I am so pleased to be on board as the casting associate to Amanda Lee Jacoby for this feature film "Odious". We really want to find a great cast that is as passionate as we are about shedding more light on child sex trafficking.
THIS PROJECT IS NOW CAST!! :)
OUR TEAM:
Producers: Arthur Sarkissian, Robert Sparks
Exec Producer: Amanda Lee Jacoby
Co-Producer: Zheng Han Liu
Director: Robert Sparks
Writer: Robert Sparks, Jason Zakarian
Casting Directors: Amanda Lee Jacoby, Julie Gale
Casting Assoc: Elise Hodge
Casting Asst: Kristen Laffey
Shoot/Start Date: TBD EARLY APRIL
Pay Rate: SAG-AFTRA MODIFIED LOW
Location: Los Angeles
Exec Producer: Amanda Lee Jacoby
Co-Producer: Zheng Han Liu
Director: Robert Sparks
Writer: Robert Sparks, Jason Zakarian
Casting Directors: Amanda Lee Jacoby, Julie Gale
Casting Assoc: Elise Hodge
Casting Asst: Kristen Laffey
Shoot/Start Date: TBD EARLY APRIL
Pay Rate: SAG-AFTRA MODIFIED LOW
Location: Los Angeles
MARCUS KNIGHT:
Male. Late 20s - 30s. African American. Good looking, clean cut, excellent build, no tattoos. Make no mistake, Marcus is the hero. An LAPD undercover cop who has lived a mouthful of a life. No stranger to race crimes committed daily against himself and those around him, he mistrusts white people, which is only reinforced after the disappearance of many ethnic kids from the LA area. He teams up with the white uncle of one of the abducted kids to take this case on without formal authorization of the LAPD. Looking for an actor with depth and nuance, as well as alpha male qualities. Must care about the subject matter. Possibly Negotiable for name talent…LEAD
JOE MCNEAL:
Male. Mid to Late 20s. A young, street-wise guy, Italian/Irish in appearance. Handsome, clean cut, every-man type. He’s a good-hearted guy who’s made his share of mistakes. A former junkie and alcoholic, freshly out of 1 year of rehab after he killed four Punks in Santa Monica in an act of self-defense. He’s trying to get his life on track again, but can’t lock down a job because of his criminal record. Angry at the system for holding him back, he takes the law into his own hands when that same system takes no action to save his kidnapped nephew. This leads him through a series of events to meet powerhouse, undercover, African American Detective, Marcus Knight. Must care about the subject matter. Negotiable for name talent. LEAD
EVELYN:
Female. 30s - 40s. A beautiful, African-American single mother. Her son Chris was kidnapped, yet the police pay little attention to the case because, after all, he’s not a white kid. She tries to solve the case herself and believes that her son, along with many other ethnic kids, were abducted into a child sex trafficking ring. She reaches out to Joe, having seen his nephew on the news. Strong, smart, determined woman. Must care about the subject matter… LEAD
GINA:
Female. 18 – 22. A gorgeous Latina, sharp, spitfire type. Joe’s blind date that gets drunk on booze he bought her. While they drunkenly walk the streets of Santa Monica, she is brutally attacked by four aggressive, junkie Crust Punks. Must care about the subject matter. No talent under 18 will be seen… SUPPORTING
SHARLETTE:
Female. African-American. Early 30s. Stoic, strong, street smart and beautiful. Marcus’s mother. She is attacked by four white hicks with bats in a terrible hate crime that ends her life. This character is extremely important to the plot as she impacts the man Marcus truly is. Must be an incredibly strong actress. Must care about the subject matter… SUPPORTING
ANNIE:
Female. Mid 20s to Mid 30s. Must actually be from Mainland China. Beautiful, fit, teaches Joe to shoot guns. A friend and LAPD colleague of Marcus who ends up saving the day with her perfect gunman-ship. Must care about the subject matter… SUPPORTING
KAREN:
Italian/Irish. Mid 30s – early 40s. Joe’s put together older sister. She is a strong woman with a beautiful heart. She’s married to a pastor and maintains a healthy marriage. She sees how her younger brother Joe has grown since his darker past. She sympathizes with Joe and tries to include him in family affairs and outings where he once wasn’t invited. She allows Joe back into her life by having him spend the day with her and her son Jeremy. That turns into her worst nightmare when her child is abducted at the mall.
BILL:
Late 30s - early 40s. Joe’s red-headed, older brother. Irish in appearance, technically half Italian, but somehow ended up with all the Irish genes in the family. He looks like a fat, mean version of the lucky charms leprechaun, but without the accent. An alcoholic who doesn’t take the best care of himself. Doesn’t even know his nephew was kidnapped. Too much of an alcoholic to be present in life and help Joe find their nephew. Comedic relief. MUST HAVE GREAT COMEDIC TIMING.
DILLON:
Caucasian. Late 30s - 40s. Karen’s husband. He’s a pastor and is an all American family man. A great husband. His world shatters when his son is kidnapped at the mall.
LT. WILSON:
Caucasian. 40s - late 50s. A white desk cop. Professional, sticks to code. He has so many cases to cover every day that he cannot give one special treatment over another. He’s a representative of a broken system, where police do not have enough personnel or funding to put their best foot forward. He’s by no means a jerk, he just has to do his job to the best of his ability with the resources he has been provided.
DR. LAU:
Chinese. 50s. A good looking man. He’s Marcus’s court ordered psychologist. A man who teaches Marcus about honor and valor above all else. A representative of strong character.
VICTOR ROMANOFF:
A Russian drug dealer. 30s – 50s. A well built, glassy-eyed, Russian ex-pat. Man suspected of kidnapping the kids and putting them a sex ring. Russian accent.
MANAGER:
Open ethnicity. Early – Mid 20s. A young, Chili’s manager who is looking for a new employee. A nice and endearing guy who follows corporate policy. Wants to hire Joe but cannot oblige to hiring a man with a criminal record.
EDDIE:
30s-40s. A greasy, muscular man in a rumpled, Italian suit, sans jacket. A thug working in the child sex trafficking ring. Explosive temper… SUPPORTING
JR.
30s-40s. A squatty, stupid man, sitting on the floor in front of the TV. He listens to music on huge headphones, and plays with legos, oblivious to the world. A worker in the child sex ring… SUPPORTING
JIMMY:
30s-40s. A super uptight Caucasian man, he is a pure asshole. A racist drug lord who Marcus ends up beating to a pulp after he makes racist slurs at Marcus while he is undercover… SUPPORTING
MARK:
30s. This good looking Latino detective is Marcus's undercover partner… SUPPORTING
DESK SERGEANT:
FEMALE. 30s-40s. Bored, apathetic, follows the rules, stuck behind a desk all day… SUPPORTING
ARMAN:
MALE. 40s-50s. A middle aged Armenian man wearing a large relaxed style sweater. Stole 50,000 dollars of coke from a white gang… SUPPORTING
KOREAN STORE OWNER:
MALE. 40s. A shop owner who is not afraid to show you he has a gun on him. He assumes Marcus is a thug because he's black. He's serious about protecting his store and property… SUPPORTING
CRAIG:
30s. A short, balding, naked fur ball of a man who Veronica has sex with less than a day after breaking up with Marcus. A frumpy rebound who has a knack for hitting women… SUPPORTING
THE BOSS:
Male or Female. 50s-early 60s. The leader of the child sex ring operation. Middle aged, vaguely learned, and calm enough to let you know he's the most dangerous son of a b*tch in the room. PLEASE SUBMIT NAME TALENT OR VERY STRONG ACTORS… SUPPORTING
CHARLIE:
MALE. 50s. Joe's sponsor at AA/NA. He cares about Joe and doesn't want to see him make unhealthy decisions. He's the perfect balance of paternal and sympathetic, but he remains firm when necessary. He's no BS and doesn't sugarcoat the truth… SUPPORTING