May, Woody Allen and David Mamet. She had previously served
as Vice President of the Museum of Television and Radio for 10 years.
HELEN ROBIN (Co-Producer) began her film career as a production assistant on
Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories.” Over the course of his next 18 films, she worked
her way up from an office production assistant, production coordinator, and production
manager, to, eventually, line producer.
She co-produced “Alice,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Husbands and Wives,”
“Manhattan Murder Mystery,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” “Mighty Aphrodite” and
“Everyone Says I Love You.” Following the last, she left Allen’s production company to
take some time off and do freelance film work. During that period, she worked as an
associate producer on the highly rated television miniseries “The Temptations” for
Hallmark Entertainment and NBC.
After a three-year hiatus, she returned to work with Woody Allen on his comedy
“Small Time Crooks,” which she co-produced. She more recently served as the coproducer on Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” and “Hollywood Ending.”
STEPHEN TENENBAUM (Executive Producer) previously executive produced
Woody Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” which marked his first onscreen
producing credit. He more recently served as an executive producer on Allen’s
“Hollywood Ending.”
Tenenbaum graduated with a B.S. from New York University, where he majored
in Accounting. He began his show business career in the financial arena, handling such
noteworthy clients as the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Barbra Steisand, Bruce Springsteen,
Percy Faith, the Platters, Nat King Cole, Mario Lanza, Gilda Radner, Robin Williams,
and many others.
Tenenbaum later decided to venture into the field of motion picture and television
production, as well as personal management. He is currently a partner in Morra,
Brezner, Steinberg & Tenenbaum Entertainment, Inc. (MBST), where his client roster
includes Woody Allen, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and Alain Boubil (the creator of “Les
Miserables” and “Miss Saigon”). MBST has also been involved in the production of
films, including “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Arthur” and “Throw Momma From the Train,”
to name only a few.
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DARIUS KHONDJI (Director of Photography) was honored with an Academy
Award® nomination for his work on Alan Parker’s screen adaptation of the musical
“Evita,” starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. He had previously received Cesar
nominations for his cinematography on Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Delicatessen” and “The
City of Lost Children.” Khondji more recently collaborated with Jeunet on the science
fiction thriller “Alien Resurrection.”
Khondji has also lensed two films for director David Fincher: “Panic Room,”
starring Jodie Foster, and “Se7en,” starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. His other
credits include Roman Polanski’s “The Ninth Gate,” Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Stealing
Beauty,” Danny Boyle’s “The Beach,” Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams” and Milcho
Manchevski’s Oscar®-nominated “Before the Rain.” Khondji is currently filming Richard
Loncraine’s “Wimbledon.”
Born in Iran and raised in Paris, Khondji studied photography at New York
University and later shot commercials for Fincher, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Chico Bialas
and William Klein.
SANTO LOQUASTO (Production Designer) has earned Academy Award®
nominations in two different categories for his work on Woody Allen films. He received
an Oscar® nod for his costume designs for Woody Allen’s “Zelig,” and nominations for
his work as a production designer on Allen’s “Radio Days” and “Bullets Over Broadway.”
In all, he has worked with Allen on more than 20 films, most recently including “Small
Time Crooks,” “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” and “Hollywood Ending.”
Loquasto has also designed extensively for the stage. His work in the New York
theatre won him both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his set design for “Café Crown”
and for his costume designs for “The Cherry Orchard” and “Grand Hotel.” He also
received Tony nominations for his set designs on “That Championship Season,” “What
The Wine Sellers Buy,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “American Buffalo” and “The Suicide,”
and for his costume designs on “Ragtime” and “Fosse,” the last of which was also filmed
for television.
In addition, Loquasto has worked with most of the major international dance
companies, collaborating with Mark Morris, Jerome Robbins, Glen Tetley, Helgi
Tomasson, Agnes de Mille, James Kudelka, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Dana Reitz, Paul
Taylor and Twyla Tharp.
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LAURA JEAN SHANNON (Costume Designer) most recently completed work on
the upcoming comedy “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell. She also served as a costume designer
on the cable series “Lucky,” starring John Corbett.
In addition, she designed the costumes for such independent features as John
Favreau’s “Made”; “The Safety of Objects,” starring Glenn Close; “Prince of Central
Park”; “Requiem For a Dream,” starring Ellen Burstyn; “Trance”; “Claire Dolan”; “Niagra,
Niagra”; “Jaded”; and “The Last Home Run.”
ALISA LEPSELTER (Editor) marks her fifth collaboration with filmmaker Woody
Allen, having previously edited his comedies “Hollywood Ending,” “The Curse of the
Jade Scorpion” and “Small Time Crooks,” and his critically acclaimed feature “Sweet and
Lowdown.”
She began her editing career as an intern on Jonathan Demme’s film “Something
Wild.” As an apprentice and assistant editor, she worked with such leading filmmakers
as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Volker Schlöndorff, Herbert Ross, Peter
Yates and Nora Ephron.
She cut her first feature when she edited “Walking and Talking” for director
Nicole Holofcener.
JULIET TAYLOR (Casting Director) has worked with some of the leading
directors of our time, including Mike Nichols, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Louis
Malle, Martin Scorsese, Alan Parker, Roland Joffe, John Schlesinger, Stephen Frears,
Nora Ephron, Neil Jordan and Martin Brest. She most recently partnered with Laura
Rosenthal to cast the remake of “The Stepford Wives,” starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew
Broderick, Faith Hill and Christopher Walken.
Her many notable credits include Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®-winning Best Picture
“Schindler’s List,” “The Birdcage,” “Primary Colors” and “Angela’s Ashes.” Taylor also
earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Casting for her work on the awardwinning HBO movie “Wit.” Her collaboration with Woody Allen dates back to her work on
“Love and Death” in 1975, and more recently includes “Celebrity,” “Everyone Says I
Love You,” “Sweet and Lowdown,” “Small Time Crooks,” “The Curse of the Jade
Scorpion” and “Hollywood Ending.”
Taylor graduated from Smith College in 1967, and joined the staff of David
Merrick, remaining there until the spring of 1968. At that time, she went to work as a
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secretary to Marion Dougherty who was opening a motion picture casting office in New
York. In 1973, when Marion Dougherty left casting to produce films, Taylor ran Marion
Dougherty Associates until 1977, when she became Director of East Coast Casting for
Paramount Pictures. She left that position in 1978 to cast motion pictures
independently.
LAURA ROSENTHAL (Casting Director) served as a casting director on the
Academy Award®-winning Best Picture, “Chicago,” starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine
Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. She more recently teamed with Juliet Taylor to cast the
upcoming “The Stepford Wives,” starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Christopher
Walken and Faith Hill. She has also partnered with Taylor on the casting of the Woody
Allen films “Hollywood Ending,” “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” “Small Time Crooks,”
“Sweet and Lowdown” and “Celebrity.”
Rosenthal started to cast independently in 1994, working with such directors as
Jim Jarmusch, Edward Burns, Todd Haynes, and Harold Ramis. She went on to cast
such films as Alison Maclean’s “Jesus’ Son,” Gregor Jordan’s “Buffalo Soldiers,” Daisy
Meyer’s “The Guru,” Dan Algrant’s “People I Know,” Jon Sherman’s “I’m With Lucy” and
Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven.” In addition, she is casting the remake of “The
Manchurian Candidate,” for director Jonathan Demme, starring Meryl Streep, Liev
Schreiber and Denzel Washington.
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