Sarah Michelle Gellar

MUSIC BY: MOBY

SYNOPSIS

Los Angeles, 2008:

The city stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. SOUTHLAND TALES is an epic story set over the course of three days that culminate in a massive 4th of July celebration.

A large ensemble cast of characters includes Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), an action star stricken with amnesia, Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott), a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

RICHARD KELLY’S DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT FOR “SOUTHLAND TALES”

The conclusion of T.S. Eliot’s 1925 poem “The Hollow Men” has been altered for satirical effect in SOUTHLAND TALES, a comedic spin on the apocalypse, as it should occur in the great city of Los Angeles. Trust me on this one... if the end is indeed upon us (apparently 59% of fundamentalist Christians believe that it is[1]), it is going to happen in Los Angeles first.

I have always been obsessed with this whole apocalypse thing... and trying to decipher the encrypted symbolism in the book of Revelations is enough to give anyone a headache. A friend once remarked that there is a legitimate debate among religious scholars that the book of Revelations was written while the Apostle John was under the influence of hallucinatory mushrooms. Go figure.

Another friend sent me a very disturbing link to a story about something called “American Hiroshima”. Apparently this is one of many planned terrorist attacks that Al-Quaeda has in the works. This is the one where they smuggle nuclear weapons (purchased by Osama bin Laden from the Russian mafia) over the Mexican border into Texas with the aid of Mexican guerrillas. They detonate the nukes in mid-size cities where there is little domestic counter-terrorism surveillance.

Sounds like the apocalypse to me. Where would we go from here?

These are the sordid tales of what happens next... how it all comes crashing down. In the alternate future of SOUTHLAND TALES, the war machine is running out of gas, and there is no alternative. Alternative fuel, that is.

Global warming may indeed be the “whimper” that T.S. Eliot foretold. Perhaps our destiny is to slowly drown ourselves into oblivion.

Southland Tales will take you down that other road. The one that ends with a “bang”. What if there is a path to end all suffering, and hidden somewhere along the way there exists a primer? A primer that could help us extinguish this great big mess of a planet once and for all. Quick and painless.

Well, I shouldn’t say “quick”. According to me it takes 2 hours and 31 minutes to explain how the world ends. I’m sorry that it isn’t shorter, but it had to be this way.

There is no alternative. Alternative fuel, that is.

Until one day... when a mysterious German corporation arrives in the Southland with a kick-ass new formula. A cure for our sickness...

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

“It’s a comedy about the end of the world,” states writer/director Richard Kelly. But summing up SOUTHLAND TALES as merely a comedy is a bit of a simplification. Like Kelly’s debut feature, the critically-acclaimed 2001 cult favorite Donnie Darko, the film almost defies categorization. SOUTHLAND TALES might be part comedy, part action satire, part thriller, part drama and even part musical, but it is definitely all one thing: the singular vision of Richard Kelly.

“It’s a Richard Kelly film. I think that’s the best way to describe it,” explains Seann William Scott, who plays twins Ronald and Roland Taverner in the film. “Even with DONNIE DARKO, I think everyone has their own interpretation of what it’s about. And I think the same will go for this movie.”

The origins of SOUTHLAND TALES

Kelly first began writing this apocalyptic ensemble piece, set against the backdrop of a 2008 Fourth of July celebration in LA, in 2001, shortly after DONNIE DARKO premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and had left without a domestic distributor (Newmarket Films would eventually release the film that fall). “We were re-cutting and going through this struggle and pressure and I was really frustrated and angry. And I felt like my career was probably over, or ending, or in the process of ending because our movie didn’t get picked up and it didn’t seem like it was going to,” recalls Kelly. “And I wanted to write something about Los Angeles and my frustration with Los Angeles, even though it’s a town that I really love and continue to love.”

Kelly wrote the initial draft of SOUTHLAND TALES in about three weeks before showing it to his producing partner Sean McKittrick. “I gave it to Sean and he immediately called me and said, ‘We have to go get drunk,’” remembers Kelly. “And we went and got drunk at Hinano, this bar in Venice Beach, and he said, ‘We have to make this. This is like, my favorite thing you’ve ever written.’ And it was basically the shell of the story that exists four years later.”

The original draft of the script featured several characters who would make it into the final incarnation, including Boxer Santoros, the action star stricken with amnesia played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Ronald and Roland, a cop and his twin brother, played by Scott; and Zora Carmichaels, the steroid-induced neo-marxist played by Cheri Oteri. What began as a futuristic satire of Los Angeles, however, soon took on a more political bent.

“In subsequent years, 9/11 happened and then the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq. I started embedding all these sort of layers of political subtext into [the script], and took upon more of the influences of Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Andy Warhol and film noir,” explains Kelly. “So, it evolved over four years into something more significant and meaningful.”

New characters were added to the ensemble including the key role of Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality project. Sarah Michelle Gellar was cast, against type, as Krysta, and believes that the film ultimately became “a love letter and a hate letter to Los Angeles all in one. It’s about everything. It’s about where our country is heading. It’s about individual relationships. It’s about our relationship with the government. It’s about the need for celebrity, the constant need for your 15 minutes; the idea that’s what lives on forever.”

As both a love and hate letter to Los Angeles in the not-so-distant future of 2008, Kelly turned to a variety of cinematic influences. “Certainly, you look at something like THE BIG LEBOWSKI, which is an influence on this film in terms of looking at some of the bottom feeder elements of Los Angeles culture,” he says.

“But I think that any movie about L.A., any film noir that takes this town to heart is gonna be filled with some kind of decadent underbelly.” The screenplay actually features a scene from one beloved noir, Robert Aldrich’s 1955 KISS ME DEADLY, in which Ralph Meeker’s character encounters numerous shady characters on his way to discovering a box that triggers the apocalypse. “There’s something about those kinds of L.A. stories being just a means to kind of weave your way through the underbelly of Los Angeles, to arrive at some grand revelation. And this is designed in that kind of style and is a tribute, I guess, to those kinds of films.”

Production of the film

While LEBOWSKI and DEADLY took place in the present, however, SOUTHLAND TALES needed to create a futuristic world on an independent budget. “I always hoped that this would be in the league of something like BRAZIL or BLADE RUNNER, not that it’s as futuristic as BLADE RUNNER or as design-heavy as BRAZIL, in the attention to detail, and what, I hope, is a really great visual accomplishment in terms of the production design and cinematography,” says Kelly. “But, to do all that stuff with 30 days and not too much money is a real challenge.”

To face the challenge, Kelly assembled a skilled below-the-line team including cinematographer Steven Poster, costume designer April Ferry, and production designer Alexander Hammond, all of whom the director worked with on DONNIE DARKO. To compose the film’s score, Kelly turned to award-winning contemporary music artist Moby.

Despite the month-long shooting schedule and budgetary constraints, Gellar believes there was a genuine camaraderie on set. “Everyone was so enthused to be here,” the actress believes. “Obviously people were not, including crew members, making what they’re used to making. It was a very, very tight schedule. But we had some of the best people in the business. All of these people were here because they loved it.”

One of the real challenges for the SOUTHLAND TALES crew and cast was that many of the scenes and visual concepts imagined by Kelly weren’t necessarily in the script. “I hope that visually and with the editing and the music, when audiences see the film all put together, that it will make a lot more sense on screen than it does on the page. Because of some of the ways in which we’ve had to physically make this film, the script got pared down to 90 pages. But the movie we made is not 90 pages long.”

The editing of the script and Kelly’s desire to re-insert scenes during shooting was often a daunting experience for the actors. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson jokes that he even began to give up on fully comprehending the final product. “I’ve been close to this project now and close to Richard for over a year, and I stopped trying to completely understand everything that’s happening in the movie because there’s so many stories that are taking place, all which, by the way, wind up being connected. So I thought the best thing for me to do is to completely understand and have my interpretation of Boxer Santaros-where he comes from, where he wants to go, what he believes in and things like that. Because there are a lot of things that only Richard Kelly could tell you.”

“I think that it is probably overwhelming,” Kelly agrees, “in the sense that the script, to the actors, is probably a little confusing and, what is it all about in the end? I think it’s about where our country is going, our current dilemma when you’re talking about alternative fuel, terrorism, our civil liberties being taken away from us, and the potential effects of environmental degradation on human behavior, neurological responses, global warming. You know, there’s a lot going on here.”

Casting SOUTHLAND TALES

For a movie that deals with so many current, hot-button issues, it might seem surprising that Kelly has cast the film with actors known primarily for their roles in television and film comedies, and the lighter side of pop culture in general. In addition to Johnson and Scott, who previously starred together in the 2002 action comedy THE RUNDOWN, Kelly also cast pop superstar Justin Timberlake, actress/singer Mandy Moore, “Night Court” star John Larroquette, CLERKS director Kevin Smith, and well-known “Saturday Night Live” alumni Cheri Oteri, Jon Lovitz, Amy Poehler and Nora Dunn in pivotal roles.

“It just so happens that ‘Saturday Night Live’ has cultivated, in my opinion, some of the funniest people ever in the entertainment business. And I think if you can do improv and sketch comedy, and you can do it really, really well, I’m convinced you can do anything else. I think if you have that ability, you can be an extraordinary dramatic actor. You can be trained to do anything as long as you’re given the script and the direction to do so.”

Scott believes that Kelly’s willingness to cast against type is part of the reason why so many actors want to work with him. “It’s great that a guy who has so much excitement surrounding him has given a bunch of us an opportunity to be in something exciting like this,” he says. “I mean, I love seeing Jon Lovitz or Cheri Oteri and a lot of great comedic actors doing something really different.”

Scott was the first actor to come on board with Kelly and the star, perhaps best known for his role in the AMERICAN PIE series, relished the challenges of playing two completely different characters. “It’s been really fun for me to be a part of a movie like this,” states Scott. “I don’t really know what I’m doing with comedy so much. When I moved out to Los Angeles, I wanted to do more complicated roles. I mean, there’s still some really funny elements to this movie, but what is nice is I get to play two characters that are quiet and pretty neutral, so it’s a nice challenge.”

The actor was a huge fan of DONNIE DARKO and had specifically sought Kelly out. In the meeting, Scott recalls, “he [Richard] brought up the project and even though it didn’t make a whole lot of sense the first time I read it, it didn’t matter to me because I also had the opportunity to go to pitch meetings with him while he was trying to get the movie financed. I was able to see that he knew every single moment and that they all [existed] for a reason.”

“No one else could have played the twins better than Seann,” believes Kelly. “He’s got great comedic timing, some of the best timing I’ve ever seen and he gives a very restrained performance in this, much more subtle, yet really pretty amazing in the sense of defining who these characters are.”

Like Scott, Gellar’s performance as Krysta Now, porn star and entrepreneur, is a departure from her much-admired starring roles in TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and THE GRUDGE, although it didn’t start out that way. “I wasn’t originally playing Krysta and was actually jealous of the character and had spoken to Richard,” remembers Gellar. “It was only later when we decided I would indeed play Krysta.”

“Richard’s a free-thinker who thinks outside the box,” continues Gellar. “And I think, unfortunately now, Hollywood and movie-making has become incredibly formulaic. Richard does the exact opposite. Whether it’s casting or story ideas or camera shots, it’s about doing something that’s different. And I think, as an actor, what’s enticing and why he can always get such amazing casts of people is because of the excitement of the unknown, of doing something that hasn’t been done.”

“I’ve always been a fan of hers,” admits Kelly. “And she’s one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met. She’s taken a lot of risks to do this, to play a porn star and, you know, to do something that’s provocative is pretty ballsy of her.”

For the role of Boxer Santaros, Kelly only envisioned one actor in the part. “We could not have made this film without ‘The Rock.’ He was born to play this role. No one else could’ve played it better than him. He’s probably one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with. He listens, he can adapt. He’s so directable. And it comes from coming out of wrestling. He was always acting up there.”

“When I sat down with Richard, I loved the fact that he had the balls to make this type of movie. Not only that but to write this type of script,” remembers Johnson. “It’s like, well, how did he think of that? And there’s so much involved with Richard and his vision and how he sees the movie and how he wants to shoot it. And he had his plan very precise with his actors in mind.”

Scott was thrilled to be reunited with his RUNDOWN co-star, although in a somewhat different vein. “It’s been a blast working with Dwayne. I was really excited about it, and it’s just the beauty of being in this business, having the opportunity to work with someone you’ve had such a good time with before. And he’s hilarious. You know, in THE RUNDOWN, I was the guy who was the “Chatty Cathy” and just talking in his ear and he was like the quiet, stoic guy and now it’s changed a little bit. And he’s like kind of the crazy, funny guy and I’m like the quiet guy. So, it’s really hard to keep a straight face ‘cause he’s really funny in this movie.”

Bringing out the comedy in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the more serious side of Seann William Scott is the kind of image-altering that Kelly prides himself on as a filmmaker. “I feel like there’s a real pop art value to what we’re doing in the sense that we’ve cast a lot of actors who are usually associated with pop culture,” he explains. “With ‘The Rock’ and Sarah and Seann and a lot of the supporting cast coming from either ‘Saturday Night Live’ or sketch comedy or improv, and having started in action films or teen comedies or horror films, we have people who have muscles that they haven’t flexed yet and maybe haven’t had the opportunities to really show what extraordinary actors they are.

“It’s great for me to take people from that environment and put them into a new one, and yet I get the benefit of having their charisma and their pop value associated with what is essentially an art film. This is a very big, dense tapestry of ideas. And it’s a very political film, I think, hopefully in a way that is not grating or a soapbox. And these are all tremendous actors.”

“I think if Richard told me that his next project was going to be a rendition of the Yellow Pages, I probably would be the first one signed on for ‘N’ through ‘T,’” adds Gellar. “I think that he’s so open and he has so many great ideas and he’s willing to try anything. And if it doesn’t work, he moves on. He’s not married to anything. It was a lot of improv. On the day [of shooting], he’s constantly coming up with not just new lines, but incredibly huge, new scenes.”

Kelly recalls that some of the actors were helpful in coming up with their own material as well, particularly Amy Poehler and Wood Harris, who play Dream and Dion Element, respectively, in the film. “With Amy and Wood, I came up to them and I said, ‘Okay, you’re gonna do a monologue about Seann William Scott’s character not having a bowel movement or urinating in six days. He believes that’s wrong and there’s something fundamentally against God. You believe that he’s evolved to a higher spiritual consciousness, and that’s a good thing. And you’re gonna have an argument about it.’”

Kelly remembers, “And they [Poehler and Harris] go off to their trailers and they write this thing and they come back and just knock it out of the park...and it was some of the funniest stuff, I think, in the movie. And when you have talent like that, that can write their own and rewrite their own dialogue, and you don’t take advantage of that, I think you’re making a mistake.”

Gellar, for one, enjoyed the sense of improv on set. “I love just coming up with something on the fly,” the actress notes. “You know, sometimes a line looks good on the page, and then you say it and somehow it doesn’t work, or it doesn’t seem right. And everyone’s had so much input into their characters and their storyline.”

The shit hits the fan

The variety of acting backgrounds and techniques that Kelly employs in SOUTHLAND TALES might be unconventional but are perhaps ultimately appropriate for a film commenting on the unnerving political mood of a current and futuristic United States. The director ultimately believes that what he’s made is a movie that moviegoers from everywhere will find accessible: “I think this film kind of comes from the left, but it arrives somewhere in the middle, in a way that’s trying to, you know, find comedy in our sort-of big cultural divide right now as a country-in how divided we are, and speculate into sort-of the final shit hitting the fan.”

And that, Kelly says with a smile, is the best way to sum up this Richard Kelly vision that just about no one else involved with the film can seem to sum up: “It’s about the shit hitting the fan on the Fourth of July weekend.”

ABOUT THE CAST

BOXER SANTAROS - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has solidified his position among Hollywood’s hottest leading men. His co-starring role in Universal’s THE MUMMY RETURNS first brought him to the attention of the entertainment industry, and his starring role in THE SCORPION KING, broke box office records with the biggest April opening of all time.

Johnson is currently shooting his starring role in the science -fiction thriller SOUTHLAND TALES for famed writer/director Richard Kelly (DONNIE DARKO). This film is made up of an eclectic and all-star cast also co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean William Scott.

Johnson recently wrapped production on GRIDIRON GANG, in which he plays a correctional facility counselor who forms a football team of young criminals. The film is based on a true story and is being directed by Phil Joanou. GRIDIRON GANG is set for release on September 15th, 2006 and has already been deemed SONY’S big hit for next fall.

Johnson will next be seen starring in his fourth movie with Universal titled DOOM. This film, based on the video game trilogy by the same name, is the first time we will see Johnson as a true villain. He will play ‘Sarge,’ the dark, disturbed, and most unforgiving member of the team whose purpose is to maintain order in the Universe. DOOM will be released on October 21st.

Johnson was last seen co-starring with an all-star cast in MGM’s BE COOL. The sequel to GET SHORTY and directed by F. Gary Gray. Johnson co-stars with John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Vince Vaughn in a role that allows him to further expand his repertoire by playing a gay bodyguard who is also an aspiring singer. Johnson received rave reviews and critical acclaim for his performance.

Johnson was recently seen in MGM’s remake of WALKING TALL which co-stars Johnny Knoxville and Neal McDonough. He plays the role of sheriff ‘Chris Vaughn’ who comes back to his hometown after serving in the Army, only to find it corrupted. This version, inspired by the original ‘Buford Pusser’ story, is about one man’s fight to stand up to injustice and save both his family and the town that he loves so dearly. WALKING TALL not only enjoyed great box office success, but also has climbed the charts making it one of the top selling DVD’s.

Before that, Johnson was seen starring in Universal’s THE RUNDOWN. Peter Berg helmed this action/comedy starring Johnson, Sean William Scott (AMERICAN PIE), Rosario Dawson, and Christopher Walken. THE RUNDOWN further exemplifies Johnson’s action hero status with the die-hard action sequences and his undeniable screen presence. THE RUNDOWN opened #1 at the box office opening weekend, and was critically acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Ebert & Roeper.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hawaii, Johnson would become a third-generation professional wrestler, following the WWF careers of his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Samoan High Chief Peter Maivia. Johnson shined as a high school All-American and as a star defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He had a brief career in the Canadian Football league and after a shoulder injury turned to the world of wrestling, “The People’s Champion” has gone on to set a record as the six-time World Wrestling Federation Champion. Not content to remain in front of the camera, his autobiography The Rock Says was released in January 2000 and shot to number one on the New York Times Bestseller List.

After his March 2000 appearance on “Saturday Night Live” (surprising many with his strength in the comedic ring and garnering the show’s highest rating that year), Johnson was cast by director Stephen Sommers in THE MUMMY RETURNS, which to date has grossed more than $400 million worldwide. Once again Johnson parlayed his natural charisma into box-office gold, not only safeguarding the MUMMY franchise, but also pushing it to a new level. His character was so well received by Universal executives during dailies that they quickly planned a film based on his character, THE SCORPION KING.

Dwayne Johnson resides in Florida with his wife Dany and daughter Simone Alexandra.

RONALD TAVERNER / ROLAND TAVERNER - Seann William Scott

An actor with a penchant for delivering memorable performances, Seann William Scott continues to impress audiences with an impressive slate of upcoming projects.

Scott can currently be seen in the highly anticipated feature film version of the popular 80’s television series THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and co-starring Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Simpson, Willie Nelson and Burt Reynolds, the raucous comedy follows the exploits of the iconic DUKES characters led by Scott as ’Bo Duke,’ with cousin ’Luke’ played by Knoxville and ’Daisy’ played by Simpson. " THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. on August 5th, 2005.

Scott recently wrapped production on Craig Gillespie’s MR. WOODCOCK opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Susan Sarandon for New Line Cinema. The film centers on a young man (Scott), who returns to his hometown to stop his mother (Sarandon) from marrying the high school gym teacher (Thornton) who made life a living hell for him and many of his classmates.

Scott just began production on Richard Kelly’s SOUTHLAND TALES opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and The Rock for Universal. SOUTHLAND TALES is a musical/comedy set in 2008 where a three-day heatwave in Los Angeles culminates in a huge Fourth of July party.

Taking the reins behind the camera as well as in front of it, Scott has an exclusive first-look production deal with Universal, in which he will act and produce films under his own banner, Identity Films.

Films already in development under the Identity Films banner include THE OPTIMIST for New Line Pictures. Scott will also star in the film about a man who is born without the gene for unhappiness. However, his perspective changes when he falls in love with a cynical reporter. Identity Films is also scheduled to produce a remake of the 2001 French romantic comedy GREGOIRE MOULIN AGAINST HUMANITY in which Scott will

also star in. In addition, the company is developing THE UNTITLED CAMP PROJECT. The film focuses on a slacker (to be played by Scott) who applies for a job as a summer camp counselor so he can relive his youthful glory days of panty raids and food fights. Unfortunately, since his glory days the camp has become a haven for young brainiacs who’ve come for intellectual growth.

Scott was last seen in Universal’s hit action thriller THE RUNDOWN with The Rock, Rosario Dawson and Christopher Walken. Directed by Peter Berg, the film followed the mis-teaming of the son of an underworld kingpin and the kingpin’s retrieval expert to retrieve a priceless artifact in the depths of the Amazon.

Previously, he starred opposite Chow Yun-Fat in MGM’s BULLETPROOF MONK as a street-wise pickpocket mentored by a Tibetan martial arts master. He also returned to the big screen as his teen comedy classic ’Stifler’ character for the final installment of the AMERICAN PIE trilogy, "American Wedding." The hit comedy brought the popular characters together one last time for Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle’s (Alyson Hannigan) wedding. In addition, Scott had a scene-stealing cameo in the hit comedy OLD SCHOOL opposite Will Ferrell.

In the summer of 2001, Scott appeared as ’Stifler’ in the box office hit AMERICAN PIE 2. The film premiered as the largest box office opening ever for an R-rated film, eventually grossing over $300 million dollars worldwide. In addition to an unforgettable cameo in Miramax’s JAY AND SILENT BOB, Scott also appeared in the DreamWorks sci-fi comedy EVOLUTION, directed by Ivan Reitman and co-starring Julianne Moore, David Duchovny and Orlando Jones.

Other film credits include the initial installment of Universal’s popular AMERICAN PIE comedies, AMERICAN PIE, directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, Todd Phillips’ ROAD TRIP, with Breckin Meyer and Amy Smart, the smash comedy hit DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR? opposite Ashton Kutcher; and New Line Cinema’s thriller FINAL DESTINATION. In addition, he co-hosted the 2003 MTV Movie Awards with Justin Timberlake.

KRYSTA NOW - Sarah Michelle Gellar

Determined and accomplished are two words that best describe Golden Globe nominee SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR. Beginning her career as a child actress, Gellar has remained a leader on the road of success. A veteran of television, theater and the big screen, Gellar recently wrapped production for Focus Features Revolver, a film about a successful young businesswoman who starts having nightmares about a young woman who was murdered 25 years ago. She is currently filming the musical comedy, SOUTHLAND TALES for director Richard Kelly. SOUTHLAND TALES is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Sarah stars opposite The Rock and Sean William Scott.

Gellar is best known for her role as ‘Buffy Summers’ in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She wrapped her seventh and final season of the critically acclaimed drama in May of 2003. Recently, Gellar seen in Columbia Pictures’ smash hit thriller THE GRUDGE. The film is the English-language version of the Japanese thriller Ju-On about a curse that befalls someone who dies in the grip of a powerful rage.

Gellar was recently seen as the lovable ‘Daphne’ in the Warner Bros’ sequel SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED, the sequel to the first blockbuster hit. Gellar starred in the tremendously successful I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and the blockbuster hit SCREAM 2. She won a 1998 Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in SUMMER and was nominated for a 1998 MTV Movie Award for her role in SCREAM 2. Gellar also starred opposite Ryan Phillippe in CRUEL INTENTIONS, which earned her two MTV Awards; Best Actress, and Best On-Screen Kiss. Furthermore, Gellar co- hosted the 2002 MTV Movie Awards with Jack Black, garnering the highest ratings in the show’s history. Gellar also been seen on the big screen for James Toback’s HARVARD MAN, which premiered last year at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Gellar’s career in the world of entertainment has spanned nearly 22 years - quite a feat for a young woman. She won an Emmy in 1994 for her role on the ABC daytime drama “All My Children” and completed classes at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York one year ahead of schedule.

Her credits include; television “An Invasion of Privacy” (CBS/MOW), “A Woman Named Jackie” (CBS/Mini-Series), and “All My Children” (ABC); film FUNNY FARM (Warner Bros.), OVER THE BROKLYN BRIDGE (Cannon Films) and HIGH STAKES (Vidmark); theater Jake’s Women opposite Matthew Broderick at Circle in the Square, and The Widow Claire at the Old Globe Theatre.

Gellar has also participated in much off-screen work as a volunteer for many charitable organizations. She is an advocate for breast cancer awareness and participated in Ford’s 2003 ‘Tied to the Cause’ campaign benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Sarah was also an honoree at this year’s Young Survivors Coalition. She has donated her time and talent to the ‘Make-a-Wish Foundation’ and has spent time in the Dominican Republic working as a volunteer for ‘Habitat for Humanity.’ She helped those affected by the recent California Fires by visiting shelters and handing out clothing and supplies to families who had lost everything. Additionally, she has been involved with ‘Project Angel Food’ for the fight against hunger, the ‘Starbright Foundation,’ ‘Planned Parenthood,’ and the ‘Los Angeles Free Clinic.’

A New York native, Gellar resides on both coasts.

ZORA CHARMICHAELS - Cheri Oteri

An actress known for the boundless creativity that goes into her flawlessly detailed characters, Cheri Oteri is branching beyond her acclaimed work on “Saturday Night Live” with several roles in feature films.

Oteri appeared on “Saturday Night Live” for five seasons. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Arianna, the female half of the Spartan Spirit Cheerleader Squad. As well as Cass Van Ry, the dense and shallow co-host of the fictional talk show “Morning Latte”. Oteri’s other popular characters include: Rita, the self-appointed mayor of her street who polices local neighborhood children, and the prescription-addled Colette Reardon. Her hysterical impressions of Barbara Walters and Judge Judy have both been “Cheered” by TV Guide. Other memorable impersonations include Mariah Carey, Melissa Rivers, Jennifer Lopez and Ross Perot. Cheri’s SNL characters were celebrated this year with a BEST OF CHERI OTERI special on SNL.

In addition to her acclaimed work on “Saturday Night Live” Oteri received an Emmy nomination for the memorable guest starring appearance on the hit NBC situation comedy series, “Just Shoot Me” as the inept but perky secretary, Cindy. Most recently she guested opposite Larry David on “Curb your Enthusiasm.”

Oteri is currently developing a comedy with JJ Abrams.

Oteri was seen in SCARY MOVIE directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans. She also appeared in LIAR, LIAR opposite Jim Carrey, SMALL SOLDIERS, INSPECTOR GADGET, LOVE & SEX and DUMB AND DUMBERER. Upcoming films include SMILE shot on location in China, last year and SURVIVING EDEN in which she co-stars as a reality show contestant.

Prior to joining “Saturday Night Live” Oteri was a member of the Los Angeles-based improv/sketch comedy group, The Groundlings.

A native of Philadelphia, Oteri currently lives in Los Angeles.

FORTUNIO BALDUCCI - Will Sasso

Born to Italian immigrants in the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada, Will Sasso grew up loving sketch comedy, thanks in part to an older brother who allowed him to stay up past his bedtime, encouraging him to watch “SCTV,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” With his mind thus warped, Sasso decided at an early age to become a comedic actor. At 15 he snagged his first agent and began to land roles in television and film. By the time he moved to Los Angeles at age 21, he had starred in five seasons on the gritty Canadian drama, “Madison,” which won over 40 international awards and allowed him to hone his acting and improvisational skills as the quirky but down to earth Derek Wakaluk.

Sasso starred for five seasons on the Fox hit sketch comedy show, “Mad TV.” As one of its most featured members, he kept audiences entertained with an extensive variety of characters and sketch concepts, among these his offbeat caricatures of Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Robert DeNiro, Steven Seagal, Randy Newman and Kenny Rogers, as well as the accident prone handyman, Paul Timberman - his own creation. After a successful tenure with the show, which had begun in 1997, Sasso decided to leave the Saturday night staple in 2002 to expand the scope of his unique brand of comedy.

Moviegoers remember Sasso from his roles in over twenty five feature films, including BEST IN SHOW, directed by Christopher Guest, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, with Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards, and BEVERLY HILLS NUNJA, starring the late Chris Farley. More recently he completed work on A MIGHTY WIND, also directed by Guest, BAD BOY, starring Dennis Leary and Elizabeth Hurley, and THE HOT CHICK, starring Rob Schneider and produced by Adam Sandler — with whom he had worked on HAPPY GILMORE.

Sasso has added a couple more accolades to his career with a television development deal at Disney’s Touchstone Television for ABC and a feature film deal to write, produce and star in his own cinematic vehicle for Radar Pictures, entitled “Box Office Gross.”

In his spare time, Sasso likes to return home to Vancouver to visit with his close-knit family and lifelong friends. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

VAUGHN SMALLHOUSE - John Larroquette

A four-time Emmy winner for “Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,” Larroquette is best known to television audiences as ’Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding,’ a role he played on NBC’s “Night Court” during the show’s eight season run. He also starred in the NBC comedy series, “The John Larroquette Show” where he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the show’s second season.

Larroquette has recently been teaming up with the Hallmark Channel for the family comedy “Wedding Daze,” in which John plays the loving, frantic father of the bride which ran on The Hallmark Channel in the fall of 2004. Larroquette then went on to star in Hallmark Channel’s mystery movie franchise, “McBride.” Larroquette plays the lead role of “Jim McBride,” a charismatic, modern-day “Perry Mason.” “McBride” follows in the prolific mystery movie footsteps of creator and executive producer Dean Hargrove who created and executive produced some of television’s most memorable mysteries “Jake and the Fat Man,” “Father Dowling Mysteries,” and was the executive producer of “Perry Mason” and “Columbo.” “McBride’s” franchise is set to air one of it’s numerous movie installments on Janaury 14, 2005, with Larroquette helmed as director of one of the four two-hour “McBride” movies.

In 2004, Larroquette starred in the NBC sitcom, “Happy Family” with actress Christine Baranski. The actors portrayed aspiring “empty-nesters” who encounter difficulty when their grown children refuse to leave the parents’ home.

In Summer 2002, Larroquette wrapped production on the popular film series, BIG PAW: BEETHOVEN 5 about a large, crime-stopping St. Bernard named “Beethoven.” The Universal Pictures film also stars Faith Ford and Daveigh Chase.

That same year, Larroquette returned to the stage with a starring role in Neil Simon’s “Oscar and Felix: a New Look at the Odd Couple.” In this updated version of the Tony Award winning play “The Odd Couple”, Larroquette played the role of the slovenly sportswriter, Oscar, opposite Joe Regalbuto as Felix. The play was performed at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

Larroquette won his fifth Emmy in 1998 as a guest-star in two episodes of the television drama, “The Practice.” He portrayed a homosexual who murdered his lover and recently reprised this role in the 2001-2002 season. Larroquette was also seen in another dramatic role in Showtime’s “The Defenders,” a courtroom drama based on a series that ran from 1961-1965 on CBS. Larroquette portrayed a man who was charged with murder for killing his daughter’s rapist.

In 2001, Larroquette starred in two television movies as a father figure; in Showtime’s drama “Walter and Henry” opposite James Coburn and Kate Nelligan, produced by Norman Jewison and directed Daniel Petrie Sr.; and Fox Family Channel’s “Till Dad Do Us Part,” reuniting him with Markie Post.

Larroquette also hosted A & E Network’s, 22-episode series called “The Incurable Collector.” As a passionate collector himself, each episode features aficionados from across the United States and their interests in antiques and rare items.

In NBC’s 10-hour mini-series, “The 10th Kingdom,” Larroquette starred opposite Diane Wiest, Camryn Manheim and Ann Margret in the fantas, live-action saga.

In January 2000, Larroquette played the title character in the CBS mid-season comedy, “Payne,” with JoBeth Williams. The series was a remake of the British comedy, “Fawlty Towers.”

On the big screen, Larroquette starred in Warner Bros.’ RICHIE RICH opposite Macauley Culkin, where he played the comedic villain who kidnaps Richie’s parents. Larroquette’s flair for comedy helped bring to life the long-running success of Harvey Comics strip.

In 1989, fans saw a different side of Larroquette’s abilities when he stepped onstage in “Happy Jack.” He played a reflecting working-class husband in this two-character drama opposite his wife, actress Elizabeth Larroquette. Written by John Godber, directed by Ron Link and produced by Catalina and Portfilm Productions, “Happy Jack” received several Dramalogue nominations.

Film audiences saw Larroquette give a delightfully zany performance as a fictional New Orleans brain surgeon in the 1990 feature film TUNE IN TOMORROW, directed by Jon Amiel and adapted from Mario Vargas Llosa’s novel Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. In 1989, Larroquette was seen in the Warner Bros. buddy picture SECOND SIGHT, co-starring Bronson Pinchot. He went on to star opposite Kirstie Alley in the 1990 Orion Pictures domestic comedy MADHOUSE.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Larroquette was an only child who had studied music for 11 years by the time he was 17. However, nothing intrigued him as much as the idea of traveling, so he joined the Naval Reserve. With his Naval duties completed, he continued to travel, always returning to New Orleans, where he worked as a FM disc jockey.

He first indulged his interest in acting at a small Colorado theater, and ultimately moved to Los Angeles to give acting his full attention. Within a few months, he was cast in the Colony Company’s production of “The Crucible,” and “Enter Laughing.”

In television, Larroquette won recurring roles in “Doctor’s Hospital” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” He also starred in the fact-based telefilm “Conflicted” and hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

Larroquette’s film credits include co-starring roles in Blake Edwards’ BLIND DATE, as well as SUMMER RENTAL, STRIPES, CHOOSE ME, STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, ALTERED STATES, CAT PEOPLE, and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.