Winning the lottery seemed as good a retirement plan as any. “Jerry & Marge Go Large” is inspired by the remarkable true story of retiree Jerry Selbee, who discovers a mathematical loophole in the Massachusetts lottery and, with his wife Marge, wins millions and uses the money to revive their small Michigan town.

 

Oscar® nominee, and Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Bryan Cranston stars as Jerry Selbee alongside four-time Academy Award nominee and a two-time Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild Award® winner Annette Bening, who stars as Marge Selbee. The cast is rounded out by a diverse array of talented actors including Larry Wilmore, Rainn Wilson, Anna Camp, Ann Harada, Jake McDorman, Michael McKean and Uly Schlesinger.

 

Academy Award winner David Frankel (“Marley & Me,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) directed from the script by Emmy-nominee Brad Copeland (“Wild Hogs,” “Arrested Development”). “Jerry & Marge Go Large” is produced by Academy Award nominee Gil Netter (“The Blind Side,” “Life of Pi”), Levantine Films (“Hidden Figures”) and executive produced by Kevin Halloran (“Ford v Ferrari”) and Jennie Lee (“Mixtape”). Amy Baer also produces via MRC Film’s Landline Pictures, with the film marking the label’s first production. Netter, Tory Metzger and Renee Witt from Levantine Films developed and packaged the film based on the original article by Jason Fagone for The Huffington Post.

 

David Frankel’s creative team that brought “Jerry & Marge Go Large” to life includes artists and artisans such as costume designer Mary Claire Hannan, production designer Russell Barnes, and director of photography Maryse Alberti.

 

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About Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Paramount Pictures controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, and Paramount Players. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

 

About MRC Film

MRC Film is a leading independent studio known for championing singular filmmakers and emerging directors to make high-quality distinctive films and for its selective investments in major studio films, collectively which have earned more than $6 billion in worldwide box office and received accolades including 12 Academy® Award nominations and 11 Golden Globe® Award nominations. Upcoming projects include: “The Mothership,” starring Halle Berry and from writer and director Matt Charman for Netflix; “Persuasion,” starring Dakota Johnson and from director Carrie Cracknell for Netflix, and “Jerry & Marge Go Large” starring Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening from director David Frankel for Paramount+. Past films include the highest grossing original R-rated comedy of all time, “Ted,” the Oscar® and Golden Globe nominated “Knives Out,” the Oscar nominated “Baby Driver,” Oscar-winning “Babel,” and the comedy “The Lovebirds.” MRC Film operates Landline Pictures, its label focused on entertaining, concept and star-driven movies on and about older audiences with crossover appeal. MRC Film has co-financed films including “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” the “Peter Rabbit” franchise, the second and third installments of “Hotel Transylvania,” “22 Jump Street,” “Think Like a Man Too” and “Fast & Furious 7.” For more information, please visit www.mrcentertainment.com.

 

The Real-Life Story Behind the Story: The Genesis of the Project

 

Brad Copeland, the film’s screenwriter, had read the story of the Selbees published in 2018 by The Huffington Post, written by Jason Fagone. He was intrigued by the story of a man with these gifts. “But his gifts aren’t just math. His gifts are that he looked around at the town around him and said, ‘I can help all these people.’” It was a message that Copeland was really excited to bring to the screen. He started researching in hopes that the rights were still available; outside of Fagone, no one had told the story yet. “So we could be the first ones,” said Copeland.

 

He phoned Oscar-nominated producer Gil Netter, who Copeland had successfully collaborated with over the years. Netter read the article and immediately set about securing the film rights to the Selbee’s story. Jennie Lee, Netter Films VP production & development, did the old-fashioned thing and began to look up Jerry and Marge Selbee in the yellow pages. “In retrospect, I should have specifically focused on Michigan; that would have saved me a lot of work!” said Lee. “Jerry Selbee eventually picked up the phone, and as luck would have it, it turned out that he was represented by an agent that Netter had worked with often.”

 

Meanwhile, Renee Witt of Levantine Films heard about Jerry and Marge’s story through Josie Friedman, Jason Fagone’s agent. “The great thing about Josie is that she tends to know what material fits Levantine’s brand -- this story works so well with our brand because one of the things we try to do is highlight underserved audiences. I often have early access to a lot of material, pre-publication drafts of books, for instance, our earlier project “Hidden Figures,” but it’s a bit different with magazine articles such as this.”

The rights to Selbee’s story quickly became a hot commodity in Hollywood. Before long, there were at least 17 different bidders on the article. So, to better their odds, Netter Films joined forces with Tory Metzger and Renee Witt, Levantine Films producers, who were also chasing the story.

 

Metzger shares, “This story was something we knew we wanted. And there were a lot of bidders. And while getting our offer together, we connected with Gil on the project.  Gil came in with Brad at that point. We joined forces with Gil attached as producer, and he had Brad attached to write the adaptation.”

 

Within a couple of weeks, Netter and Levantine had won out against the others, secured the rights, and began developing the project. “I’ve never seen a situation like that before where there were so many bidders. But, ultimately, it was my relationship with Josie and our collective take on the material, that we got it,” says Witt.

 

Witt adds, “We loved the story and felt that it could be all of the things it ended up being, but when Gil brought in Brad Copeland, and we heard his take that we were confident that this could be that feel-good film that was entertaining and showed the human side of people struggling with life’s challenges.”

 

Later, when the script was ready to share, Netter gave it to director David Frankel. “It was funny, and emotional, which is everything I look for in a movie,” said Frankel. “The story had perfect structure, a lot of great jokes, and really great characters. And I signed on.”

 

Metzger shares, “David responded to this material for the same reasons that all of us, as producers, connected to it: This is a positive story about the importance of community in a time when we all have concerns about the loss of community.”

 

With the project fully packaged with director David Frankel, stars Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening attached to Brad Copepland’s script; Netter Films and Levantine Films then took the project to MRC in late 2020.

 

Amy Baer, president of Landline Pictures - an MRC Film label previously collaborated with Gil Netter on the 1997 romantic comedy, global box office hit “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” starring Julia Roberts, and on separate projects with both Levantine Films and Frankel, after reading the script, she phoned Netter: “this movie is perfect for me!” Landline Pictures’ is focused on producing content for an over-50 audience with crossover appeal. “It’s confounding that studios and streamers don’t make movies for an over-50 audience who are avid movie watchers, and when they do those movies rarely really reflect their life experience,” said Baer. “The experiences of aging really have evolved over the last two, three decades. I don’t think anybody looks at aging anymore as sort of, ‘going off quietly into the night and sitting in your rocking chair.’” She called this a “warm hug of a movie,” and like the rest of the cast crew, she felt this story is, “really what the world needs now.”

 

Before he began writing what would later become the film’s screenplay, Copeland met Jerry and Marge Selbee and their family and friends in their hometown -- Evart, Michigan, with a population of 1900. A single-stoplight factory-town that collapses in the folds of a map.

 

Copeland shares that Netter suggested he “form an idea of the story you want to tell before you meet them.” As it turned out, “the story we had in mind was already very close to who they were and the experience they had. We were very much aligned, and meeting them actually deepened it on every level.”

 

Copeland, whose writing process usually involves taking copious notes, realized, “it’s a tiny town, and everybody loves telling these stories. As soon as you bring out a piece of paper, all of a sudden, you’re the journalist. At that point, they’d had a lot of journalists asking a lot of questions. What they wanted was a friend to tell their story to.” So he put his notepad and pen away and spent the rest of his visit just listening. “It was like talking with my dad.” When Copeland got back to his hotel that night, he quickly wrote down everything he had heard throughout the day.

 

Baer said, “the Selbees have been really supportive of everything we’ve done to adapt their story into a movie. As stakeholders, we have a real responsibility to do right by them.”

 

One of the small changes that was made to the actual story is the timeline; the Selbee’s story happened over a span of three years. For the script, it took place over one year. “There’s this kind of valley where you’re not going to watch a three-year progression,” said Copeland.  “But really, that’s all we had to do was look at the story and take out the gaps where time passed. Everything else was there.” Copeland, mostly a fictional writer, said the story already had elements to make it a great movie. The story, which happened in 2003, was also changed to present-day. “Honestly, the story is timeless,” says Lee.

 

In producing a movie for an older audience, Baer says they tend to cross over to younger audiences; the themes are universal. And, in fact, there are younger characters in the movie who are also pursuing the same goal of winning the Winfall lottery. “I think that everybody wants to feel like they’re seen and they’re relevant and that their skill set is meaningful. And I think everybody wants to feel like they’re part of a community, whether you’re 20-something or 60-something,” observes Baer.

 

In how the Selbees went about playing the lottery, the writer and producers were moved that they didn’t game the system. They weren’t cheating. This isn’t a “Wolf of Wall Street” version where they go off the deep end. That’s not who the Selbees are,” Baer says, “One of the things that’s so beautiful is that they weren’t doing it for the money. They were doing it for the experience.” 

 

Copeland adds, “We didn’t want to make it about money. We wanted to make it about people. Because the real story is about people.”

 

About Copeland’s writing talents, Lee says, “Brad is able to really strike a balance between funny and heartfelt.” This is Copeland’s third movie with Netter Films, with a couple more in development. On working with Netter, Copeland says, “He’s not in it for anything else besides just to tell these stories. And I’ve come to him with a lot of ideas over the years that aren’t great stories…Gil sincerely only cares about stories that people really relate to and find inspiring.”

 

Baer, who worked with Frankel on “Moneyball” a decade ago says “David is a filmmaker who is very much in touch with humanity. He approaches storytelling from the human experience and themes. ‘Marley and Me’ was another true story directed by David and produced by Gil Netter. I think when David sees a story worthy of getting made into a movie, there must be something that’s very strong about its foundation,” said Baer.

 

“David has this magic to make movies that make audiences feel good and illuminate life,” says Witt. “Of course, “The Devil Wears Prada” immediately comes to mind, but this hits an older audience. I think this story came along at the right time in his life, and he felt connected to it, which made it doubly special. I learned on set how close David is to his family. He is extraordinarily family-oriented, and the material spoke to him because of where he is in his life. “Jerry & Marge Go Large” is a story about family. It’s a story about people coming together and appreciating family and community, and tonally that’s precisely what we wanted the movie to be.”

 

Baer continues, “David is clear on what he wants to accomplish and knows how to do it in a way that you’re able to have fun and feel safe creatively.” Our cast and crew all agreed that David is a gentle and collaborative leader. The first thing he said on day one in the production meeting was, “I will never ever reject a good idea from anybody on the cast and crew.” 

 

In regard to the story, what stood out to David was, “the dynamic between Jerry and Marge and the way that their relationship bloomed as they developed this scheme to win the lottery.” He read it early in the pandemic and felt that, “the world needed movies and entertainment that reminded us that there’s still joy in the world. And that people can still be brought together in wonderful ways.”

 

Baer’s mission for Landline Pictures is “to create content for audiences that show them it’s never too late to start over. It’s never too late to take a risk. It’s never too late to pursue a dream. And you’re as relevant as you want to be for as long as you want to be.” 

 

Metzger says, “Our fundamental desire to get this film made was to share a story that would touch many people, not just emotionally, but that it would be something that would give them joy.”

 

Lee adds, “Similar to other Netter Films, ‘Jerry & Marge Go Large’ brings an uplifting message and the notion that you can’t count anyone out. Good things and good ideas come from anyone, and anywhere.”

 

 

Getting to Know “Real-Life” Jerry and Marge

 

When Jerry Selbee and his wife Marge were in their 60s, they found themselves in a new and uncertain chapter in their lives. Jerry was recently retired after working at a Kellogg’s cereal factory for 30 years. Marge had been a homemaker and raised six kids. They were ready to spend more time together, but didn’t exactly know how. Jerry had a busy mind he needed to occupy, and Marge was tired of having him around the house all the time. Then one day, Jerry came across the Winfall lottery.

 

“The idea of actually winning at the lottery and winning it consistently is absurd,” said Bryan Cranston. “But Jerry Selbee and his mathematical mind saw a flaw in the game - in the very structure of the game so that it wasn’t a game of chance anymore. It was mathematically guaranteed to deliver wins on a consistent basis.”

 

As Jason Fagone wrote in his Huffington Post story “The Lottery Hackers,” which became the foundation on which the script was based, “The lottery is like a bank vault with walls made of math instead of steel; cracking it is a heist for squares.”

 

Cranston breaks down how Winfall was won, “To play Winfall, you spend $1 on a ticket with six numbers between one and 46 randomly selected by a machine. The lottery picks six winning numbers. If you have all six numbers printed on your ticket, you win the jackpot. If the jackpot reaches $2 million and no one wins, the prizes would “roll down” to whoever had five numbers matched, or four, three, or two, divided equally among winners.”

 

“So Jerry worked out the numbers that only during roll-down times - approximately every three to four weeks it would happen; there is a triggered roll-down,” explained Cranston. “He figured out if you bet enough to offset luck in the laws of probability, you have the odds in your favor to win.”

 

Bening adds, “It’s just a question of how much you put in. And the larger the amount, the greater the chance that you would benefit. And in fact, the numbers were on your side.”

 

Seeing mathematical patterns on Jerry’s level is beyond the comprehension of most people. “It had to be someone like Jerry who could see it and recognize it very quickly,” said Lee.

 

They started playing the Winfall lottery. And then they started a little company - GS Strategies - and started playing the lottery with their neighbors. “They called them shareholders,” said Bening. “You bought a share, which meant you put in a certain amount of tickets. And then everybody would get their portion.”

 

And because everyone trusted Jerry, “it was all done on a handshake.” Cranston adds, “No paperwork. No contracts.”

 

They lost only a couple of times - when someone won the jackpot - but more than made up for it. By the end, they were buying as much as $500,000 worth of tickets. “They stood for twelve hours a day for about four days in a row getting tickets out of the machine,” said Cranston. “And then 10-14 days - depending on how much they were betting at any given time - of looking at the tickets and finding the winners.”

 

After a while, the Selbees knew the numbers in their head, and it was almost like they would just rise out of the ticket, and they would know within a couple of seconds if it was a winner or loser.

 

The Selbees were able to play the Winfall lottery for three years before the state finally shut it down. Their winnings totaled $27 million between them and their shareholders. “I don’t know exactly what they were left with, but I don’t think they were hurting,” smiled Cranston. “I think their retirement is just fine!”

 

While they played, Jerry collected all the losing tickets for the IRS because he knew he would eventually be audited. They were stacked in bins from floor to ceiling in their garage. He also kept immaculate books. And in fact, he was audited. “It was one of my favorite stories that he told us,” said Bening. “That eventually the IRS agents came to his door and they said, ‘Okay, we have to audit you.’ And he said, ‘Come on in.’ Showed him all of his books, showed them all the tickets, and the guys were like, ‘Okay, this is completely legal, it’s completely legitimate, thank you.’”

 

Bening continues, “The next year, the same agents were told, ‘Hey, you need to go audit him again.’ And they said to their bosses, ‘I’m telling you, this guy is completely honest. We don’t need to go back.’ But of course, they were sent back, and in fact, when they showed up at Jerry’s door, Jerry said, ‘Hey, come on in.’ And the second time, the guys didn’t even look at the books. They just sat and talked about fishing. Because they knew there was nothing to find.’”

 

Cranston shares, “Any hint of impropriety was something that irritated the Selbees. They sought retractions and corrections from any publication that implied as much- such as with The Boston Globe. The Selbees got them to retract what they had published and instead write that they did nothing illegal -- that they simply figured out how to play the lottery to their advantage.”

 

For research, Brad Copeland visited the Selbees before writing the script, and executive Jennie Lee, David Frankel, Bryan Cranston, and Annette Bening got to spend a week with them right before filming. “It was like visiting family,” said Lee. “We just spent a lot of time getting to know them, hearing the story from their perspective.”

 

The couple lives in a small town called Evart, Michigan, where they’ve been for most of their lives. It’s a population of just 1,900 people. “The Selbees know everybody,” said Frankel. “All their friends gather every morning in the same diner, and there’s a real sense of community there.”

 

Marge taught them how to make her rhubarb tarts, and she and Jerry took them to all the local restaurants they usually go to. “Breakfast, Monday through Friday, 7 am sharp at the Lamplighter Lounge --  every day,” shares Lee.

 

“And, they go to certain other restaurants on specific days every single week,” added Copeland. “On the way there, Jerry’s saying, ‘Well, I don’t even really like this restaurant. We just go every week.’ Their lives are wonderfully organized. They just get up, and they’re happy to be together. I had never seen anything like that.”

 

Jerry actually didn’t tell Marge about his lottery plans right away. He tried it out first and then told her. And once he shared his discovery - Marge was immediately on board. “Marge knew that if Jerry figured something out, he’d figured something out, and she didn’t question it,” said Frankel.

 

“She didn’t even need him to explain the math,” Bening added. “I love that about her. And I think that kind of encapsulates their relationship.”

 

“They are each other’s right arm,” said Cranston. “They know each other so well, and they often don’t have to say too much to each other to know exactly how they’re going, how they’re moving in sync. It’s almost like a pair of ducks who mate for life, and they just kind of swim along. It’s sweet. It really is.”

 

Jerry and Marge Selbee will be celebrating 65 years of marriage this fall. They got married when Jerry was still a senior in high school. Lee admired just how much they really love each other. “There was a point where Marge got up to get a glass of water or something, and when she left the room, (Jerry) said, ‘I don’t know if she realizes this - but I know that when I found her, I found a true partner for life. Like a truly equal partner,’” shares Lee.

 

“Marge is an amazing homemaker. Six kids. She used to sew a lot. She was literally making winter coats for her children as they were growing up,” marveled Bening. The Selbees also have 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. “They put their grandkids through college, and that’s the thing they’re most proud of,” said Cranston.

 

The Selbees also created a loan company that gave opportunities for other people to improve their businesses or buy houses. “They made life better for a lot of people,” said Frankel. “It’s nice that winning money isn’t always associated with greed. That there are good uses for people who have accumulated wealth. And that money isn’t the final object.”

 

Frankel continues, “The Selbees were completely unchanged by winning a lot of money.” Lee added, “They never changed anything in their house. They didn’t change anything about their lifestyle. Everything is just very much the same.”

 

Cranston said, “I think what the lottery did for them is it gave them an activity in their retired years that really brought them together.”

 

Bening added, “And they had fun! They really had fun!”

 

Lee said that during the filmmakers’ research, they asked Jerry, “If they hadn’t shut it down, would you still be playing Winfall?” And he said, “I said it then, and I’ll say it again: I’ll milk that cow as long as she can stand!”

 

 

Who’s Who

 

The Filmmakers Find Their Jerry & Marge in Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening

 

“Looking back, Bryan and Annette were always our first choices. It couldn’t have been anyone else,” says Witt.

 

On casting Bryan Cranston as Jerry, producer Amy Baer notes that Cranston’s extraordinary versatility struck a chord. “The idea that he went from “Malcolm in the Middle” on one extreme to “Breaking Bad” on the other. In some ways, Jerry Selbee lives right in the middle of those two. The character of Jerry is still water that runs deep, and we needed an actor who could portray that delicate balance of drama and comedy.”

 

“He’s a very serious man in a pretty funny movie,” said Frankel. “Bryan finds brilliant ways to incorporate humor into someone who isn’t, himself, a hilarious guy. Frankel echos that Bryan Cranston, as well as Annette Bening, were the filmmakers’ first choice and “always really the only choice” to play the Selbees.”

 

Cranston speaks about how he often plays characters with a lot of turmoil and anxiety in their lives and likes that this was a different route for him. Cranston received the script from Tory Metzger about two years ago and responded immediately. “It was just the perfect thing to entertain because it’s non-cynical. It’s endearing,” said Cranston. “This couple uses this endeavor to stimulate their life… I wanted to do something like that - that was small but earnest.”

 

On preparing for the role, Cranston spent some time with the Selbees in Evart, Michigan, a week before filming started. He didn’t want to speak for Jerry but shared that “it’s outside of me until I try to welcome that essence inside.” He found Jerry to be “so generous and accommodating and helpful.” Jerry would ask him, “Well, what are you looking for? What can I help you with?” And Cranston went, “I don’t know! I don’t really know. But I’ll know it when I sense it when I feel it.” He learned as much as he could from Jerry. “You’re not able to use everything, but you’re able to gain a sense of who these people are,” said Cranston. Both he and Annette hoped that the Selbees would appreciate that they were trying “not to do an impersonation of them, but just get their sensibility right.”

 

Cranston says that acting is “kind of like a leap of faith… because we actually don’t know what we’re going to do at any given time. We trust that it will come.” His process of finding a character is like “kind of (putting) the welcome mat out, and hopefully it eventually seeps in, like through osmosis.”

 

Looking back at the casting process, Witt shares, “While we were still looking for our director, we decided to look at actors to see if we could land some of the people we were interested in as leads.”

 

We started to approach talent, says Metzger. “Coincidentally, a couple of weeks prior, I had a Zoom introduction to Bryan Cranston. Unrelated to this project, one of Bryan’s agents decided to connect us because he thought we would have similar tastes and, of course, Bryan also produces.”

 

Metzger adds, “We each shared some of the projects we were working on. So I wound up pitching Bryan the story of Jerry & Marge. At the time, feeling we had an immediate rapport, and we were enjoying our conversation with one another; but thinking to myself, “Of course, he’s perfect.”

 

“And, so it happens Bryan was at the top of our list, created long before,” says Metzger. “Bryan told me, ‘Oh, I’d love to read that when I mentioned it to him.’ So I shared the script with him before we could officially make an offer, and he read it and decided he wanted to do it.”

 

“But, of course, we couldn’t yet formally offer it to him as we hadn’t yet attached a director,” Metzger says. “We hoped that whatever director we found ourselves in business with would want Bryan. I explained, “I got out ahead of myself because I felt so comfortable speaking with you, but I will work hard to make sure that this is offered. I just was jumping ahead of things. We agreed that we needed to put a director on first and that we would stay in touch. Being one of the most grounded individuals in our business, Bryan was gracious and said, “Okay, I really would love to do it.”

 

Metzger shares, “It took very little time before David Frankel became attached and said, ‘I’m really excited about Bryan Cranston.” “Bryan attached himself immediately; as soon as he heard that Frankel was on board and they had connected, had a conversation -- got to know each other, he officially came aboard.”

 

Many of the cast and crew shared that they learned a lot from Cranston and enjoyed working with him. “They inspire you. They wanna make you better,” said Ann Harada in regard to both Cranston and Bening. “They are by far the kindest and most decent people. And I feel that’s why they’re the best choices to play Jerry and Marge.”

 

“I just sort of pinch myself every time I get to go to set and stand near them,” exclaimed Anna Camp of working with Cranston and Bening. “As talented as they are, they’re as kind and funny and wonderful to be around.”

 

“I mean, at this point in our careers, I want to have fun,” said Cranston. He notes that days and nights on set can be long but that he’s focused on the pleasure of his work. “I want to go and enjoy myself. We’re working hard and having a good time.”

 

Bening’s admiration for Cranston was mostly shared through jokes and laughter between them. They’ve been friends for years. “It’s about your partner,” said Bening. “It’s all about who you’re with and how you are.” She says that acting is all about interacting. “If you have someone so generous and present, then you can lose the natural self-consciousness that we all have as healthy, normal human beings.”

 

“Everybody talks about the chemistry between stars on a movie,” said Frankel. “And this is extraordinary chemistry. They seem like they’ve lived together for a long, long time, and you really want them to be happy.” Frankel complimented the way the pair combined their energies together.

 

Bryan was also a great partner to Brad Copeland. Each weekend, he and Copeland would work out rewrites for some of the more extensive scenes. “Bryan was invested in a way that I wasn’t used to,” said Copeland. “He really, truly, went so deep.” He talked about how Cranston would pick up on stuff that he had missed down to the pair of shoes (Jerry) wore. Cranston told Copeland, “I have to have these SAS shoes because that’s what Jerry wears.”

 

“Bryan is wonderful with the script,” agreed Frankel. “He’s always thinking about it.” And about Cranston’s creativity on-set, “There’s great improvisation, great physical comedy, wonderful detail in capturing someone whose mind is so mathematically oriented, and who’s surrounded by a bunch of wacky friends and neighbors,” said Frankel.

 

Cranston had a great time learning about and playing Jerry Selbee. “We’ve very fortunate people, and we get to do what we love to do for a living,” said Cranston. “Sometimes we play characters that are less than attractive, and sometimes you’re able to play a character that you really want to invest in.”

 

Baer remembered that right after they closed the deals for the movie, she observed Bryan speaking with a reporter. Cranston said without mentioning the project (which was confidential at the time), “My next movie is something that is going to put good into the world, and I feel really committed to doing that right now.”

 

While everyone around Cranston realizes what he brings to the movie, at the same time, Cranston recognizes what everyone around him brings to the film. “If the actors, and the director, and the writer, and the producers all can figure out how we can get audiences to invest in these characters… and feel empathy for them… then we’ll take them on a journey. We’ll entertain them and also give them a sense of adventure, as well. Even if it’s an armchair adventure.”

 

Metzger recalls, “We set about casting for Marge, and Annette happens to be represented by my former colleague, Kevin Huvane. Frankel loved the idea of Annette as Marge, and Annette was already somebody Bryan had expressed great interest in working with, so we offered it to her, and luckily, she said yes.”

 

Bening remembers her first read of the script, “It made me laugh, and it made me feel good. And I just loved the essence of the story.” She felt there was “a place for just good entertainment.” Her parents are still alive; her dad is 96, and her mom is 92. “To make a movie that my parents would enjoy seeing - that made me happy.” Like the Selbees, Bening’s parents are also from the midwest, which appealed to her.

 

“Bryan was already on board - that was a huge part of it as well,” added Bening. And like Cranston, Bening tended to play a lot of people with “anxiety and issues.” Frankel said that Bening really loved that Marge is a “very strong woman.”

 

On casting Bening to play Marge, Baer said, “She is effervescent. That is the best way I can describe what she’s bringing to this movie.” When Frankel was discussing the characters before filming, it was noted that the “color” would be all around Cranston’s character. “Marge is part of that color,” said Cranston.

 

In preparing to play Marge, Being said, she started with Copeland’s script. “It’s definitely not exactly what happened… because it’s a movie,” said Bening. “But of course, I feel a great responsibility. I want Marge to be happy with what I’m doing, and I’ve followed Brad’s lead.”

 

During filming, Bening said the real pleasure of acting was (and is) interacting. “With Bryan, it’s about responding to what he’s doing… responding to the moment. The less planned it is, the better. Of course, you have to plan to a degree, but to try to find the surprise in the moment is a joy.”

“She has a tremendous amount of poignancy and emotion,” said Baer. “Her ability, as Marge, to foil Jerry really is a tremendous balance - yin and yang.” While Jerry is more “grounded,” Marge is more “feisty.” Baer emphasizes the “treat” of being able to see Cranston and Bening - two “massive talents” on-screen together for the first time. She said that in many of the scenes between her and Cranston, Bening makes it “really beautiful and really elevates the emotion of them.” During a scene when Jerry and Marge are driving through the town of Evart, Marge challenges Jerry to rise to the moment. “(Bening) does it with such empathy and care and love for him that it was really moving watching it when they were filming it.”

 

Where the character of Marge could have easily become just comic relief, Baer says Bening “brought more to Marge than what was on the page” and that “every time you see her on-screen, she just lights up.” Frankel also said, “There’s just such a warmth to her. Her smile lights up a room, and her laughter is infectious.”

 

Cranston says that he has adored Bening for years. “Here’s what I’ve discovered,” said Cranston, “is that it’s not imperative for professional actors to really adore who you’re working with, but it makes the work easier, it makes the connection stronger, and it just makes it more fun.”

 

McKean also talked about how much of a fan he is of Bening. “It’s always great to work with someone that you admire. She’s amazing. She’s the sweetest person.”

 

Bening humbly said, “For me, it’s why we do what we do. We actors - I just love this about actors - everybody on this show… After you say ‘hello,’ it’s like you’re friends. The immediacy of working together - the friendships, the mutual vulnerability - it’s very, very special.”

 

Bening also talked about how she and the cast have become friendly with the crew, and how as performers, “we’re used to entertaining the crew.” She mentioned how things on set are a bit different during Covid - because everyone’s faces are covered, and it’s a bit more challenging to receive feedback from everyone’s expressions. But at the same time, Bening emphasizes the importance of being able to forget there are people and a camera around you. “If you’re sitting around doing something and then someone puts a camera on you, immediately there’s a natural kind of, ‘Oh well - ah - there’s a camera on me.’ But you want to try to have a sense of losing that in service to the story. And if it’s a story you believe in, it’s worth it.”

 

Bening perfectly balanced investing in the importance of making this movie and the importance of connecting to those around her while making it - community-minded, just like Marge Selbee.

 

Larry Wilmore Is Steve Wood

 

Wilmore plays the role of Steve Wood - Jerry Selbee’s accountant in “Jerry and Marge Go Large.” “I like to think that I’m part of the reason that they go large,” Larry smiles. “Just saying.”

 

Wilmore says, “after reading the script and hearing about the cast, I couldn’t say no to something like this.” He was taken by the story of the Selbees and their entire town. “And I just thought it was done really well with so much sensitivity. It’s not just math. You’ve gotta have vision to figure that out.”

 

Wilmore found his character complex and intriguing, “Steve is a widower. He hasn’t moved on since he lost his wife. He’s kind of a curmudgeon, you know?” He loved seeing his character - who’s going through a tough time - be able to climb out of his struggle and start to enjoy himself. While Steve wouldn’t normally do something like take a big risk with playing the lottery, his character has a moment where he’s feeling, “You know what, let’s just do this.” And he buys in. “And it’s really kind of his turning point.” 

 

On why Steve chooses to buy a Corvette, Wilmore says, “’cause once you start winning the lottery, come on! The rest of your life has gotta be as fly as what’s coming in.” He says the Corvette represents Steve letting go for the first time and enjoying life. “Let me tell you something - it is a lot of fun!” Wilmore got to learn how to drive the vehicle for the movie. “It’s very difficult to get in that car - especially with the pandemic pounds I kind of put on,” joked Wilmore.

 

If Wilmore himself won the lottery? - He joked that he couldn’t share it with his town in Pasadena. “Pasadena’s too big to share the lottery. People would lose their minds. Couldn’t do it!” Wilmore would instead find a small town like Evart and put money into things for young people. “When I was a kid, it was so nice to have community things that all kids could use, especially in the summertime. A lot of times, kids get in trouble because they have no place to go. Things like community centers where you can get in trouble in the good way instead of the bad way.”

 

Wilmore said that working with Bryan and Annette is just the best. “The two of them -- you just wanna go, ‘Ahhh!’ You just want to scream a little bit. I’m really like a little kid when I do these things. Cranston, I knew for years. When I was doing The Bernie Mac Show, he was in Malcolm in the Middle, and they were shooting right above us. ...But I never thought I’d have the chance to act in a movie with him.”

 

Wilmore looks forward to audiences experiencing the movie. “It’d be nice if all you take away is that there are still good people in this world who care about their community, care about what happens to people, and care about doing something the right way.”

 

Rainn Wilson Is Bill Madres

 

The character of Bill Madres is “super fun,” said Rainn Wilson. “He’s eccentric, and he’s kind of a slob, he’s down and out, kind of sees the world through his unique lens… But of all of the kind of crazy, misfit, goofball characters I’ve played before, I’ve never played one quite like Bill.”

 

Wilson said he fell in love with the script as soon as his agent sent it to him. “And that’s pretty rare, I think for a lot of actors - myself included.” He described the script as “funny, buoyant, ebullient, kind of sad, truthful, and grounded. Both uplifting and important at the same time.” Rainn felt that that made it something he’s rarely read in a script. And that it was about two middle-aged, older characters going on an adventure also made it rare. “There were a lot of scenes in the script that tugged at my heartstrings, but I appreciated so much the love story of Jerry and Marge that’s woven through.” 

 

Wilson also appreciated that Bill, “who’s more of a comic character, had his own story woven through the screenplay. Bill is in a real tough spot at the beginning of this. He’s going through a divorce. He’s really broke. The lottery gives Bill a chance to break him free of that life and start another. And along the way, Bill finds a beautiful friend in Marge. They become fast friends.”

 

From Seattle originally and now living in Los Angeles, Wilson says his relatives are from tiny towns. “The heartbeat of America in rural Wisconsin and Minnesota.” Like Bill, Wilson said, “I feel like I’ve got small-town America in my blood.”

 

Michael McKean said that Rainn is “a complete maniac. That’s my kind of person.” While playing Bill, Wilson exercised his incredible improvisation skills on set, which added to breathing life into Bill. “Rainn is an extraordinarily talented comic actor,” said Baer. “But he also has a depth that I think is underestimated because he is so funny.”

 

Wilson shares that if he ever won the lottery, all monies would go toward education in Haiti. He and his wife have a nonprofit that supports girls’ education and literacy.

 

Michael McKean Is Howard

 

One day, Michael McKean got a call from his manager who said, “You wanna go to Atlanta and work with Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening?” He said he thought about it for “most of a second” before saying, “Yeah!” And then he got the script, read it, and noticed it was based on a true story. “Even better,” said McKean.

 

McKean says he felt drawn to the idea of a person with “the kind of brain that doesn’t shut down all the way” and the adventure that the Selbees take together in their “second act” of life. “It’s also very American to take your retirement and just go fishing and read old mystery novels. That was my plan, but here I am!” joked McKean. He also loved that another “big brain,” aka the college students, got involved. “These other wonks kind of become the outsiders. But they’re all outsiders. The inside is the lottery. The inside is this strange game that we play.”

 

McKean disclosed that he’s never bought a lottery ticket in his life but that if he ever did win the lottery, he would start a theater company like his old teacher in college did.

 

McKean adores the arts, and believed his character, Howard, did too. The jazz festival in the movie “may have been Howard’s dream,” said McKean. “It’s probably the first thing he talks about when he talks about the town. When he’s trying to sell a house, he invariably says, ‘You’re going to love it here. We’ve got a jazz festival!’ He figured Howard was “kind of a buff” and that his record collection was a little bit like his. “A lot of Louis Armstrong in there, and Art Tatum, Lester Young, and Billie Holiday.”

 

He and Ann Harada enjoyed creating their characters from the script. “Possibly a second marriage for one or both, but they’re people who are pretty happy in their lives. But when the opportunity to live a slightly more exciting life comes along, they snap at it.”

 

Ann Harada Is Shirley

 

Ann Harada plays Shirley, a character who likes to make her own clothes and decorate them with little appliques. “Everything she owns is quilted or has some sort of needlework going on,” said Harada. “She’s just one of those ladies. She’s not unlike my own mother.” When she put on Shirley’s clothes, Harada said, “It all sort of went, ‘Oh, okay, now I see what she’s like.”

 

Harada was shooting another movie in Ireland when they asked her to submit a tape. “I had a friend who was willing to help me do it in my hotel room… ‘cause I didn’t have anything with me.”

 

Like her character, Harada grew up in a small town. “Kaneohe about 11 miles outside of Honolulu - over the mountain, through a tunnel. It’s much bigger now, but at the time, it had one stoplight, one movie theater, and it was a really big deal when they opened the McDonald’s. What I loved about it was just that feeling that everybody knew who you were, and I couldn’t really get lost. Everything was walkable from my house. And I was trusted to walk to the library and stuff like that. I miss that, kind of, because now I live in New York City.” She said Kaneohe has a mall now, which bumps them up.

 

In the film, the jazz festival is what bumps the small town of Evart up. “The idea that they could bring the jazz festival back is essential to her,” said Harada of Shirley. “I think the jazz festival represents to the town that they’re a real place because it’s a destination. ... It’s really sort of like the symbol of the town getting together, getting back on its feet.”

 

If Harada ever won the lottery herself, she “probably just blow it producing plays. And that’s what I would do for my community because that’s what I do in my life.”

 

As for the takeaway from the movie, Harada said, “Well, this is kind of crazy, but I hope that audiences take away that people are good at heart. People like Jerry and Marge still believe they can make money and use it to benefit other people and themselves. I think it’s tough to imagine in today’s world, but I hope people see that goodness is out there.”

 

Jake McDorman Is Doug

 

McDorman said the project came to him like most projects - except during Covid. “Where I would usually go into a room and audition for people in person, I was sent the script and asked to make a tape for this. Which is - you get the lines, you get your iPhone or camera, and then you bother one of your best friends for hours at a time until you think you got your best foot forward, and you send it in.”

 

Regarding who he would be working with, McDorman said that Frankel’s “Marley and Me” was incredibly impactful, “I saw it in theaters right after our white lab died, and it was a very, very personal movie for me. So I was excited to know that David Frankel was at the helm. Frankel fosters an ecosystem where you feel safe to play.”

 

The character Doug is the son of Jerry and Marge Selbee. He owns a construction company, is married, and has two young kids. “I think as Doug was growing up, there’s a little bit of Jerry’s attention that Doug would have to fight for with that kind of obsessive nature that Jerry has to get to the bottom of things and get into the weeds, and the minutia, of how things work.”

 

About the story of the Selbees, McDorman said, “I think seeing somebody who has such a talent distribute it to everybody instead of just keeping it all for himself, makes that fabric of community stronger and helps make everybody feel like a winner.” He shares his hopes, “that people who see the film remember the importance of community and just remember how important it is to look out for one another.”

 

Anna Camp Is Dawn

 

Anna Camp plays Dawn, the daughter of Jerry and Marge Selbee. Camp describes, “Dawn is the family member who is a little on the outside of her family. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is trying to be different from her family. She wanted to move out of the small town.”

 

The project came to Camp through her agent. “I read it and loved it immediately and thought it was so heartfelt and funny. And, of course, when I heard the cast who was involved, I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I would just love to do anything with these actors!’” She put herself on tape and was offered the role. “I really wanted to work with Bryan and Annette!”

 

Camp, who grew up in a small town in South Carolina, says she loves the camaraderie of a small town and hopes that people walk away from this film and go, “Oh - I should call my neighbor. I should go call my mom, call my dad.” She hopes that people “really feel the love that this couple has, and the love that the community has for them.”

 

Uly Schlesinger Is Tyler

 

Uly Schlesinger plays the antagonist Harvard student, Tyler, who competes against the Selbees in Winfall.

 

Baer predicts, “I think that people are going to be surprised by how talented he is, how fearless he is, and how he holds his own with Bryan. The very first scene that Uly filmed was one where he confronts Bryan Cranston. He was as intrepid as any young actor I have ever seen.”

 

“I was really excited to be auditioning for it!” said Schlesinger. “I feel like it’s very different from anything that I usually play or have played in the past. It was exciting to play a character with just such brazen confidence. And it’s fun to play the story’s villain.”

 

In finding inspiration to play “a cocky little shit,” as Schlesinger described him, he said, “I feel like the writing does a lot of the work for me. It seemed pretty apparent to me who this guy was.” Tyler seemed to Schlesinger like someone who “knew what he wanted and was going to do whatever it took to get that. Even threatening the sweetest old couple in the world. Which is awful, but it’s interesting to play.” Schlesinger imagined that Tyler wanted to make a name for himself outside of his dad after living in his father’s shadow his whole life. “He finds this thing that he thinks is totally his, and he came up with it, and he’s like a genius for it. And he wants to be known for this.”

 

Schlesinger says of the script, “You just don’t often get to see many stories about people after the age of retirement.”

 

ABOUT THE CAST

 

Bryan Cranston (Jerry Selbee) is an Academy Award nominee, and an Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Tony, and Olivier Award winner. Cranston recently starred and Executive Produced Showtime’s “Your Honor,” which was renewed for Season 2. In 2021 Cranston wrapped production on the Wes Anderson film, “Asteroid City”; and the Apple Original film  “Argylle.” Cranston made his Broadway debut as President Lyndon B. Johnson in “All the Way” and went on to produce the HBO film adaption of the play through his Moonshot Entertainment production company. In 2018, Cranston starred as the iconic Howard Beale in the Broadway run of  “Network.” Cranston is best known for his portrayal of two very different characters;  Hal on the sitcom  “Malcolm in the Middle,” and Walter White on the drama “Breaking Bad.” Cranston is a New York Times bestselling author of A Life in Parts, where he revisits the many parts he’s played on and off camera. In 2019, Cranston and his “Breaking Bad” partner, Aaron Paul, released an artisanal Mezcal, “Dos Hombres,” which has grown to become the 6th best-selling mezcal in the United States.

 

Annette Bening (Marge Selbee) is a Tony Award and four-time Academy Award nominee, and two-time Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Most recently, she appeared in William Nicholson’s “Hope Gap” opposite Bill Nighy, and Scott Z. Burns’ “The Report,” opposite Adam Driver, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. Upcoming projects include: “Death on the Nile,” directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, “Nyad,” directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and “Jerry and Marge Go Large, opposite Bryan Cranston.

 

Additional film credits include “Georgetown,” “Life Itself,” “The Seagull,” “Captain Marvel,” “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” “20^TH Century Women,” “Rules Don’t Apply,” “Danny Collins,” “The Search,” “The Face of Love,” “Ruby Sparks,” “Girl Most Likely,” “Ginger & Rosa,” “The Kids are All Right,” “Mother and Child,” “Being Julia,” “American Beauty,” “In Dreams,” “The Siege,” “The American President,” “Mars Attacks!,” “Richard III,” “Love Affair,” “Bugsy,” “Regarding Henry,” “The Gifters,” “Guilty by Suspicion,” “Valmont,” “Postcards from the Edge,” and “The Great Outdoors.”

 

On stage, Bening was last seen in Gregory Mosher’s Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s classic “All My Sons,” alongside Tracy Letts, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. Previous stage credits include “Have a Nice Day” at Minetta Lane Theater; Public Theater’s 2014 Shakespeare in the Park production of “King Lear; Ruth Draper Monologues” at Geffen Playhouse; Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” at Mark Taper Forum; Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads” at Tiffany Theater; Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” at Geffen Playhouse; and “Medea” at UCLA.

 

Bening also received a Tony Award nomination and won the Clarence Derwent Award for Outstanding Debut Performance of the Season for her role in “Coastal Disturbances.” 

 

Bening graduated from San Francisco State University and trained at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco until she joined the acting company.

 

Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore (Steve Wood) has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He can currently be heard as host of “Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air” on The Ringer Podcast Network. The show features Wilmore’s unique mix of humor and wit as he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond. Larry can also be seen in Netflix’s “Amend: The Fight for America” where he also serves as Executive Producer. The series debuted in February and is hosted by Will Smith. He is currently in development on the legal drama “Reasonable Doubt” for Hulu’s Onyx Collective with Kerry Washington and will appear in the upcoming film “Jerry and Margo Go Large” alongside Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening. From September-December 2020, Larry hosted and executive produced a limited weekly special talk series “WILMORE” for NBC’s streaming service Peacock focusing not only on the 2020 Presidential Election, but on the topics that America is talking about. He has an overall deal with Universal.

 

Wilmore is perhaps best known for his role as host of Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” which debuted in January 2015 and ran for nearly two years. Wilmore received praise from critics for carving out a “uniquely powerful space” and providing “complex, destabilizing commentary on racial issues that were otherwise lacking in late-night” (Slate, 8/16). The Daily Beast added that Wilmore’s show was “exhilarating” and a “necessary voice in late-night” (8/16).

 

Off-screen, Wilmore serves as co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s “Insecure,” a half-hour comedy series starring Issa Rae that details the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African American woman. Wilmore also helped to launch ABC’s “Black-ish” as an executive producer and is a co-creator of the spin-off “Grownish.”

 

Previously, Wilmore made memorable appearances as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and hosted his own Showtime “town hall”-style comedy specials, “Larry Wilmore’s Race, Religion & Sex.” He has written for “In Living Color,” “The PJ’s” (which he co-created), “The Office” (on which he has appeared as Mr. Brown, the diversity consultant), and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He also served as creator, writer, and executive producer of “The Bernie Mac Show,” which earned him a 2002 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a 2001 Peabody Award.        

 

In April 2016, Wilmore hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC. Wilmore released his first book, I’d Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts, in January 2009. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

 

Rainn Wilson (Bill Mardas) is best known for playing the role of Dwight Schrute on NBC’s “The Office.” Additional film and television credits include “Galaxy Quest,” “Almost Famous,” “The Rocker,” “Super,” “Six Feet Under,” “Juno,” “Backstrom,” “Star Trek Discover,” “Thom Pain,” “The Meg,” “Mom,” “Utopia,” “Blackbird,” and “Don’t Tell a Soul.”  Wilson co-founded SoulPancake, a digital media company, and the Lide Foundation, an educational initiative in rural Haiti that empowers at-risk women and girls through the arts.

 

Actor. Writer. Director. Satirist. Singer. Musician. Composer. Film Historian. Celebrity Jeopardy winner. Oscar nominee. Grammy winner. Multi-hyphenate artist Michael McKean (Howard) has enthralled audiences for the past four decades, encompassing some of pop culture’s most iconic motion pictures, Broadway shows and television programs. From “Lenny” Koznowski on TV’s “Laverne and Shirley,” to David St. Hubbins on “This is Spinal Tap” and Jerry Palter on “A Mighty Wind,” McKean’s chameleonic pantheon of unforgettable characters endure to amuse and enlighten. McKean’s boundless power to captivate has seen him on AMC’s hit show “Better Call Saul,” and pre-lockdown on the NY stage in a revival of “The Little Foxes” and “The True.”  In 2019, Michael was nominated for an Emmy for his role in “Better Call Saul.”  He can also be seen starring in Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens” (BBC/Amazon), “Grace & Frankie” (Netflix), “The Good Place” (NBC), “Breeders” (FX) and as host of Cooking Channel’s “Food: Fact or Fiction?”  McKean and his wife actress Annette O’Toole (star of Netflix’ “Virgin River”) were Oscar-nominated for co-writing best song, “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from “A Mighty Wind;” McKean took home a Grammy for the title tune (written with Eugene Levy & Guest).  McKean has also previously worked with “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston on “All the Way” that originated at ART in Cambridge, MA, and then moved on to Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre.

 

Ann Harada (Shirley) originated the role of Christmas Eve in “Avenue Q” on Broadway and West End. Other Broadway: “Cinderella,” “9 to 5,” “M Butterfly,” “Seussical,” “Les Miserables.” Selected Off-Broadway: “Emojiland,” “Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson,” “Pacific Overtures” (CSC), “Stuffed” (WP), “Brooklynite” (Vineyard) and “Love, Loss, and What I Wore.” Regionally: “Holiday Inn” (Paper Mill), “New World” (Bucks County Playhouse), “Matilda,” “42nd Street,” and “Mamma Mia” (MUNY).  Ann recently completed filming the sequel to Disney’s “Enchanted,” “Disenchanted.” OTHER FILM: “Youth in Oregon,” “Sisters,” “Admission and Hope Springs.”   She can currently be seen starring in the original Apple TV+ musical miniseries “Schmigadoon!”  Other TV​: “Gossip Girl,” “The Flight Attendant,” “New Amsterdam,” “Gotham,” “Blue Bloods” (recurring), “Younger,” “Jim Gaffigan Show,” “Search Party,” “Good Wife,” “Smash,” “30 Rock,” “House of Cards,” and “Master of None.”

 

Jake McDorman (Ben/Doug) can currently be seen on Hulu’s series “Dopesick” starring Michael Keaton as U.S. Attorney John Brownlee and in the upcoming Paramount+ film “Jerry and Marge Go Large” as the son of the film’s title characters played by Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening. He was last seen on National Geographic’s series “The Right Stuff” from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way portraying Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space.

 

Jake also recurs on FX’s “What We Do in The Shadows” and was seen as Nelson Gardner (aka the famous Captain Metropolis) on the highly acclaimed episode of HBO’s “Watchmen” entitled ‘This Extraordinary Being;’ the singular episode received a GLAAD nomination this year.” He also starred on the recent revival of “Murphy Brown” on CBS as Murphy’s millennial adult journalist son Avery opposite Candice Bergen.

 

Jake played Mr. Bruno in the five-time Academy Award nominated film “Lady Bird” and was the lead on CBS’ “Limitless” based on the film of the same name. He also portrayed Ryan “Biggles” Job in Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” with Bradley Cooper. Previous television roles also include ABC’s “Manhattan Love Story,” Showtime’s “Shameless”, HBO’s “Newsroom” and “Are You There, Chelsea?” with Chelsea Handler. He additionally had supporting roles in the films “Live Free or Die Hard” with Bruce Willis, “Ideal Home” with Steve Coogan, and HULU’s recent romantic comedy hit “Happiest Season.”

 

Jake hails from Dallas, Texas, where he studied acting at the Dallas Young Actors Studio. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

 

Anna Camp (Dawn) recently wrapped the independent comedy “Bob & Amy,” produced by Patricia Heaton, as well as the western “Murder at Emigrant Gulch,” opposite Gabriel Byrne and Thomas Jane and was most recently seen in Paramount’s “The Lovebirds,” directed by Michael Showalter, opposite Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, as well as one of the leads in the Netflix comedy “Desperados,” opposite Nasim Pedrad and Lamorne Morris. On television, she recently portrayed ‘Ginny’ in the NBC comedy series “Perfect Harmony,” opposite Bradley Whitford.

 

In 2017, Camp reprised her starring role as fan-favorite ‘Aubrey Posen’ in Universal’s hit film, “Pitch Perfect 3.” Camp previously starred in “Pitch Perfect,” as well as “Pitch Perfect 2,” which was a box office smash.

 

Other film credits include Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society,” “Here Awhile,” “The Wedding Year,” “Egg,” “Brave New Jersey,” “One Night,” “Goodbye to All That,” and the Academy Award-nominated film “The Help,” opposite Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer. On television, Camp starred in Amazon’s critically acclaimed drama, “Good Girls Revolt,” the recurring role of ‘Deirdre Robespierre’ on Netflix’s hit comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” created by Tina Fey, and in the role of ‘Sarah Newlin’ on HBO’s “True Blood.” Other television credits include: “Saints and Strangers,” “The Good Wife,” “Mad Men,” “The Office” and “How I Met Your Mother.”

 

On Broadway, Camp starred opposite Daniel Radcliffe in the 2008 Broadway revival of “Equus.” as well as in Mike Nichols’ “The Country Girl,” opposite Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand. Off-Broadway, she starred in “All New People,” for which she earned a Drama Desk Award nomination, and “The Scene,” opposite Patricia Heaton and Tony Shalhoub, which earned her a Lucille Lortel Award nomination.

 

 

ABOUT THE  FILMMAKERS

 

David Frankel (Director) is the Oscar and Emmy-winning director of “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Marley & Me,” “The Big Year,” “Hope Springs,” “One Chance,” and “Collateral Beauty.” His work for HBO includes multiple episodes of “Band of Brothers,” “From the Earth to the Moon,” and “Sex and the City.” He also directed the pilot for “Entourage.” He won the Academy Award for best live action short for “Dear Diary.” He lives in Miami, where he shot his first movie, “Miami Rhapsody,” and his highly praised but little-scene TV series “Grapevine.”

 

Brad Copeland (Screenwriter) has written extensively for television and movies, including the acclaimed series “Arrested Development,” for which he earned three Emmy nominations, “My Name Is Earl” and “Eastbound & Down.” Copeland’s first motion picture screenplay, the biker comedy “Wild Hogs,” became one of the highest-grossing films of 2007. In addition, he wrote and directed the 2013 cult favorite “Coffee Town” and wrote the screenplay for “Ferdinand,” which was nominated for an Academy Award, as well as the 2019 hit “Spies in Disguise” and the Disney film “Flora & Ulysses,” based on the Newbery medal-winning book by Kate DiCamillo. He also has several features in production, including “Jerry & Marge Go Large” about a retired couple in Michigan who hack the state lottery, starring Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening. Copeland was born and raised in Orlando, Fla., and currently lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif., with his wife and two sons.

 

Academy Award-nominated producer Gil Netter (Producer) leads Netter Films with a slate of movies that have earned more than $1.5 billion at the global box office. Films produced by Netter notably include “Life of Pi,” directed by Ang Lee, nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winning four Oscars. The film was also honored by the American Film Institute as Best Film of the Year, nominated for three Golden Globe Awards - including Best Picture and Best Director, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Netter Films is currently developing “Atlantis,” a musical feature inspired by Pharrell Williams’ childhood. Disney+ recently released the Netter Films’ family superhero-comedy “Flora & Ulysses,” directed by Lena Khan adapted by Brad Copeland, from the best-selling book by Kate DiCamillo and Netflix recently released the Netter Films feature, “Mixtape,” directed by Valerie Weiss.

Marking his third collaboration with writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton, Netter produced “Just Mercy.” Based on the celebrated memoir by Bryan Stevenson, “Just Mercy” garnered widespread critical acclaim and went on to be honored by the 2020 NAACP Image Awards as Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, and with acting wins for stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Netter produced one of the highest-grossing faith-based movies ever made -- 2017’s “The Shack,” starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer.

 

Earlier, Netter produced the 2009 box office phenomenon “The Blind Side,” nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film’s star, Sandra Bullock, won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Netter also produced “The Glass Castle,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton; “Water for Elephants” starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz; “Marley and Me” starring Jennifer Aniston and Luke Wilson; “Phone Booth” starring Colin Farrell and directed by Joel Schumacher; “Flicka” starring Alison Lohman, Maria Bello, and Tim McGraw; “Fever Pitch” starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon; and “A Walk in the Clouds” starring Keanu Reeves, directed by Alfonso Arau.

 

Before forming Netter Films, Gil oversaw the production of “Ghost” as president of Zucker Brothers Productions. Written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn, and Whoopi Goldberg, the film was a massive critical and commercial success in 1990, grossing more than $505 million at the box office on a production budget of $22 million. “Ghost” went on to earn five Academy Awards nominations and Oscar wins for Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay. In addition, Netter executive produced Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA-nominated “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” starring Julia Roberts; “First Knight,” “My Life,” “Naked Gun 33 1/3: Final Insult,” and “Naked Gun 2: The Smell of Fear.”

 

Amy Baer’s (Producer) career in the entertainment industry uniquely spans major studios, independent financiers, and producing. Collectively, the films she has supervised and/or produced have grossed over $2 billion worldwide.

 

Baer’s most recent endeavor is Landline Pictures, a label with MRC Film (“Baby Driver,” “Knives Out”) to produce feature film content for a 50+ audience with crossover appeal. Launched in February 2020, the goal is to generate 2-4 films per year for both theatrical and streaming distribution.

 

In 2012, Baer raised a 7-figure development fund and launched Gidden Media, one of the industry’s only female-led, independently financed content incubation companies. Her first film as a producer was the 2013 hit “Last Vegas” (starring Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline) which grossed $136MM worldwide. She has also produced the romantic drama “Mary Shelley,” starring Elle Fanning (“The Great”) and directed by Haifaa Al Mansour (“Wadjda”), which had its World Premiere at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival, and the inspirational true story “Brian Banks,” which premiered at the 2018 LA FILM FESTIVAL and won the LAFF Audience Award.

 

Before starting her own company, Baer served as President & CEO of CBS Films (2007-2011), launching the division for CBS Corp. Baer spent the previous 17 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she oversaw such hit films as 1997’s “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” Oscar nominated “Adaptation” (2001), “S.W.A.T.” (2002), “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003), and the 2006 holiday hit “The Pursuit of Happyness.”  She also developed the 2011 Oscar-nominated Sony hit “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt. She began her career at Creative Artists Agency in 1988 as an assistant to the late Jay Moloney.

 

Tory Metzger (Producer) most recently served Levantine Films as President of Production, where she collaborated with (now) President Renee Witt to assemble a production slate of film and television projects. “Jerry & Marge Go Large” marks the first production from their partnership.

 

A seasoned entertainment executive, Tory began her career as an agent at CAA, where she represented Academy Award-winning directors, writers, and actors. During her years at CAA, she was involved in packaging a diverse slate of films, among them: “Being John Malkovich,” “Brokeback Mountain,” and the “Mission Impossible” franchise. In 2008, Tory left CAA to serve as President of Production at MRC Studios. Continuing her work with signature filmmakers at MRC, she oversaw development, packaging, and production of the company’s films before joining Tory David Linde to create Lava Bear Films, an independent film financing and production company, which produced the Academy Award-nominated “Arrival.”

 

Renee Witt (Producer) is a seasoned development and production executive who is recognized for championing literary IP that is both commercially viable and critically acclaimed. Over the last 20 years, she has acquired, developed and served as an executive producer for numerous best-selling, book-to-screen adaptations, such as “About a Boy,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Hidden Figures.” These three films collectively grossed over $600 million worldwide and were all nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards®.

 

Presently, Renee is the President at Levantine Films, an independent production and financing company, where her focus is shepherding a slate of socially conscious projects. Since the company’s inception, Renee has acquired, developed, and served as an executive producer for multiple features, in addition to overseeing numerous projects currently in development. Most recently, Renee served as an executive producer for the Sundance darling, “Blinded By The Light,” directed by Gurinder Chadha and inspired by the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen. The film sold to New Line Cinema for $15 million, marking the biggest sale of the 2019 festival. Prior to that, Renee executive produced and developed the multiple Oscar-nominated “Hidden Figures,” directed by Ted Melfi and starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae and Kevin Costner. Fox 2000 released the film. Renee also acquired “Beasts of No Nation,” directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Idris Elba. The film sold to Netflix in a landmark 8-figure deal and became Netflix’s first theatrical release. She also executive produced “The Fundamentals of Caring,” starring Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts, which was released by Netflix.

 

Prior to Levantine Films, Renee served as the Executive Vice President of Development and Production for The Weinstein Company from 2007 to 2010 where she managed a slate of over 60 films. Renee co-executive produced and developed “Silver Linings Playbook,” directed by David O. Russell, starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker. The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Motion Picture and earned Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar. Renee also oversaw the development and production of “Shanghai,” starring John Cusack, “Hurricane Season,” starring Forest Whitaker, and “Youth In Revolt,” starring Michael Cera.

 

From 2004 to 2007, Renee joined Laura Ziskin Productions as the Senior Vice President. While there, she was appointed to helm the New York office with a primary focus on acquiring and developing literary properties from the publishing community. During her time at the company, she helped develop “Spider-Man 2” and “Spider-Man 3,” both starring Tobey Maguire.

 

From 1995 to 2004, Renee rose through the ranks of New Line Cinema from an assistant to the Vice President of Development and Production. During her tenure at the studio, Renee initiated the company’s presence in book-based development. She was responsible for acquiring and overseeing the development and production of several films, including “Freddy vs. Jason,” “The Notebook,” “About a Boy,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “The Legend of 1900.”

 

Renee started her career as an Agent Trainee at the William Morris Agency in the literary department. She received her BS at Northeastern University.

 

Kevin Halloran (Executive Producer) most recently executive produced the Ridley Scott directed “The Last Duel” starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer. His other production credits include “Ford v Ferrari” starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Oscar Nominated “Hidden Figures” starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer, “Water for Elephants” starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, “Parental Guidance” starring Billy Crystal, “Tooth Fairy and Eragon” for Twentieth Century Fox; “Red Dawn” for MGM; “Million Dollar Arm” and “Bridge to Terabithia” for Disney.

 

With a filmography of more than 40 feature films, Halloran, a native of Indiana, began his career over 30 years ago as a production assistant on Shelley Duvall’s “Faerie Tale Theater” television series. Shortly thereafter he became a location manager, in which capacity his credits included “Pow Wow Highway” and the critically acclaimed television series “The West Wing,” among many others. He soon transitioned into production management on films such as “Shallow Hal,” “House of Sand And Fog,” and the indie classic “The Minus Man.”

 

Jennie Lee (Executive Producer) has served Netter Films since 2013, most recently as VP of Development & Production.  Lee was associate producer on 2019’s “Just Mercy,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on the celebrated memoir by Bryan Stevenson, starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rob Morgan, Rafe Spall, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, where it won Outstanding Motion Picture and the awards for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture and acting wins for stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. She also served as associate producer on 2017’s “The Glass Castle,” directed by Cretton, starring Brie Larson with Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Max Greenfield, and Sarah Snook.

 

More recently, Lee co-produced the Disney+ family superhero-comedy “Flora & Ulysses,” directed by Lena Khan adapted by Brad Copeland, from the best-selling book by Kate DiCamillo. For Netflix, she executive produced “Mixtape,” directed by Valarie Weiss.

 

Netter Films is currently developing “Atlantis,” a musical feature inspired by Pharrell Williams’ childhood.

 

Jennie Lee was born and raised in the Chicago area and now resides in Los Angeles.

 

Maryse Alberti (Director of Photography) is an award-winning French cinematographer and photographic artist, who has worked on a variety of high-profile projects, including “Hillbilly Elegy,” “My Dinner With Hervé,” “Chappaquiddick,” “Collateral Beauty,” “Creed,” “The Visit,” “Stone” with Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, and “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey O’Rourke.

 

In 1999, Alberti received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for “Velvet Goldmine,” and went on to win it again in 2008, for her work on “The Wrestler.” She was lauded for her cinematography on Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” and the hard-hitting drama, “Happiness,” from indie provocateur Todd Solondz. 

 

Alberti collaborated with Michael Apted on several documentaries, including “Incident at Oglala,” “Moving The Mountain,” “Power Of The Game,” “Me and Isaac Newton,” and many others.

 

Another long- time collaborator is Alex Gibney which she has lensed several acclaimed documentaries. These include “Taxi to the Dark Side,” which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary, and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” which received a Best Documentary Academy Award nomination in 2006. Their other documentaries are “We Steal Secrets” about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, “The Armstrong Lie,” an official selection for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” and “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.”

 

She also received two Sundance Film Festival’s ‘Best Cinematography’ awards for documentaries: “H-2 Worker” in 1990, and “Crumb” in 1995.  In addition, Alberti received the prestigious Kodak Vision Award and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography on HBO’s “All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise.” In 2004, she earned an Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Cinematography for her work on the feature “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” directed by John Curran.

 

Alberti arrived in New York in the mid-70s and hitchhiked through the United States for a few years. She began taking photographs when she arrived back in New York City. Before long she was working for the New York Rocker magazine.  She began working on movie sets, first as a stills photographer, then as a cinematographer on both features and documentaries.

 

As well as her film work, Alberti continues to make highly personal art in the form of photographs and video. She has exhibited in New York and Los Angeles galleries and worked with artists, Laurie Anderson and Pierre Huyghe.

 

Russell Barnes (Production Designer) Originally from New Zealand where he owned a prop fabrication business, Russell Barnes is a New York-based Production Designer for film, television, and commercials. 

 

Barnes began his production design career in the independent film arena with films such as Mike Flannigan’s “Oculus” and Jim Mickle’s “We Are What We Are”, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.  He soon garnered praise for his creative designs in “Captain Fantastic,” which was directed by Matt Ross and earned Viggo Mortensen an Academy nomination for Best Actor.  He went on to work with notable directors such as David McKenzie on “Damnation” (USA Network), David Frankel on the series “Manifest” (NBC), and Paul Schrader on the film “Dying of the Light” with Nicolas Cage. He has teamed back up with Mickle on “Cold In July,”  “In the Shadow of the Moon,” and the Netflix series “Sweet Tooth,” premiering on Netflix in 2021. Most recently, he wrapped the independent period film “Surrounded” starring Letitia Wright, and a six-part documentary about Paul McCartney with Rick Rubin. 

 

He credits his resourcefulness and adaptability when working overseas in countries such as Thailand, India, Australia, and Romania. He has also production designed many commercials, music videos and events for companies such as ESPN, Etsy, PlayStation, Xbox, and BMW. 

 

Russell’s interests include beekeeping, sculpture, travel, surfing, interior design, and home renovation. He currently lives in Hudson, New York and is represented by WME.

 

Originally from San Francisco, Mary Claire Hannan (Costume Designer) was educated at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design (FIDM) and at the Université de la Sorbonne in Paris. Hannan started her film career as the Costume Supervisor on Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Hannan quickly moved up the ranks, working with Tarantino on three more films, including designing the iconic costumes for the award-winning crime thriller “Jackie Brown.” Hannan has since been the costume designer on a wide variety of features, including Academy Award Best Picture nominee “The Kids are All Right,” Wes Craven’s “Red Eye,” and Sean Penn’s biographic drama “Into the Wild,” for which she was nominated for a Costume Designer Guild Award for her work. Hannan has collaborated with acclaimed director David Ayer on two features: “Sabotage” and the groundbreaking “End of Watch.” Hannan’s other noteworthy credits include the crime drama series “The Unit,” created by David Mamet, and the enormously successful teen drama “The Fault in Our Stars,” directed by Josh Boone. Hannan’s most recent project was “The Babysitter: Killer Queen” with director McG.

 

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