The station agent
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- THE CAST In Order of Appearance
- A conversation with writer/ director Tom McCarthy
- About the Production cont’d…
- Cast Biographies cont’d…
- Filmmaker Biographies cont’d…
- Alliance Atlantis Communications
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ALLIANCE ATLANTIS Presents
THE STATION AGENTA SenArt Films Production In association with Next Wednesday
Im Verleih von MedienbetreuungMonopole Pathé Films Esther Bühlmann Neugasse 6, Postfach Postfach 708 8031 Zürich 8025 Zürich Tel. 01 277 70 83 Tel. 01 261 08 57 miriam.nussbaumer@pathefilms.ch mail@estherbuehlmann.ch (Credits not contractual) THE STATION AGENTTHE CASTIn Order of AppearanceFinbar McBride Peter Dinklage Henry Styles Paul Benjamin Store Customer Jase Blankfort Cashier Paula Garces Carl Josh Pais Louis Tiboni Richard Kind Joe Oramas Bobby Cannavale Olivia Harris Patricia Clarkson Patty at the Good to Go Lynn Cohen Cleo Raven Goodwin Janice Marla Sucharetza Emily Michelle Williams Chris Jayce Bartok Danny Joe Lo Truglio David John Slattery Pappy’s Waitress Maile Flanagan Girl in Bar Sarah Bolger Mrs. Kahn Ileen Getz Jacob Jeremy Bergman “What about blimps” girl Annie Del Moro “Blimps are cool” boy Carlos Rosas (Credits not contractual)
THE STATION AGENTTHE FILMMAKERSWritten and directed by: Tom McCarthy Producers: Mary Jane Skalski Robert May Kathryn Tucker Co-Producer: Joshua Zeman Associate Producer: Richard Cohan Director of Photography: Oliver Bokelberg Editor: Tom McArdle Production Designer: John Paino Original music by: Stephen Trask Casting by: Hopkins, Smith and Barden Music Supervision: Mary Ramos and Michelle Kuznetsky Costume Designer: Jeanne Dupont (Credits not contractual) THE STATION AGENTLog lineA mismatched threesome forge an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared. Synopsis Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) wants to be left alone. But at four foot five, fading into the crowd is an almost impossible task. Born with dwarfism, Fin has responded to the unsolicited attention that his condition attracts by choosing a life of separation, alone with his one passion: trains. Solitude, however, is fleeting and when Fin finds his isolation threatened he retreats deeper into his self-contained world by taking up residence in an abandoned train depot in rural New Jersey. But much like the station agents that occupied small town depots before him, Fin finds himself, however reluctantly, enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors. A close-call with an SUV introduces Fin to Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), a 40-year-old artist struggling with the recent death of her young son and the subsequent breakup of her marriage. The hot dog stand next door is run by Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale) an inquisitive 30-year-old with a talent for cooking and an insatiable hunger for conversation. From the forgotten depot this mismatched threesome forge an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared. THE STATION AGENTAbout the Production: A conversation with writer/ director Tom McCarthyHow did you get started writing the script? The Newfoundland train depot was the inspiration for the screenplay. I drove past it while visiting my brother who had just bought a lake house in the part of western New Jersey. There was something about this abandoned depot standing by itself in the middle of nowhere that immediately struck a chord with me. It just seemed like such a relic. I tracked down the person who owned the depot and I was introduced to the subculture of railfans, which is a term for people who are obsessed with the history and culture of the American railroad. I became fascinated with the railroads role in connecting the people of this country. How did you go about casting the movie? I wrote the three main characters of Fin, Olivia, and Joe specifically for the actors who played the roles. I had directed Peter Dinklage in a play Off Off Broadway that I co-wrote called The Killing Act. Bobby Cannavale and I had acted in play together. And I was just a big fan of Patricia Clarkson. As for the other parts I called on a lot of actor friends in New York. And for a few roles that I had no one in mind I used a casting director. How did you cast the role of ‘Fin’? I directed Peter Dinklage in a play that I co-wrote called The Killing Act, about six or seven years ago. We’ve been friends ever since. But the role of Fin was originally developed without Peter in mind. I was just interested in creating a character intent on isolating himself. Then one night while having drinks with Peter I was struck by the amount of attention that he attracts because he’s a dwarf and how adept he was at shutting it out when he wanted. Immediately I thought of Fin who is himself a master of disconnection. Please discuss Patricia Clarkson’s history with project. I saw Patty in Richard Greenberg’s play Three Days of Rain in New York about the time I started to write the script. I had her voice in mind from that point on. We had the same agent so when I finished the script I gave it to our agent and she passed it on to Patty. Patty read the script and was on board. THE STATION AGENTAbout the Production cont’d…What do trains represent for you? Trains represent a connection to our past. A time when travel was simply more enjoyable. More elegant. More romantic. But they also represent a sort of childlike excitement about travel and exploring. Train travel is different because it’s so easy to kick back and watch the world that is passing you by. If you’re driving a car or flying in a plane you miss the all the small details. What was the editing process like? Brutal and wonderful. For a while all I could see was my mistakes. Then suddenly all I could see were the possibilities. My editor, Tom McArdle, was a very steadying force in the editing room. For the most part we had a very good time during the process. There was a lot of give and take. I think we both felt early on, that based on the performances and cinematography alone that we had something pretty special. As an actor, what surprised you about moving behind the camera? There were moments on set when I felt like the world was collapsing around me and I’d look over at my actors and they would be sitting by the lake smoking a cigarette and laughing. I wanted to run over them screaming “I’m one of you! I don’t want to play on this team anymore!” There is just so much happening on set that requires your attention that it’s huge challenge just to stay focused on the scene and what’s happening in the moment so that you can be of some help to your actors. In some ways the movie is about how being alone and being lonely can be very different things. At the time I started writing the script, someone very close to me was quite ill. She was this young, vibrant woman who slowly began to shut herself away. She made a conscious choice not to let people in or to reach out in any way. She just disconnected. But she was also miserable being alone. It was as if she was a victim of her own human instinct to remove herself from society because she was damaged in some way. Then I realized that people do this all the time on different levels. If times are bad we want to be left alone. The question becomes how long can we make it alone. THE STATION AGENTCast BiographiesPETER DINKLAGE – Finbar McBride Peter Dinklage began his film career in 1994 with Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion. Since then he has appeared in numerous films including Michel Gondry’s Human Nature, by Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman, opposite Tim Robbins and Rosie Perez; John Hamburg’s Safe Men; Julien Temple’s Bullet; Eric Schaffer’s Never Again; and Fisher Steven’s Just a Kiss. Upcoming films include Alexander Rockwell’s 13 Moons, opposite Steve Buscemi, and Matthew Bright’s Tiptoes, opposite Gary Oldman and Patricia Arquette. In the spring, Dinklage will be filming the Jon Favreau film Elf. His television credits include Third Watch, Oz, As The World Turns, The Street, and The Beat. Dinklage has also appeared in many New York theatrical productions including Patrick Breen’s Marking, Brandon Cole’s Imperfect Love, Jonathan Marc Sherman’s Hollywood, and Marc Spitz’s I Wanna Be Adored. Dinklage will soon be seen in the Lincoln Center production Toulouse Lautrec. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dinklage attended Bennington College in Vermont where he received a BA degree in Drama and the Libby Zion Award for Dramatic Excellence. He also attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and the Welsh School of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. PATRICIA CLARKSON – Olivia Harris Patricia Clarkson’s credits include David Gordon Green’s All the Real Girls; Todd Haynes Far From Heaven; Anthony and Joe Russo’s Welcome to Collinwood; Rose Troche’s The Safety of Objects; and Lars von Trier’s Dogville. For her performance as Greta, opposite Ally Sheedy, in Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art, Clarkson was nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award. Her many film credits also include Larry Fessenden’s Wendigo; Sean Penn’s The Pledge; Stanley Tucci’s Joe Gould’s Secret; Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile; Willard Carroll’s Playing by Heart and Taylor Hackford’s Everybody’s All American, both with Far From Heaven star Dennis Quaid; Joe Johnston’s Jumanji; Jon Amiel’s Tune in Tomorrow…; Buddy Van Horne’s The Dead Pool; Daniel Petrie’s Rocket Gibralter; and Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, Clarkson’s film debut. THE STATION AGENTCast Biographies cont’d…Born and raised in New Orleans, Clarkson was acting in school plays by her early teens. After studying speech at Louisiana State University for two years, she transferred to Fordham University in New York where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Theatre Arts. She earned her MFA at the prestigious Yale School of Drama, where she appeared in Electra, Pacific Overtures, Pericles, La Ronde, The Lower Depths and The Misanthrope at the Yale Theatre. She made her professional acting debut on the New York stage. There, she has appeared in Eastern Standard, both on and off-Broadway; Nicky Silver’s acclaimed plays Maidens Prayer, for which she received Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Waward nominations; Raised in Captivity; Oliver Oliver; Jerry Zaks’ Lincoln Center staging of John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves; and several of Richard Greenberg’s plays, including Three Days of Rain. Her regional credits include performing with the Wiliamstown Theatre Festival and Yale Repertory. BOBBY CANNAVALE – Joe Oramas Bobby Cannavale’s career began in the theatre and includes work with Lee Strasberg, Naked Angels, Circle Rep, The Public, Williamstown and the Roundabout. Cannavale started working on television when he met John Wells and recurred on his NBC series Trinity. After its cancellation, John Wells asked Cannavale to star in Third Watch. After two years on Third Watch and playing an unforgettable role in HBO’s Sex in the City, he made a move and was added to the cast of A&E’s critically acclaimed series 100 Centre Street with Alan Arkin. Cannavale was added to the cast of Ally McBeal in its final season, and has a recurring role on HBO’s Oz. In film, Cannavale has appeared in Spike Lee’s 3AM; Kevin Costner’s The Postman; Night Falls on Manhattan and Gloria, both for Sidney Lumet; alongside Angelina Jolie in Universal’s The Bone Collector; as well as in The Devil and Daniel Webster for director Alec Baldwin. In addition to The Station Agent, Cannavale can also be seen in The Guru starring Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei, on stage at The New York’s Public Theater in Fuckin A, and as a series regular on Kingpin on NBC. THE STATION AGENTCast Biographies cont’d…PAUL BENJAMIN – Henry Styles Paul Benjamin’s long film career includes John Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy, Don Seigal’s Escape from Alcatraz, Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tape, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, and John Singleton’s Rosewood. Benjamin was also in Gideon’s Trumpet with Henry Fonda for CBS, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings with Esther Rolle, also for CBS, and The Man Who Broke a Thousand Chains for HBO. Benjamin also had a memorable reoccurring role on NBC’s ER. RAVEN GOODWIN – Cleo Raven Goodwin’s memorable debut was in Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely and Amazing. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance. MICHELLE WILLIAMS – Emily Michelle Williams has starred on Dawson's Creek since its debut. Set for release in 2003, Williams will costar in Prozac Nation, based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's best-selling novel, with Christina Ricci, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jessica Lange. Williams is also featured in the film The United States of Leland, costarring Kevin Spacey and Don Cheadle. Williams is currently in production on A Hole in One, starring opposite Meat Loaf. No release date has been set. During her most recent hiatus from Dawson's Creek, Williams starred in the off-Broadway play Smelling A Rat, written by acclaimed filmmaker Mike Leigh. Williams feature film credits include Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You, the story of two best friends growing up in the outskirts of London in the 1970s and '80s. Williams stars in the film opposite Anna Friel and Kyle MacLachlan. She also co-starred in Perfume, an improvisational digital film which co-stars Omar Epps, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Sorvino. Additionally, Williams starred opposite Kirsten Dunst in the satirical comedy Dick about two 1970s teenagers who make a wrong turn on a White House tour and find themselves swept up in the political intrigue of Watergate. She also appeared opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in the sequel thriller Halloween: H20 and opposite Jessica Lange, Jason Robards, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Jason Leigh in A Thousand Acres. STATION AGENTCast Biographies cont’d…On television, Williams received rave reviews for her performance in HBO's saga of the lesbian experience in America, If These Walls Could Talk II, opposite Chloe Sevigny. The proverbial small town girl, Williams was born and raised in rural Kalispell, Montana, before moving with her family to San Diego when she was 10-years-old. She began commuting to Los Angeles for auditions and began her career at the age of 12 starring opposite James Earl Jones in the independent short film Friends.
THE STATION AGENTFilmmaker Biographies TOM MCCARTHY – Writer / Director The Station Agent is Tom McCarthy’s film directorial debut. McCarthy has amassed an extensive list of theatre credits, including Noises Off on Broadway and regional productions of La Ronde directed by Joanne Woodward, Lanford Wilson's Virgil is Still the Frogboy, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, School for Wives, and Twelfth Night. On television, he was most recently a series regular on Boston Public, created by David E. Kelly. Other credits include Ally McBeal, The Practice, Law & Order: SVU, Spin City, and two films for Hallmark Hall of Fame, St. Maybe, opposite Mary Louise Parker and Mary and Tim, opposite Candice Bergen. McCarthy’s feature credits include The Guru, opposite Marisa Tomei, Meet the Parents, The Citizen, 30 Days and Certain Days. He was trained at the Yale School of Drama. MARY JANE SKALSKI – Producer Mary Jane Skalski has produced Frank Whaley’s The Jimmy Show, which screened at the Toronto and Sundance Film Festivals; Noah Baumbach’s series of shorts Conrad and Butler; Paul Harrill’s Gina an Actress Age 29, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in Short Film at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival; Dear Doughboy, a TV pilot created by Hopwood Depree; and Bart Freundlich’s The Myth of Fingerprints. As well, Skalski was a coproducer for John O’Hagan’s Wonderland; executive produced Jim Fall’s Trick and David Schisgall’s The Lifestyle; and was associate producer for Kutlug Ataman’s Lola and Bilidikid, Jill Godmilow’s Roy Cohn/Jack Smith and Edward Burns’ The Brothers McMullen. Upcoming projects include the films Mysterious Skin, with director Gregg Araki; The Hawk is Dying, with director Julian Goldberger; and Chain, with director Jem Cohen (Instrument, Benjamin Smoke), featuring actress Miho Nikaido. THE STATION AGENTFilmmaker Biographies cont’d…Until 1999, Skalski was the VP, Creative Affairs for Good Machine. Currently, she works with producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte at Antidote Films. Skalski is also the U.S. scout for Fortissimo Film Sales and an assistant adjunct faculty member in Columbia University’s Graduate Film Department. ROBERT MAY – Producer Robert May formed Senart Films in August of 2000 out of the desire to partake in the creation of emotionally-affecting films. Since then, May executive produced Stevie, a critically-acclaimed documentary by Hoop Dreams’ director Steve James. Stevie recently won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Stevie had its U.S. premiere in the documentary competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. Upcoming projects include The Tale of the Rose, a project based on the true story of the love affair between Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his wife Consuelo. Prior to the formation of SenArt films, May built a highly successful electronic security company with over 300 employees. May’s former company was and continues to be in receipt of top recognition in its field. KATHRYN TUCKER – Producer Kathryn Tucker began working with SenArt in November of 2000 and was also an Associate Producer on Steve James’ Stevie. Upcoming projects include The Tale of the Rose, a project based on the true story of the love affair between Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his wife Consuelo. After completing a degree in philosophy at Tulane University, Tucker won a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship for a project on spectator theory in art. As an actress, Tucker has had roles in such films as Happy Accidents and Eight. Prior to working at SenArt, Tucker worked at Beacon Pictures in Los Angeles. THE STATION AGENTFilmmaker Biographies cont’d… OLIVER BOKELBERG – Director of Photography Oliver Bokelberg’s feature film credits include The Citizen, which starred Najwa Nimri, Andrea diStefano and Thomas McCarthy and was directed by Jay Anania. Bokelberg was awarded the Kodak Vision Award in 2000 for his work on The Citizen. Also, for director Jay Anania, Bokelberg shot Long Time Since, starring Paulina Porizkova and Julian Sands, which premiered at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival; The Next Big Thing, which starred Chris Eigeman, Jamie Harris and Farley Granger and was directed by PJ Posner; and Lifebreath, with Francie Swift, Luke Perry and Gia Carrides, and directed by PJ Posner. Bokelberg also shot Cash Crop, with Mary McCormack, John Slattery and James van der Beek, and directed by Stuart Burkin. Bokelberg’s European works include Heimkehr der Jaeger, which starred Ulrich Tukur and screened in the 2000 Berlin Film Festival, as well as Charms Incidents, recipient of the Caligari Award at the 1996 Berlin Film Festival, both directed by Michael Kreihsl. Bokelberg’s documentary work includes Beautopia, which premiered at the 1998 Sundance Festival and The Need for Speed, both directed by Katharina Otto. Bokelberg has helmed the camera for music videos of artists such as LL Cool J, BB King, Christina Aguilera, Run DMC and Terrence Blanchard. Bokelberg is a 1988 graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and lives in New York City. TOM MCARDLE - Editor Tom McArdle’s first feature film credit was for Nick Gomez’s Laws of Gravity. His other feature film credits include Handgun, directed by Whitney Ransick; The Keeper and The Killing Zone, both directed by Joe Brewster; Miguel Arteta’s Star Maps; Hi-Life, directed by Roger Hedden; and Loving Jezebel, directed by Kwyn Bader, which received the audience award at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2000. He has also edited The Tom Green Skateboarding Show, a 30-minute comedy/skateboarding pilot for television; Charles & Marion’s Winter Exchange, a 30-minute comedy film with Charles Barkley & Marion Jones for the Winter Olympics that was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar; Nazis: The Occult Conspiracy, a documentary hosted by Malcolm McDowell for The Discovery Channel; and Hole in the Head, a documentary about people who drill holes in their foreheads for The Learning Channel. THE STATION AGENTFilmmaker Biographies cont’d… JOHN PAINO – Production Designer As a production designer, John Paino’s credits include Jump Tomorrow, directed by Joel Hopkins which was an Official Sundance 2001 Selection; Jump, directed by Justin McCarthy; Shift, directed by Kelly Anderson for the ITVS and PBS, the New York unit of Barcelona for director Whit Stillman, Dirty Laundry, for directors Mike Norman & Rob Sherman. His music video work includes LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Know You Out!”, which was nominated for Best Art Direction, MTV Best Rap Video, Billboard Best Rap Video and Live’s “I Alone”, which was nominated for Best Art Direction, MTV Best Music Video. STEPHEN TRASK – Original Music Stephen Trask was a co-creator of the multi award-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which developed from a cult nightclub sensation in New York to an Off Broadway Musical and feature film release by Fine Line Features. In addition to writing the music and lyrics, Trask performed in the show in all of its various incarnations. His instrumental score for the movie was his feature film debut. The film's soundtrack was Trask’s first commercial release as a record producer. Currently, Trask is working on the film Prey for Rock and Roll, directed by Alex Steyermark, and starring Gina Gershon. As the record producer of the soundtrack, Trask assembled an all-star, all-girl rock band featuring Sara Lee (Gang of Four, Indigo Girls & B-52's), Sam Maloney (Hole, Motley Crue), Cheri Lovedog, who wrote the screenplay and the songs, and rock legend Joan Jett. Additionally, Trask is slated to compose the film's score. Trask’s other projects include producing tracks for and writing songs with Donovan Leitch for his up coming album, and continuing work with Damon Intrabartolo (bare, a Pop Opera) on a new musical set in San Francisco during the life of Harvey Milk. Recently, Trask performed with Stone Temple Pilots at the John Lennon tribute concert, and together they recorded the song “Revolution”, which was released as a single to raise money the Twin Towers Fund. Additionally, he has recorded tracks for the upcoming Sleater-Kinney album. THE STATION AGENTFilmmaker Biographies cont’d… Trask was one of the original members of the notorious SqueezeBox house band. During his time there as Music Director he performed with Debbie Harry, Lene Lovitch, Hole, Green Day, Joey Ramone, as well as many of New York's most popular drag queens. For five years Trask performed with his band Cheater, who originated the role of the Angry Inch Off Broadway and performed on the original cast album. From 1993-1998 he danced with and accompanied The Corner Store Dance Company, scoring many of their works. For Hedwig, Trask received an Obie Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding off-Broadway Musical, a 1998 New York Magazine Award, Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Music, Lyrics and New Musical, a Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album, two GLAMA Awards, and Entertainment Weekly Best Soundtrack Award for 2001. THE STATION AGENT Alliance Atlantis CommunicationsAlliance Atlantis Communications Inc. is a leading vertically integrated broadcaster, creator and distributor of filmed entertainment. The Company's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange - trading symbols AAC.A, AAC.B and on NASDAQ - trading symbol AACB. The Company's Web site is www.allianceatlantis.com. Directory: libraries.files libraries.files -> Bowling for columbine libraries.files -> Ararat a film by Atom Egoyan Production Information libraries.files -> John turturro romance & Cigarettes Download 52.03 Kb. Share with your friends:
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