Movie reviews, production notes, and more! - "Dan in Real Life"

Movie : Dan in Real Life

- Notes provided by Buena Vista. - ABOUT THE PRODUCTION "Plan to be surprised." -Dan Burns, DAN IN REAL LIFE A conflicted romance collides head-on into the perils of family relations with fun-filled results in Peter Hedges' fresh, clever and hilarious take on the slice-oflife comedy DAN IN REAL LIFE. Comic sensation Steve Carell stars as an ordinary guy who accidentally stumbles out of his "play it safe" life into the exhilarating world of the unexpected when he falls in love on what was supposed to be a family getaway. Starring alongside stand-up star Dane Cook and Academy Award® winner Juliette Binoche, Carell is about to discover a family weekend of chaos, confusion, awkwardness-and ultimately, his entire family's extraordinary capacity for love in the face of left-field surprises. It all begins with widowed father and family-advice columnist Dan Burns (Carell), who is still reeling from the heartache of loss and takes refuge by trying to maintain order with his three rebellious young girls, while dodging anything unexpected or outside the box. But when Dan heads to Rhode Island, his miffed daughters in tow, for the annual fall weekend thrown by the large and boisterous Burns family, everything changes. Soon after his arrival, he runs into an alluring woman named Marie (Binoche) in a bookshop. For the first time in a very, very long time, Dan experiences real, live sparks-only to have to douse them liberally when he discovers Marie is, in fact, the brand-new girlfriend his brother Mitch (Cook) is about to proudly introduce to the family. As the weekend gets underway in the close quarters of a crowded house filled with quirky, prying relatives, Dan and Marie try to squelch and cover up their growing mutual attraction at every turn, leading to one comical situation after another. Yet, no matter how hard they try to do the very opposite, Dan and Marie can't help but fall in love. Now Dan is about to realize that no matter how wise safety might seem, when it comes to real life, he's going to have to break all the rules. Directed by Peter Hedges and written by Pierce Gardner and Hedges, the fun-filled DAN IN REAL LIFE is Hedges' follow-up to "Pieces of April," his critically acclaimed, Academy Award®-nominated directorial debut. The producers are Jon Shestack and Brad Epstein and the executive producers are Noah Rosen, Darlene Caamaño Loquet and Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda. The co-producer is Dianne Dreyer. Joining Carell, Binoche and Cook in the cast is an impressive array of talent who form the close-knit Burns family, including two-time Academy Award® winner Dianne Wiest (Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway"); "Frasier" veteran and Tony Award® winner John Mahoney ("House of Blue Leaves"); Tony® winner Norbert Leo Butz ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"); Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada"); two-time Tony® nominee Amy Ryan ("Uncle Vanya," "A Streetcar Named Desire"); theater and television veteran Jessica Hecht (best known as Ross' ex-wife's girlfriend in "Friends"); and Tony® winner Frank Wood ("Side Man"). Playing Dan's three daughters, who become the catalysts of his decision to follow his heart, are the young rising stars Alison Pill ("Pieces of April"), Brittany Robertson ("Keeping Up With the Steins") and Marlene Lawston ("Flightplan"). The behind-the-scenes talent includes cinematographer Lawrence Sher ("Garden State"), production designer Sarah Knowles ("Catch Me If You Can"), costume designer Alix Friedberg ("Glory Road"), BAFTA Award-winning editor Sarah Flack ("Marie Antoinette," "Lost in Translation") and Norwegian pop star Sondre Lerche, making his feature-film composing debut. WHEN LOVE AND FAMILY COLLIDE: ABOUT THE STORY The family weekend. Few events in American life conjure up such a wild mix of situations and emotions, from angst to affection, from heartache to hilarity. With all the funny foibles and complications of relationships between grandparents, parents, children and in-laws, it's certainly no place for a vulnerable man to fall haplessly in love with an entirely off-limits woman. But that's exactly what happens to Dan Burns in DAN IN REAL LIFE, setting in motion a comical tale of a man whose carefully ordered world suddenly spirals out of control in front of his entire family. The story of DAN IN REAL LIFE was, indeed, inspired by real life, emerging out of screenwriter Pierce Gardner's own personal experience with the often hilarious, sometimes surprise-filled phenomenon of big family get-togethers. "I've spent the last 18 years going to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with my wife, all four of her siblings, her parents and more- altogether between 23 and 27 people," Gardner explains. "There is something fascinating about the dynamic of all these people together in one house, and I always wanted to write about that." To add a twist to the family tension, Gardner developed the idea of inserting a newcomer into the family-a bewitchingly beautiful woman who accidentally sparks a competition between the family's two brothers in a most unexpected way. Though she arrives at the family weekend as the new girlfriend of one brother she finds herself unavoidably and impossibly attracted to the other: Dan, the lonely widower who hasn't been ready to really restart his life...until this very moment. As the characters came to life on the page, Gardner found himself increasingly compelled by Dan's completely accidental way of jumpstarting his life with the most complicated of dating games. "What makes Dan so interesting is that when he finally starts to feel something again, this person who supposedly has this strong moral compass and this serious sense of responsibility does everything wrong as quickly as possible," Gardner laughs. "And that's simply because love humbles everybody. From the greatest men in the world to the butcher, the baker, even Britney Spears-nobody is spared when it comes to love." When producer Jon Shestack discovered Gardner's spec script, he was immediately seduced not only by the story's comic originality and sophisticated sense of fun but equally so by its deeply relatable themes about family and cutting through detours and mishaps to the truly meaningful stuff in life. "I found it to be the most life-affirming, charming, wonderful story, reflecting everything we think is important," Shestack recalls. "The night I read it, I called Pierce's manager, Noah Rosen, and, soon after, submitted it to Touchstone." Producer Brad Epstein, who was an executive at Disney at the time, was equally impressed. "I fell in love with the characters and with how human, ironic, funny and yet moving it managed to be-and especially with the portrait of Dan raising these three daughters on his own. I have always wanted to make movies like this," he says. Epstein knew the material's tone-its fast-moving blend of quick wit and true emotion- would be tough to nail. But he had in mind a director he was convinced could carry off the challenging task: author, playwright, screenwriter and lauded film director Peter Hedges, whom he'd hired years before to adapt Nick Hornby's unconventional, serio-comic novel of love and family, "About a Boy," for which Hedges won acclaim and was nominated for an Academy Award®. Hedges also garnered acclaim for adapting his own novel into the indie classic "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and made an auspicious directorial debut with his script for "Pieces of April," in which a wayward daughter invites her estranged family to her Lower East Side apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. The film garnered numerous awards, including Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominations for actress Patricia Clarkson in the role of the terminally ill mother. Knowing that Hedges prefers to direct his own screenplays, Epstein at first asked him to work up a new draft of the script, but before he knew it, Hedges had come to him saying he wanted to direct it as well. "In working on the screenplay, he'd found his voice within this material; he had really made it his own," says Epstein. One of the elements that instantly attracted Hedges was the Burns family itself, which felt to him palpably real, as full of chaos and warmth as any typical American family. "I liked that this was a chance to explore a family that wasn't really dysfunctional or broken," explains Hedges. "Too many romantic comedies are disconnected from how most people live in the world-and I think what makes DAN IN REAL LIFE different is that you can really identify with these characters." He continues: "I was also drawn to the theme of a married man who is faced with his notion of how do you find love again, how do you proceed in the world after withdrawing from taking chances? I saw it as a human comedy about that question-and the unusual situation of two people who are trying desperately not to fall in love, even though they can't fight the truth." DAN'S REAL-LIFE TRIANGLE: STEVE CARELL, JULIETTE BINOCHE AND DANE COOK MIX AND MATCH At the heart of DAN IN REAL LIFE is Dan himself-respected advice columnist, philosophical single father and supposedly reasonable family man who suddenly finds himself made foolish, tongue-twisted, awkward, sneaky, guilty and, to his dismay, utterly renewed by an accidental crash into love. Dan is truly running in place when the film begins. His efforts to look "cool" to his kids constantly backfire and his focus on plans and rules has taken all the joyous surprises out of his life. But then he meets Marie-and suddenly, he's on the shakiest, least predictable ground of his life, leading to one hilarious situation and run-in after another. To take Dan through this gamut of emotions while keeping a hold on the comically frazzled and hapless soul of the character, the filmmakers searched for the rare actor capable of juggling extremes with wit and aplomb while also having the appeal of a deeply likable Everyman. Peter Hedges was struck by how believable Carell, a father to two young children himself, was as a father filled with love and worry for the three spirited daughters he's trying to raise. "I wanted somebody who would feel real as Dan, who would be both funny and heartbreaking," he comments. "And Steve is obviously quite funny, but he also is a very soulful man. Fortunately, he was brave enough to try something quite different from what people are accustomed to him doing and to show a side we haven't seen before." As the besieged and lonely father of three rapidly maturing daughters, Dan is already being pushed to his edges, despite trying to be the moral authority, when he finds himself inadvertently falling in love with his brother's new girlfriend. Suddenly, he's juggling being an upstanding role model with tumbling head over heels for a forbidden woman-forced to hide his true feelings. As an advice columnist, Dan has always had the answers for everyone else- but now, when it comes to his own real life, he's completely flummoxed-and has to finally let go. Carell notes: "What I liked about the script is that it resonated strongly that this was a real guy. In fact, all of the characters in the movie seemed like they could actually be living, breathing people. It's true to life, and I hope it moves people while constantly making them laugh." Ultimately, what really made the experience of DAN IN REAL LIFE special for Carell was the ensemble cast surrounding his character-and keeping Dan constantly on his toes. "The group of people that came together for this story is simply exceptional-you have Oscar® winners and Tony® winners, and together they make a really unique ensemble," he says. "That made it a lot of fun." When it came to the character of Marie, the object of Dan and his brother's dueling affections, Peter Hedges dared to envision one of today's most luminous and talented actresses, Juliette Binoche, making a comic turn. At first the idea of recruiting the Academy Award®-winning French actress, who dazzled audiences in "The English Patient" and "Chocolat," to play the love interest in an American romantic comedy seemed like a faraway dream...but then it came true. Adds Jon Shestack: "Juliette has one of the most expressive faces in the movies, and she threw herself totally into this role. Marie reflects many of Juliette's qualities-delightful, charming, open and interested in everything around her." The idea of Binoche was initially inspired by Steve Carell, who suggested to Peter Hedges: "Find an actress with a really good heart." Hedges kept that in mind as he was casting. "I saw a lot of wonderful actresses for the role, but I was looking for that pairing that would align with Steve in an original way, and Juliette was it," he says. "We had the two of them sing karaoke together, and it was evident within 15 seconds that they were a perfect team, both funny and real together." Binoche was attracted first to the screenplay's deft blend of comic and real situations. "Like in the great Lubitsch or Capra films, there's a layer of truth, of everyday existence, creating feelings you recognize in this story," she says. "I also felt that Peter Hedges had the ability to find that wonderful line where the tragedy of life meets the comedy of life. When I saw his first film, `Pieces of April,' that's what I loved about it, and that's why I wanted to make this movie." Binoche was also intrigued that the character of Marie had been created as a far more complex and sophisticated woman-one caught up in an unusual game of running from attraction-than your typical romantic interest. "I think Marie is a little like Dan in that she has been escaping from intimacy and, in a way, being with Mitch allows her to not be intimate," the actress observes. "In her relationship with Mitch, she feels safe because there's no real connection and no real involvement. But with Dan, there's something that she's been looking for that she can't really describe, where she feels recognized as a woman and is having fun." Therein lies the crux of Marie's dilemma. "It's not a story about a woman loving two people at the same and not knowing how to choose, because Marie's not truly happy with Mitch," Binoche explains. "She already knows that this is a relationship to help her to get through a difficult time, and that it's not going to last forever. So when she meets Dan, her real question is: `Will I be able to be fair to what's in my heart?' Dan and Marie yearn to experience the freedom of being in love, but instead it has to be completely suppressed, and that's what gives them so much comedy." Completing the third side of this unexpected familial triangle is Dane Cook in the role of Dan's brother, the charismatic fitness trainer, Mitch, who claims Marie is the woman who is going to change his playboy ways. Cook brings to the role a charm and restraint that may very well disarm audiences that know the young comedian only from his wildly successful in-yourface stand-up performances. Peter Hedges cast Cook almost immediately after seeing his show at Madison Square Garden and meeting him at his hotel afterwards. "The minute I saw Dane performing I knew he was Mitch," Hedges states. "He was really an untested film actor at that time, but I had a very strong instinct, and I knew he would be a wonderful combination with Steve. I really wanted to see what might happen with these two natural comedians bouncing off one another." The story had immediate appeal to Cook. "You don't see a lot of films like this about real families, about how inside families, you can bash each other, you can be raw and honest, but you'll also come to another family member's aid," he says. "I thought this was a really special and unique peek into a family's life." Cook also loved the idea of taking on a new kind of comedy challenge-one that is different yet again from his recent unexpected role as a wannabe killer in the dark thriller "Mr. Brooks"-and soon developed a sympathy for what his character goes through on what was supposed to be a fun family weekend with his new girlfriend. "I think Mitch is a little more trusting than I am," he confides. "In my real family, there always seems to be something happening, some inner turmoil, but Mitch believes that something like this could never happen, and he's rocked when it happens to him. His very poignant, and simple scenes have been a wonderful challenge for me as an actor." Working with Cook for the first time, Steve Carell was impressed. He says: "I remember seeing Steve Martin back in his heyday as a stand-up and having these stadiums full of people just chanting every word that they remember from the albums-and that's what Dane is today. He is this huge, comic persona, and yet, with all of that, he came into this project as a really kind, generous and committed actor. I think it'll be a revelation for a lot of people when they see him." Peter Hedges wasn't sure what to expect from having a boisterous stand-up comic on the set, but Cook took him by surprise. "He was totally self-effacing and a very hard worker," says the director, "a complete and utter joy." WE ARE FAMILY: AN ACCOMPLISHED CAST COMPLETE THE BURNS CLAN Dan, Mitch and their mutual love, Marie, are surrounded on this family weekend by the entire Burns clan, who, between touch-football games on the lawn, family talent shows and massive feasts, give them little chance to work out their mix-up in peace and privacy. Yet for all their meddling and critiquing and fretting, the family proves, in the end, to truly stand by the one thing they all agree is most important: true love. In casting the supporting roles, Peter Hedges worked closely with his longtime friend and acclaimed Broadway casting director Bernard Telsey ("Rent," "Hairspray," "Wicked") to find a team of actors who could create an authentically close-knit family atmosphere, replete with both love and conflict. "The challenge was to try to find actors who were able to really create with Peter. We wanted great actors who would make the parts jump off the page," says Telsey. Peter had the vision and it was such a great and different way to cast for us. We had a blast." As Poppy and Nana Burns, the patriarch and matriarch of the Burns clan, two extraordinary actors were cast by Hedges: two-time Academy Award® winner Dianne Wiest and stage and screen star John Mahoney, best recognized as the retired policeman father of Frasier Crane on the hit series "Frasier." They, in turn, were drawn by the depth of their characters, who aren't cardboard cutouts of grandparents, by any means. Says Mahoney: "Each of the characters in this story are such individuals. Poppy isn't your typical grandfather, all cuddly and warm; he has a lot of very strong opinions and strong ideas. That he wasn't what you would expect really appealed to me. Poppy knows that Dan feels that, with his first wife, he'd won the lottery, and that he might feel a little greedy trying to find the same thing again. Next came the task of finding three talented young actresses to play Dan's alternately yearning and defiant daughters: teenaged Jane who, with her new driver's license, wants to be treated as an adult right now; middle daughter Cara, whose clothes and passion for her young boyfriend keep her father in a state of shock; and savvy fourth-grader Lilly, whose handmade gift to her father opens his eyes to what is most important. To form a true sibling trio, the filmmakers set out on a nationwide search, holding extensive open calls. Ultimately, Hedges cast Tony® nominee Alison Pill, with whom he had worked on "Pieces of April," as Jane-and then sought two girls with a similar essence as her sisters, choosing the remarkable 8-year-old Marlene Lawston, who came to notice playing Jodie Foster's imperiled daughter in "Flightplan," as young Lilly and newcomer Brittany Robertson as the provocative Cara. Hedges and the entire cast were amazed by how easily the girls slipped into the role of sisters who have been brought closer by their united front against their father's stuck-in-the-mud routine. "The three of them together were exceptional because they bonded immediately-they did things together and they took care of each other very much like real sisters," says Steve Carell. "They are just great, funny, sweet, talented kids, and I had a great time working with them." Alison Pill loved getting the chance to work with Hedges again and adored her character. "Jane's the mother figure in the family-she's the practical, sensible sister in the midst of a rebellious middle sibling and a younger, sweet thing," she observes. "I enjoyed being the oldest one in the family, because I'm used to being the baby!" Brittany Robertson instantly related to Cara as the family rebel crossing swords with her disciplinarian dad: "Cara's really just high-spirited-and she's not as crazy as her father believes. She's just really in love and has all these intense feelings," comments Robertson. "She's the one trying to convince her dad that mad love really exists." Also joining the cast are three award-winning stars of the stage: Norbert Leo Butz as Dan and Mitch's happily married brother, Clay, Amy Ryan as his wife, Eileen, and Jessica Hecht as the Burns sister, Amy. Then, there is another interloper: Emily Blunt, who won over audiences with her scene-stealing role as Meryl Streep's officious assistant in "The Devil Wears Prada," in the role of Ruthie "Pigface" Draper, with whom Dan is forced into a blind date. Blunt had a blast with her free-spirited character but notes that "She was exhausting. If I had to play this character for a 3-month shoot, she'd wipe me out." Blunt especially had fun with the droll dance sequence in which she, Carell, Cook and Binoche each try to outdo one another's moves. "I think we all start to run out of moves by the end, but Steve definitely wiped the floor with all of us," she laughs. Once cast, Hedges brought the entire diverse roster of actors together for a weeklong rehearsal schedule in the actual house where much of the film's action takes place. The idea was to immerse them in an authentic family atmosphere that would imbue the entire film. "The whole family was at the beach house for rehearsing and blocking but to also sing songs, play football, exercise and cook and eat meals together-without cameras, without lights, without equipment," explains Jon Shestack. Peter Hedges recalls the moment when he knew this group of disparate actors had become a family. Before the cameras even started rolling, he held a family fireside sing-along, a moment that would echo the on-screen talent contest to come, with the entire cast. "It was magical," he says. "It was more than just a moment. That was when I realized there was just so much talent and generosity and purity of intent all coming together. And I think you see that in every frame of the film." CHEZ BURNS: CREATING THE FAMILY BEACH HOUSE Like the best family weekends, DAN IN REAL LIFE unfolds in a gorgeous locale: a beautiful but cozy seaside house on the spectacular, tree-lined Rhode Island shore. From the beginning, finding the right house was as key as the casting. At last, after much scouting, the filmmakers settled upon a place known as "Riven Rock," itself a beach house that has been in the same family for many years-an all-wood structure that sits on Narragansett Bay in picturesque Jamestown, Rhode Island, just across the bridge from Newport. This classic summer home, built in 1911-1912 by T.D. Wright for Joseph Lovering of Philadelphia, features a wraparound porch that provides awe-inspiring views of the sunset over the water. "We walked into this house and knew right away this was it. With the water and the sun, it cast a spell," says Brad Epstein. Hedges collaborated closely with production designer Sarah Knowles to furnish "Riven Rock" to reflect both the casual, fun-loving nature and the creative personality of the Burns family-as well as to serve as a kind of metaphor for the memories that still haunt and hold back Dan. "The house is like a character itself," says Shestack. "It has all these cubbyholes and bedrooms and the sense of being lived in and cherished for many years. It's a place that has its own heartbeat." Other notable locations in Rhode Island include the Point Judith Lighthouse on Narragansett Bay and the summer resort town Misquamicu, where Dan takes the littlest kids for a day of rained-out attractions; Jimmy's Place in Newport, where Dan and Ruthie face Marie and Mitch in their impromptu dance competition; the Jamestown harbor, where Dan and Marie first meet in a bookstore created from scratch by Sarah Knowles and her crew in the town's Harbor Master's office; as well as Westerly, where Dan and Marie ply the lanes of the Alley Katz Bowling Center. Adding her own key touches to the story is costume designer Alix Friedberg, whose task was to give each of the film's characters his or her own organically unique sense of style. At the heart of her designs was Dan's clothing, which sets the tone for his transformation after he meets Marie. She explains: "Dan is a man who has lost the desire to give much thought to his appearance. He's a single parent who makes sure lunches are made and homework is done before he gives a thought to himself. He is the invisible man-a man whose clothes feel like they have grown on his back-until he starts to pay attention again." Meanwhile, Friedberg had a blast designing Marie's buoyant look in concert with Juliette Binoche. "Working with Juliette Binoche was among the great thrills of my life. Not only is she one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, she breathes such life into everything she does," says Friedberg. "Juliette wanted Marie to have feline qualities, and I also wanted her to have a sense of style inspired by her travels. Her clothes make it clear she is a bit of an outsider to this family while at the same time someone who could connect with Dan's girls. She wears an eclectic mix of feminine knits with lace under-layers and soft colors that illuminate her among a family of strong colors and patterns. Juliette also wore many layers of rings on her fingers, creating a history of love and loss." Another favorite for Friedberg was dressing Dianne Wiest as Nana Burns, who clearly passed along her creative streak to her children. "We didn't want her to feel at all like a typical grandmother, in cardigans and pearls, but a strong woman with a real sense of artistry. She's someone who loves to get her hands dirty, a traveler, a scavenger, a gardener, a chef, with a great sense of humor, someone who took incredible care and thoughtfulness into the decorating of her home," she explains. "All of Nana's clothes were inspired by vintage fabrics we found in and around antique shops in New England, and they were often patterned after Japanese pajamas. Her apron was actually an old artist's smock, and much of her jewelry was made from organic elements found on beaches and among trees." It was all of these design touches, along with the cinematography by Lawrence Sher, that helped to bring the Burns family fully to life. "The result is a lovely, warm, very human comedy that truly feels real," sums up Shestack. SONGS IN THE KEY OF DAN: ABOUT SONDRE LERCHE'S SOUNDTRACK Before production even began, Peter Hedges began thinking about the music for DAN IN REAL LIFE. He knew he wanted something quite distinctive, which sent him on a listening safari for the unknown sound he was seeking. "I had been searching far and wide for someone whose music I thought would align with the film, and I must have listened to 500 different artists, and I kept coming back to this one song by Sondre Lerche," recalls Hedges. Hedges didn't know much about Lerche at the time, but he quickly learned that he was a rising star on the singer-songwriter scene, a 20-something-year-old Norwegian who was generating global success with his melodic and mood-setting pop tunes and his band, Faces Down. "So I went to meet him," Hedges continues. "Ironically, he lives in the same building where my therapist has an office! I talked for an hour about my vision for the film and then suddenly he says: `Hold on for a minute.' And he goes into his bedroom and comes out with a guitar, saying, `I wrote this song the other day; it sounds like the movie.' And he sang me such a beautiful, beautiful song. I felt right then that this guy is the real deal." Lerche, who also appears on-screen at the end of the film performing the song "Modern Nature" with Faces Down, was quickly given a tough creative mandate from Peter Hedges. "The first thing Peter showed me that he thought was relevant to his film and the score was the film `Harold and Maude,'" says Lerche, "which I know is one of his absolute favorite films. He really liked the very unusual way it uses Cat Stevens' music. It's just all songs; there's no dramatic music. The lyrics are not telling you about the situations; they're very loosely in the spirit of the scene. It's accomplished in a very unique, clever and heartfelt way. He wanted something like that for DAN IN REAL LIFE." Lerche also produced a searing new version of the Peggy Lee classic "Fever" featuring the voice of A Fine Frenzy, also known as the 22-year-old Seattle singer Alison Sudol, for the film and recorded a duet with rising New York-based singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, heard during the bowling sequence-as well as a series of original songs that help to establish the tone for the film's clever mix of conflicted love and family complications. To get the right creative mood, Lerche attended rehearsals with the actors and used that as inspiration for his musical themes. The plan seemed to work as Lerche soaked up the atmosphere and turned that into songs that are both fun and emotional. Sums up Hedges: "The thing about Sondre's music is that it feels timeless to me. There's a depth to it, and you feel that this is a man who believes in love. The music is just infused with that feeling without being sappy or sentimental-which made it a complete dream for this story." ABOUT THE CAST STEVE CARELL (Dan) has emerged as one of the most sought-after comedic actors in Hollywood. First gaining recognition for his contributions as a correspondent on Comedy Central's Emmy Award®-winning "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Carell has successfully segued into prime-time television and above-the-title status in the film world with equal aplomb. Carell opened his first lead feature, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow, at no. 1, a spot it remained in for two straight weekends. The surprise hit of 2005 went on to gross more than $175 million worldwide and had no. 1 openings in 12 countries. The success of the film has continued, as it has also generated over $100 million in DVD sales in North America alone. On an award level, the film was honored with an AFI Award (named one of 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year) and took home Best Comedy Movie at the 11th annual Critics' Choice Awards. The film also earned Carell and Apatow a co-nomination for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild Association. Carell currently stars in the Americanized adaptation of the acclaimed British television series "The Office." In its third season, the show continues to flourish in the ratings and has earned Carell an Emmy Award® nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy. In 2006, Carell earned a Golden Globe Award® for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series- Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Michael Scott, the pompous and deluded boss of a Pennsylvania paper company. Next summer, he is set to star in the much-anticipated action-comedy from creator Mel Brooks "Get Smart," opposite Anne Hathaway. In 2006, as part of an ensemble, he starred in "Little Miss Sunshine," which earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture and won the SAG® Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The black comedy, also starring Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette, was released last summer. Previous film credits for the actor include "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Bruce Almighty" and "Bewitched." Born in Massachusetts, Carell now resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Nancy Walls (NBC's "Saturday Night Live"), whom he met while at the Second City Theater Group in Chicago, where both were members. He is the proud father of a daughter and a son. JULIETTE BINOCHE (Marie) was born in Paris in 1964 to theater actor/director/writer parents. She embarked on her own theater career at age 17 after directing and performing in an Ionesco play in grade school and went on to study at the National Conservatory as well as private schools. Binoche first earned recognition in 1984 for playing a modernized, teenaged version of the Virgin Mary in Jean-Luc Godard's controversial "Hail Mary." The following year, her acclaimed performance in André Téchiné's "Rendez-vous" garnered much applause at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1986, after collaborating with director Leos Carax on "Bad Blood," Binoche starred in her first English-language film, Phillip Kaufman's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Binoche teamed up again with Carax for "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf." After "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," she returned to the Paris theater and played Nina in "The Seagull," directed by Andrew Konchalowsky. She also starred in the HBO short film "Mara," directed by Mike Figgis. In 1992, Binoche starred opposite Jeremy Irons in Louis Malle's "Damage." The same year, the actress appeared with Ralph Fiennes in a new film version of "Wuthering Heights" and followed that with the lead role in Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Blue." Binoche was next seen in the 1995 release of "The Horseman on the Roof." In 1996, she earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her role in Anthony Minghella's "The English Patient." She followed that success by returning to the stage, starring in "Naked" at the Almeida Theatre in London. Binoche then returned to her native France and collaborated with Téchiné again on the drama "Alice et Martin." She was next cast in "The Widow of Saint-Pierre," which earned Binoche a César nomination for Best Actress. She teamed with director Michael Haneke in 1999 for the intersecting-lives drama "Code Unknown." Later that same year, she starred in Lasse Hallström's "Chocolat," preparing for the role by learning to make chocolate at a popular Paris sweet shop. The film was an international hit, and Binoche was nominated for Best Actress awards across the globe. She then returned to the stage, performing in Pinter's "Betrayal" on Broadway. In 2002, she played opposite Jean Reno in "Jet Lag," her first comedic role. In 2004, Binoche appeared with Samuel L. Jackson in John Boorman's "In My Country." She collaborated again with Haneke with the taut thriller "Cache," which garnered many awards worldwide, including wins at the Cannes Film Festival, the British Independent Film Awards and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. That same year, Binoche also starred alongside Richard Gere in the indie film "Bee Season," then starred in Abel Ferrara's film "Mary." Binoche most recently appeared in "Paris, je t'aime," "A Few Days in September," and "Breaking and Entering," the latter pairing her with Minghella for a second time. Binoche also recently wrapped filming on "Looking for the Red Balloon" by award-winning Taiwanese director Hsiao-hsien Hou, "Paris" by Cedric Klapish, "Disengagement" by Amos Gitai and "L'heure d'ete" by Olivier Assayas. Her forthcoming films include: Richard Eyre's "The Other Man," Santiago Amigorena's "Another Kind of Silence," Jean-Luc Godard's "Socialisme" and Abbas Kiarustami's "Certified Copy." DANE COOK (Mitch) is an engaging actor and electric performer who has developed a worldwide following and is poised to firmly establish himself as a leading man with notable roles in recent and upcoming films. Cook most recently appeared in "Mr. Brooks," opposite Kevin Costner, William Hurt and Demi Moore, in a role that was singled out by The New York Times as one of the Five Best Performances of summer 2007. He also recently starred in "Good Luck Chuck" opposite Jessica Alba. Cook also has several film projects in the works through his burgeoning production company, SUperFInger Entertainment. They include a father and son road comedy set up with Disney and producer David Hoberman ("Bringing Down the House"); "The Ex-Family," set up at the Weinstein Company; and his groundbreaking concert film, based on his April 2006 Boston comedy shows, to be released theatrically in 2007. Cook was seen earlier in "Employee of the Month," directed by Greg Coolidge in which Cook starred alongside Jessica Simpson. Past feature-film credits also include "Waiting," which was written and directed by Rob McKittrick and co-starred Ryan Reynolds and Anna Farris; Hunter Richards' "London," which starred Jessica Biel and Chris Evans; "Torque," which was directed by Joseph Kahn and starred Ice Cube, Christina Milian, and Jay Hernandez; Peter Pau's "The Touch" with Michelle Yeoh and Ben Chaplin; and Kinka Usher's "Mystery Men" with Ben Stiller. In 2006, Cook partnered with HBO to produce a 90-minute stand-up event, "Vicious Circle," which premiered on the network on September 4. Over 18 cameras taped his back-toback performances to sold-out audiences in his hometown of Boston. Additionally, "Tourgasm," Cook's behind-the-scenes look at comedians on tour aired on HBO in a nine-episode arc throughout the summer. Cook recently enjoyed the successful release of his sophomore CDx2/DVD, "Retaliation" (which is certified platinum), debuting at number four on the Billboard 200, making him the highest-charting comedian in twenty-five years. This followed the success of Cook's debut release, "Harmful If Swallowed," which has sold more than 450,000 copies in less than two years, has been certified gold, and has garnered appearances on over ten different Billboard charts since its release. As a stand-up comedian, Cook has built a following through his commitment to touring and via his website, www.danecook.com. Throughout his 16-year career, he has consistently sold out at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, Continental Airlines Arena, and the 50,000-seat football stadium at the University of Florida's Gator Growl. Cook has also proven himself as a writer, director, and producer with his work on the comedy short film "8 Guys" and the dramatic short "Spiral," for which he won the Internet-based Pixie Award for Best Actor. DIANNE WIEST (Nana) may be best known for her Oscar®winning supporting roles in Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway" but has had other important roles in Allen's films "Radio Days," "September" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and was also nominated for an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actress in Ron Howard's "Parenthood." Other memorable film appearances include Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" and Mike Nichols' "The Birdcage." Wiest last appeared onstage in Wendy Wasserstein's "Third" at Lincoln Center and on Broadway with Al Pacino in "Salome" directed by Estelle Parsons. Other theater appearances include "The Shawl," "Hunting Cockroaches," "After the Fall," "Beyond Therapy" and "The Art of Dining." JOHN MAHONEY (Poppy) has captivated film, television and stage audiences equally through his brilliant performances since he began his acting career. Since 1979, he has been a member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company and has appeared in nearly 30 plays there, including the recent productions of "The Dresser" and "I Never Sang for My Father." He appeared in "The Drawer Boy" at Steppenwolf, a role he reprised at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. He starred in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" with Chicago's Irish Repertory Theatre, both in Chicago and in Galway, Ireland, and in "The Weir" in Los Angeles. David Mamet cast him in the world premiere of "The Water Engine" at the St. Nicholas Theatre (a role he later re-created for TNT's televised version of the play). His other stage work includes starring roles in the off-Broadway revival of "The Subject Was Roses," "Uncle Vanya" at Chicago's Goodman Theatre as well as "Death and the Maiden" and "Wrong Turn" at Lungfish and "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (directed by James Burrows) at the Steppenwolf Theatre. In addition, the entire Chicago cast of "The Man Who Came to Dinner" reprised their work in England, at London's Barbican Centre. He recently starred in "Romance" at London's Almeida Theatre and in a revival of "Prelude to a Kiss" on Broadway. Mahoney's work in the theater has won him a Tony Award®, a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination for his portrayal of Artie Shaughnessy in the Broadway production of "House of Blue Leaves." He was also honored with a Theatre World Award and a second Drama Desk nomination for his performance as Harold in the off-Broadway production of "Orphans" and is the most recent recipient of the Sarah Siddons Award. Mahoney has been nominated five times for Chicago's coveted Joseph Jefferson Awards, four times for Best Actor for his roles in "The Hothouse," "Taking Steps," "After the Fall," and "I Never Sang for My Father," and once for Best Supporting Actor in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." He was twice nominated for Emmy® and Golden Globe® awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work as Martin Crane on the hit television series "Frasier"-a role he played for the eleven years that series was a mainstay of the NBC lineup. Mahoney has also appeared in numerous telefilms such as "The 10 Million Dollar Getaway" for the USA Network, TNT's "Dinner at Eight," HBO's "The Image," the NBC miniseries "Favorite Son," as well as roles in "Will," "Listen to Your Heart," "The Killing Floor," "Through Naked Eyes," "First Step" and "Dance of the Phoenix." His television series include "H.E.L.P.," "Lady Blue" and "The Human Factor." He also starred in the BBC productions of "Two Lumps of Ice" and "Buying a Landslide." Mahoney's film work first came to the attention of critics in 1986 when he was widely praised for his performance as Richard Dreyfuss' aluminum-siding sales partner in Barry Levinson's "Tin Men." He has continued to work with some of the most illustrious directors in film. Following his appearance as the drink-splashed college professor in Norman Jewison's "Moonstruck," he went directly into Peter Yates' "Suspect." Other screen credits include Ben Stiller's Generation X anthem "Reality Bites," Rob Reiner's "The American President," two films with the Coen brothers-"The Hudsucker Proxy" and "Barton Fink," "The Russia House" directed by Fred Schepisi, Roman Polanski's "Frantic," Costa-Gavras' "Betrayed," "Eight Men Out" directed by John Sayles, Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything," Marshall Brickman's "The Manhattan Project," "Streets of Gold" directed by Joe Roth, Howard Deutch's "Article 99," Wolfgang Peterson's "In the Line of Fire" with Clint Eastwood, Gregory Hoblit's "Primal Fear," Ed Burns' "She's the One" and "The Broken Hearts Club" for Greg Berlanti. John's recent films include Terry Green's "Almost Salinas," with Lindsay Crouse and Virginia Madsen, and "Fathers and Sons," directed by Rodrigo Garcia. His voice has been heard in such popular animated films as "Antz," "Iron Giant" and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." EMILY BLUNT (Ruthie Draper) shot to international prominence with her lead role in the multi-award-winning British movie "My Summer of Love," from Pawel Pawlikowski. Harper's Bazaar called Emily's performance "the most impressive film debut I've seen since Kate Winslet in `Heavenly Creatures.'" Emily won the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 2004 Evening Standard Film Awards and was nominated in the Best Newcomer category at the 2004 British Independent Film Awards; and the film won the Best British Film award at the 2005 BAFTAs. The critically acclaimed "Gideon's Daughter," in which Emily starred alongside Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson, was directed by Stephen Poliakoff, and the film was broadcast on BBC One and BBC America in 2006. Emily won a Golden Globe® for Best Supporting Actress in Television at the 2007 awards for her performance. Next for Emily was the hugely popular "The Devil Wears Prada," an adaptation of the bestselling Lauren Weisberger novel. David Frankel directs an all-star cast, including Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. The film opened to great acclaim in the U.S. in June 2006 and exceeded all expectations, making over $125 million at the U.S. box office. The critics shared the audience's love for "The Devil Wears Prada" and for Emily-The New York Times described her as a "tour de force of smiling hostility," the Los Angeles Times called her "scene-stealing," the Washington Post wrote that she "delivers a comic gem" and New York Magazine reported that "the brilliant British actress Emily Blunt is a marvel at conveying the terror beneath the hauteur." British critics were no less enthusiastic; The Observer called her "splendid," and The Telegraph praised her performance as "terrific" and "a catty delight." The Daily Mail wrote, "It would be unjust if Emily Blunt's supporting performance...didn't win awards. This is a terrific young actress who would grace any production." Emily was nominated in the Breakthrough Female category at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards for her performance and was honored with the Breakthrough Award at the 2006 Movieline Young Hollywood Awards. She was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the Golden Globes® and the BAFTAs for the role. Emily moved from New York to Canada in late 2005 to begin work on her lead role in "Wind Chill," produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh and directed by Greg Jacobs. The film was released in the U.S. in April 2007 with The Hollywood Reporter describing her as "red-hot" and the New York Post stating "rising star Blunt does a great job." The New York Times declared, "This is Blunt's movie. The actress has a winning way with melting hauteur...expect her to carry much bigger movies before long." In August 2006, Emily started work on "The Great Buck Howard." Written and directed by Sean McGinly and co-starring Tom Hanks, John Malkovich and Colin Hanks, Emily plays Valerie, a self-assured publicist hired by a luckless magician trying to reinvigorate his career. Following this, Emily filmed "DAN IN REAL LIFE," with Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook. Emily went on to make "The Jane Austen Book Club." She will star alongside Maria Bello, Frances McDormand, Kevin Zegers and Hugh Dancy as a secretive, unhappy teacher who yearns for more than life has given her. The film is released in the U.S. on September 21, 2007. Emily started shooting "Sunshine Cleaning" alongside Amy Adams and Alan Arkin in February 2007. She will also be seen in Mike Nichols' "Charlie Wilson's War" with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Emily's next project will be the Martin Scorsese-produced biopic "The Young Victoria." Emily plays Britain's Queen Victoria in the early stages of her life, and the film will be written by Julian Fellowes and directed by Jean-Marc Vallee. Filming starts at the beginning of August 2007 in London. Emily was also nominated in the Rising Star Award category at the 2007 BAFTAs. ALISON PILL (Jane) has established herself as an intelligent, talented actress with a repertoire that rivals most actresses twice her age. Her feature-film work includes "Pieces of April," directed by Peter Hedges; "Perfect Pie"; the Disney comedy "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"; and the independent features "Dear Wendy" and "One Way to Valhalla." She participated in the 2004 Sundance Filmmaker's Lab, where she workshopped "Paper Man." Alison starred in the NBC series "The Book of Daniel" as the drug-dealing daughter of Aidan Quinn's Episcopalian minister, appeared as a wheelchair-bound victim of spina bifida in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and played the grief-stricken child of Farrah Fawcett and Keith Carradine in "Baby." Her other numerous television appearances include "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" opposite Judy Davis, "Midwives" with Sissy Spacek, Lifetime's "Plain Truth" with Mariska Hargitay, and Showtime's "What Girls Learn" with Scott Bakula and Elizabeth Perkins. Alison currently can be seen on Broadway in Theresa Rebeck's "Mauritius," with Bobby Cannavale, and recently starred opposite Jeff Daniels in David Harrower's worldwide success "Blackbird." She received a 2006 Tony Award® nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," written by Martin McDonagh. Other New York stage appearances include "The Distance From Here," written by Neil LaBute (for which she won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance), and Christopher Shinn's "On the Mountain" (2005 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress). She made her New York theater debut in 2003 in "None of the Above." BRITTANY ROBERTSON (Cara) has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses. In addition to DAN IN REAL LIFE, she will also star this fall in the new CBS series "Swingtown," playing the daughter of a suburban couple living the "swingers" lifestyle in the '70s. Next year, you can see her in the family film "Frank" about an abandoned, mangy mutt who wanders onto a family's summer property; and she just wrapped production on the independent film "From Within" directed by Phedon Papamichael. Brittany's other film credits include "Keeping Up With the Steins," "The Ghost Club" and Disney's "Power Rangers" and "Sheena." On the small screen, she starred in the television film "Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers," and had a recurring role on "Freddie," starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. When Brittany is not working, she divides her time between Greenville, South Carolina and Los Angeles. She loves spending time at school, listening to music and hanging out with her cat, "Boo," and her extended family, which includes her parents, six brothers and sisters and grandparents. MARLENE LAWSTON (Lilly) made her film debut at the age of six in "Flightplan," playing Jodi Foster's daughter. DAN IN REAL LIFE is her second feature film. She started acting at the age of four and has appeared on "Law & Order," "Nickelodeon," "Saturday Night Live" and several television commercials. Nine-year-old Marlene loves animals-especially her best pal, a yellow lab, and her hamster-and enjoys going to the zoo, botanical garden, the mall, the movies and any playground. Marlene's favorites subjects are music and art; in her spare time, she studies piano, dances and loves to swim. NORBERT LEO BUTZ (Clay) received the Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Astaire and Drama League Awards for his work on Broadway in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Other Broadway credits include "Wicked," where he created the role of Fiyero, "Thou Shalt Not" (Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics nominations) and "Rent" (original cast, Broadway debut). Off-Broadway, he appeared in "Buicks" (Drama Desk nomination), "The Last Five Years" (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel nominations; Drama League Award), "Juno and the Paycock" (Roundabout) and "Saved" (Theatre for a New Audience). His performance as the Emcee in the first national tour of "Cabaret" garnered him Helen Hayes, Jefferson, Dora and Ovation Awards. He spent four seasons at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and played numerous roles at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Butz has appeared in the films "Noon Blue Apples" (Sundance Film Festival nominee) and "Went to Coney Island" and on television in "Comanche Moon" (CBS miniseries) and "Law & Order." He attended Webster University and has an MFA from Alabama Shakespeare Theatre. He is the proud father of two daughters, Clara and Maggie Lou. AMY RYAN (Eileen) has made her mark working with some of today's top directors and talent in the industry. Between many high-profile stage projects and television roles such as HBO's "The Wire," back this January, Amy is still just getting started. Ryan hits the big screen this October in Miramax's "Gone Baby Gone." Directed by Ben Affleck, Amy co-stars with Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris in a breakout performance as a Boston mother whose child is kidnapped. Amy's other films out this fall are DAN IN REAL LIFE with Steve Carell, directed by Peter Hedges, and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" with Ethan Hawke, directed by Sidney Lumet. She has also starred in some extremely noted films such as "Keane," directed by Lodge Kerrigan, "Capote" by Bennet Miller and "War of the Worlds," directed by Steven Spielberg. In addition to her film credits, she also has made quite a success on the Broadway stage. In 2000, Ryan was nominated for her first Tony® for Best Featured Actress in the Broadway hit "Uncle Vanya." A few years later, she astounded critics with a moving portrayal of the character Stella and was nominated again for best featured actress opposite John C. Reilly in "A Streetcar Named Desire," directed by Ed Hall. Amy also starred in Neil LaBute's play "The Distance From Here" in London's West End. Ryan's television credits are extensive, with over 30 guest-star performances and over eight series regular or recurring characters on prime-time television shows. Amy Ryan has proven herself to be one of the most versatile young actresses working today by playing a variety of compelling characters on stage and screen. Ryan was raised in Queens, New York, where she attended the High School of Performing Arts. JESSICA HECHT (Amy) most recently appeared in the film "Starting Out in the Evening" with Frank Langella and Lili Taylor, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Other notable film work includes "Sideways" directed by Alexander Payne; "Stay" directed by Marc Forster; "The Forgotten" directed by Joe Ruben; "At Last" directed by Tom Anton; "Saving Face" written and directed by Alice Wu; "The Grey Zone" directed by Tim Blake Nelson; and "Kicking and Screaming" written and directed by Noah Baumbach. In New York theater, Hecht appeared most recently opposite Alfred Molina in the American premiere of "Howard Katz" by Patrick Marber (The Roundabout Theater). Her other recent credits include "The House in Town" (Lincoln Center Theatre) and Broadway revivals of Arthur Miller's "After the Fall" and "Julius Caesar" (opposite Denzel Washington) as well as the Tony Award®-winning "The Last Night of Ballyhoo." Her off-Broadway work includes "Stop-Kiss," "Lobster Alice," "Plunge," "The Fourth Sister" and "Flesh and Blood." She just starred in revivals of "Blithe Spirit" and Lillian Hellman's "The Autumn Garden" (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Television audiences know Jessica from her comedy turns on "Friends" (as Ross' ex-wife's girlfriend), "The Single Guy," "What About Joan?," "Seinfeld" and "Mad About You" and dramatic appearances on the "Law & Order" franchise, "Homicide: Life on the Street," "ER" and "3 Lbs." She lives in New York with her husband, Adam Bernstein, and two children, Stella and Carlo. FRANK WOOD (Howard) won Broadway's Tony® and Drama League Awards for his role in "Sideman," which he also performed in London and Australia. His film and television appearances include "In America," "People I Know," "Thirteen Days," "Pollock," "Down to You," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Flakes," "Small Time Crooks," "Medium," "Line of Fire," "Third Watch," "Ed," "The Sopranos," "Law & Order," "Criminal Intent" and HBO's "Flight of the Concords." Wood's list of theater credits include "Hollywood Arm" (Broadway and Chicago's Goodman Theatre), "Stories Left to Tell," "Spring Awakening," Sam Shepard's "The God of Hell" (off-Broadway), "The Wax" (Playwrights Horizons), Edward Albee's "Peter and Jerry" (Hartford Stage), "Waiting for Godot" (ACT), "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" (Long Wharf Theatre), "Light Up the Sky" (Williamstown Theatre), "Our Town" (Bay Street Theatre), "Hamlet" (The McCarter), "The Rainmaker" (Arena Stage), and "The Three Sisters" (performed at the Edinburgh Festival with the American Repertory Theatre). He attended Wesleyan University and earned an MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS PETER HEDGES (Director/Co-Writer) is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director. He made his feature film directorial debut with "Pieces of April" starring Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt and Derek Luke. The acclaimed film garnered numerous awards including an Academy Award® nomination for Clarkson. Following the film, Variety named Hedges as one of the 10 Directors to Watch in 2003. Hedges' novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was the basis for the 1993 film, which he also wrote. His second novel, An Ocean in Iowa, was published in 1998 by Hyperion Press. His novels have been published in 15 languages. Hedges' screenplay adaptations include Jane Hamilton's "A Map of the World" and Nick Hornby's "About a Boy," which received a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar® nomination. A graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Hedges founded the Edge Theatre in 1985 along with Mary-Louise Parker and Joe Mantello. Over a three-year period, he wrote and directed 12 works for the company. Hedges' other plays include "Baby Anger" (Playwrights Horizons), "Good as New" (Manhattan Class Company), and "Imagining Brad" (Circle Repertory Theater), all of which have been published by Dramatists Play Service. Hedges has taught at Yale University, Bennington College and at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has served as a Creative Advisor to the Sundance Screenwriters' Lab and has been awarded residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony and the Millay Colony. Hedges grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa. He now lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Susan Bruce, and their two children, Simon and Lucas. PIERCE GARDNER (Co-Writer) was inspired to write DAN IN REAL LIFE after years of going on summer vacations to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife's extended family. Gardner is a native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He began working as a screenwriter in 1996. Currently, he is working on the romantic comedy "Theory of Everything" for Disney and adapting the book My Korean Deli for New Line. After these projects, he is slated to write an original comedy for Sony. His first screenplay, the supernatural thriller "Lost Souls," was made by New Line; it starred Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin and was directed Janusz Kaminksi. Gardner began his film career in production and served as a producer on the MGM comedies "Getting Even With Dad" (Ted Danson and Macaulay Culkin) and "Fatal Instinct" (Armand Assante and Sean Young). JON SHESTACK (Producer) was previously the President of Production at Artisan Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production and Development at Beacon Communications. At Beacon, Shestack produced "Air Force One" starring Harrison Ford. He also produced the art house hit "The Last Seduction" for October Films and "Disturbing Behavior" for Beacon and MGM. Shestack was the production executive on the movies "Family Man," "End of Days," "Bring It On" and "13 Days." Most recently he produced the Harrison Ford film "Firewall" and the college comedy "Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas," and "Waiting." Shestack is co-founder with his wife, Portia Iversen, of the Cure Autism Now Foundation and The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE)-the world's first collaborative gene bank for autism, and he is on the board of Autism Speaks. A native of Philadelphia, Shestack, 47, is the father of three children, one of whom has autism. BRAD EPSTEIN (Producer) is a prolific Hollywood producer, having spent the last half decade as the Senior Vice President of Production for Disney's Buena Vista Studios. Prior to becoming Senior V.P. at Buena Vista, Epstein was the President of Robert De Niro's production company, Tribeca Films. While at Tribeca he worked on films such as "Analyze This" and "Meet the Parents." He has served as producer or been the studio executive in charge of production for such worldwide hits as "Invincible," "Ladder 49" and "About a Boy." NOAH ROSEN (Executive Producer) started his career as a development executive at DIC films where he worked on "Meet the Deedles" and "Inspector Gadget." From there, he segued into management, selling his first spec script to Jim Brooks, and soon thereafter he started his own company-where he signed Pierce Gardner with whom he worked on the script of DAN IN REAL LIFE. In 2005, Rosen joined the management/production company Circle of Confusion to run its management side. Circle of Confusion clients include the Wachowski brothers ("The Matrix"), Simon Kinberg ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith"), James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta") and John Pogue ("The Fast and the Furious"). In addition to Gardner, Noah represents Merryman and Newman ("Friends With Benefits"), Iris Yamashita ("Letters From Iwo Jima"), Kondracki and Kirwan ("The Whistleblower"), Joe Gazzam ("Straight and Narrow"), Dan Shere ("We Are Family"), Brothers Dowdle Productions ("The Poughkeepsie Tapes"), Alan McElroy ("Tekken") and Chris Parker ("Mules"). He is also producing ten projects, including "We Are Family" at Twentieth Century Fox, "Scared Straight" at New Line with Rob Cohen attached, "The Vanished" with Hany Abu Assad (director "Paradise Now") and "Theory of Everything" at Disney, a project which reunites Rosen with writer Pierce Gardner and producer Jon Shestack. DARLENE CAAMAÑO LOQUET (Executive Producer) is President of Production/ Producer of Nala Films, where she supervises and produces the financing/ production company's film slate. She served as producer on the films "The Air I Breathe," starring Andy Garcia, Forrest Whitaker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brendan Fraser, Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy and Emile Hirsch; and "In The Valley of Elah," directed by Paul Haggis, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patrick and James Franco. Nala Films production slate includes "Mr. Burnout," "Night of Light," "Only Ever You" and "La Magdelena," all of which Darlene will supervise and produce. Before joining Nala Films, Darlene ran D-No Entertainment, a management/production company where she developed and sold DAN IN REAL LIFE by Pierce Gardner to Walt Disney Pictures with manager partner Noah Rosen. Prior to founding D-No Entertainment, Darlene served as the Senior Vice President of Production at director Gregory Nava's New Line Cinema-based El Norte Productions and as VP for DreamWorks-based Patchwork Productions, where she developed animated films such as "Chicken Run" and "Shrek." MARI JO WINKLER-IOFFREDA (Executive Producer) is a veteran filmmaker with eighteen years of experience in feature production; most recently, she co-produced "No Reservations" (directed by Scott Hicks and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Ekhardt and Abigail Breslin). She served as co-producer on two films directed by Curtis Hanson, "Lucky You" (starring Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore) and "In Her Shoes" (starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine), and on Peter Chelsom's remake of the Japanese hit "Shall We Dance" (starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez). Earlier in her career, Winkler-Ioffreda was a production manager, supervising shoots in New York, Newfoundland, Halifax, Winnipeg, South Carolina and Los Angeles, on films as diverse as "The Shipping News," "Catch Me If You Can," "Cold Mountain," "A Thousand Acres" and "The Object of My Affection." She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. LAWRENCE SHER (Director of Photography) has been a director of photography for over ten years, shooting commercials, music videos and over 15 feature films. Born and raised in New York City, he studied economics at Wesleyan University, where in his junior year he turned an interest in still photography into an obsessive fascination with motion-pictures. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began his career as a camera assistant. After shooting the award-winning USC short "12 Stops on the Road to Nowhere" for fellow Wesleyan alum Jason Lowi, he began to work as a director of photography on several smaller films and music videos, coming to the fore in 2000 with the indie award-winner "Kissing Jessica Stein" and the runaway hit "Garden State," directed by Zach Braff and starring Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm. He has more recently served as cinematographer on "The Chumscrubber" for director Arie Posin, "The Dukes of Hazzard" for Jay Chandrasekhar, "When a Man Falls in the Forest" starring Timothy Hutton, Dylan Baker and Sharon Stone and the comedy "Quebec," for first-time writer-director Steven Conrad, starring John C. Reilly. His work in television includes the pilot for NBC's "Andy Barker P.I.," and the "Caveman" pilot, based on the Geico cavemen, which was picked up as a fall series on ABC. He is currently shooting the feature film "Trucker" starring Michelle Monaghan, Nathan Fillion and Benjamin Bratt. SARAH KNOWLES' (Production Designer) credits as production designer include "Invincible" for Disney, "The Notebook" for New Line Cinema, and HBO's "Warm Springs," for which she received an Emmy® for Outstanding Art Direction. Knowles worked as an Art Director on films such as "Gattaca" and "Catch Me If You Can," both nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Art Direction. ALIX FRIEDBERG (Costume Designer) has designed the costumes for such productions as Ben Affleck's forthcoming directorial debut "Gone, Baby, Gone," "Glory Road," "A Lot Like Love," Wes Craven's "Cursed," "Around the Bend" and "But I'm a Cheerleader." Her extensive television credits include "Friday Night Lights," "Without a Trace" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." She studied fashion design at FIDM, Los Angeles, and fine art at Otis School of Art and Design, Los Angeles. SARAH FLACK, A.C.E. (Editor) has worked a number of times with two of America's most innovative filmmakers: Sofia Coppola ("Marie Antoinette," 2006, and "Lost in Translation," 2003) and Steven Soderbergh ("Full Frontal," 2002, "The Limey," 1999, and "Schizopolis," 1996). She won a BAFTA award and was nominated for an American Cinema Editors Eddie award for "Lost in Translation" and was nominated for an Online Film Critics Society award for "The Limey." Other films she has edited include "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," co-editor (2005); "The Baxter," co-editor (2005); "Looking for Kitty" (2004); "The Guys" (2002); "Swimfan" (2002); "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" (2000); and "Lush" (1999). She first worked with Steven Soderbergh as a production assistant on "Kafka" in 1990. SONDRE LERCHE (Composer) was born and raised in Bergen, a small west coast Norwegian city, where he fell under the spell of the records his older brother and two sisters played-Norwegian pop sensations a-ha, the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello and Prefab Sprout all made an indelible mark on Lerche's musical consciousness. Lerche and his band, Faces Down, recorded the album "Faces Down" in 2000, but its release was held up to allow the young singer to finish high school. Harking back to the classic pop sounds of The Beatles, Burt Bacharach/Hal David, and '60s bossa nova and classic American saloon songs, the album was praised for its inventive arrangements, Lerche's smooth vocals and first-rate songwriting. Faces Down won Best New Artist at the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammys® (Spellemannprisen) in 2002 and was listed among Rolling Stone's top 50 albums of 2002. "Two Way Monologue," another collection of tidy, well-crafted pop followed in 2004. Lerche's vocals were more confident, swooping from a mellow tenor to playful falsetto ornamentations, with songs marked by lush melodies and expansive pop arrangements. "Duper Sessions," which was released in 2006, was more acoustic and band-focused than its predecessors, but Lerche's attention to craft remained intact and the album charted in the Billboard Jazz Contemporary Top 5. His most recent album is the energetic "Phantom Punch," recorded in the studio live in only one take and released in the U.S. in February 2007. Lerche has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe and has performed in Japan and Asia. He has toured with Elvis Costello and Air and performed at the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2004. DANA SANO (Music Supervisor) is an avid fan of both film and music, and this has inspired her into a music supervision career of nearly two decades. She began at Creative Artists Agency with music agent Brian Loucks and then moved on to assist the late film producer Robert F. Colesberry. Soon thereafter, she became music coordinator for supervision veterans Gary Goetzman and Sharon Boyle on films such as "The Silence of the Lambs," "The Hot Spot," "Point Break" and "Groundhog Day." When Goetzman transitioned into Playtone Productions, Sharon and Dana continued working together on the overall PolyGram Filmed Entertainment slate of movies and others including "Kalifornia," "Until the End of the World" and "Under Siege." In 1994, Dana was brought in to help start New Line Cinema's West Coast music department. As Senior Vice President of Music, she worked with directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, James Gray, Jay Roach and Gary Ross. To date, she has worked on over seventy-five films, including "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," "Blade," "Blue Crush," "Boogie Nights," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Magnolia," "Seven," and "Wag the Dog." Upcoming releases include DAN IN REAL LIFE, "Make It Happen," "Shoot 'Em Up" and "We Own the Night." BERNARD TELSEY, C.S.A. (Casting) graduated from New York University in 1981 with a degree in Theater Administration and Acting. While at NYU, he interned with many not-for-profits theaters, acted and met Robert LuPone, with whom he founded the MCC Theater. Telsey began his casting career at Simon & Kumin Casting as an assistant and then worked as a casting director at Risa Bramon & Billy Hopkins Casting. He opened his own casting office in 1988. He, along with his staff of casting directors and associates, have cast such Broadway and off-Broadway shows as "Legally Blonde," "Company," "Grey Gardens" and "Color Purple." Other credits include "Wicked," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Odd Couple," "Tarzan," "Sweeney Todd," "Talk Radio," "All Shook Up," "Frozen," "The Goat," "Hairspray," "Wit," "La Boheme," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Anna and the Tropics," "Rocky Horror Show," "Taboo," "Moon for the Misbegotten," "Aida," "Death of a Salesman," "De La Guarda," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Rent," "Capeman," "The Cryptogram" and "Food Chain." He also cast Peter Sellers' international productions of "Peony Pavilion," "The Merchant of Venice" and "I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky." His recent film credits include Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" and Helen Hunt's "Then She Found Me." He previously worked with Peter Hedges on "Pieces of April," as well as "Rent," "Camp," "Whoopie," HBO's "Undefeated," "Finding Forrester," "Blair Witch the Sequel," "The Bone Collector" and "The Grey Zone." Official Web Site: http://www.daninreallife-themovie.com Back to main movie page Showing Today at: Click here for other showings