Marley & Me The Movie in Ashwaubenon, WI
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Genre: Comedy drama
Synopsis:
Newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston) adopt a playful puppy named Marley, who soon grows into an incorrigible handful.
Release Date: 12/25/2008
Running Time: 116
Rating: PG - Parental Guidance Suggested
http://www.marleyandmemovie.com/
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Cast:
John Grogan: Owen Wilson,Jennifer Grogan: Jennifer Aniston,Sebastian: Eric Dane,Ms. Kornblut: Kathleen Turner,Arnie Klein: Alan Arkin,Patrick (Age 10): Nathan Gamble,Lisa: Haley Bennett,Dr. Platt: Ann Dowd,Editor: Clarke Peters,Conor (Age 8): Finley Jacobsen,Colleen (Age 5): Lucy Merriam,Patrick (Age 7): Bryce Robinson,Conor (Age 5): Ben Hyland,Dr. Sherman: Tom Irwin,Jorge: Alec Mapa,Lori: Sandy Martin,Mrs. Butterly: Joyce Van Patten
Crew:
Director: David Frankel,Screenwriter: Don Roos,Screenwriter: Scott Frank,Producer: Gil Netter,Producer: Karen Rosenfelt,Executive Producer: Arnon Milchan,Executive Producer: Joe Caracciolo,Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus,Production Design: Stuart Wurtzel,Film Editor: Mark Livolsi,Original Music: Theodore Shapiro,Costume Designer: Cindy Evans,Casting: Margery Simkin,Art Director: W. Graham Steven,Set Decoration: Hilton Rosemarin
Production Companies:
Sunswept Entertainment,Gil Netter
Distributors:
20th Century Fox
Notes:
Production Notes - Notes provided by 20th Century Fox. - As the snow falls on their wedding night, newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (OWEN WILSON and JENNIFER ANISTON) decide to leave behind the harsh winters of Michigan and head south to begin their new lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. They obtain jobs as journalists at competing local newspapers, buy their first home, and begin to make their way through the challenges of a new marriage, new careers and, possibly, the life-changing decision to start a family. Unsure of his preparedness for raising children, John confesses his fears to his friend and fellow journalist Sebastian, who comes up with the perfect solution: John should get Jenny a puppy. "There's nothing to it," says Sebastian. "You walk 'em. You feed 'em, you let 'em out now and then." Then came Marley. The Grogans adopt the cute, twelve pound yellow Labrador, who in no time at all, grows into a 100-pound steamroller of unbridled energy that turns the Grogan home into a disaster area. He flunks obedience school, chews off dry-wall, takes a bite out of the sofa, overturns garbage cans, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, consumes pillows and flowers, drinks toilet water, and chases the UPS guy. Even a newly-purchased, expensive necklace isn't safe from Marley's voracious antics. Amidst the mayhem he generates through the years, Marley sees the Grogans through the ups and downs of family life, through job and home changes, and most of all, through the myriad challenges of a growing family. As John and Jenny come to realize, Marley - "the world's worst dog" - somehow brings out the best in them. Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises present a Gil Netter / Sunswept Entertainment production, a David Frankel film, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in MARLEY & ME. The comedy also stars Eric Dane and Alan Arkin. It is directed by David Frankel from a screenplay by Scott Frank and Don Roos, based upon the book by John Grogan. The producers are Karen Rosenfelt and Gil Netter. Executive producers are Arnon Milchan and Joe Caracciolo, Jr., the director of photography is Florian Ballhaus, and the production designer is Stuart Wurtzel. The film editor is Mark Livolsi, A.C.E., the music is by Theodore Shapiro, the music supervisor is Julia Michels, and the costume designer is Cindy Evans. John Grogan's book Marley & Me and its universal themes of marriage and family resonated to millions of readers, from all walks of life, propelling it to the top of the best-seller charts. "People from all over the world wrote me letters about how the book mirrored their lives," says the author. "[Those connections were] somewhat accidental; I just stumbled on that. But many people, of course, do fall in love, get married and build families, and that's what Marley & Me is about." While the book and film feature a dog's name in the title, they tell much more than a story about said canine. "[Marley & Me] is not a dog story," says Grogan. "When I wrote it, I didn't think of it as a dog book, and I still don't. I saw it as a growth-of-afamily story, with the dog being a catalyst. It's a comedy with a poignant side to it." Filmmaker David Frankel, who takes the helm of MARLEY & ME, echoes the author's sentiments. "The story is about the highs and lows of being young and in love and encountering the challenges of marriage. It also deals with the dreams that get sacrificed for the joys of children, and about the challenges of balancing career and family. "Most of all," adds Frankel, the director of the blockbuster comedy "The Devil Wears Prada," it's about life - the rollercoaster of life that we all experience." "MARLEY & ME is about marriage, and balancing family and career," says Jennifer Aniston, who portrays Jenny Grogan. "It's about all of the things that affect so many people in relationships. You think it's a story about a mischievous dog - and it is - but it's so much more than that. There's something about the Grogans and about Marley that connects in a universal way." "It's about the journey that Marley goes through with the Grogans," adds Owen Wilson, who plays John Grogan. "Marley reminds them how much fun life can be." If MARLEY & ME is not a "dog story," the titular pooch is certainly a major player in the tail...er...tale. Noting Grogan's description of Marley being a "catalyst" in the Grogan family dynamic, Frankel points out that "the story tells us how important a dog's perspective can be to us - and specifically to the Grogans. Dogs are wonderful because they don't think about the future or the past; they know only the joy of living in the present. And humans, sadly, often forget that." The lessons Marley teaches the Grogans are many, and begin even before the pup is adopted by the couple. Adding Marley to their household is intended, at first, as a kind of entryway into the world of parenthood. John is not certain he's yet up to the task of being a dad, and still envies the freewheeling lifestyle of his unmarried friend Sebastian, played by Eric Dane. "John sees that Sebastian has more professional opportunities," says Owen Wilson. "Single people's lives are more fluid. They can take more chances because they have fewer responsibilities and obligations [than married people]." "Sebastian leads what seems to be an ideal single man's lifestyle," says Eric Dane, who stars as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on "Grey's Anatomy." "Sebastian is always happy to listen to John and give him advice - as long as a beautiful woman and potential conquest doesn't walk by to distract them." "But at the end of the day," Wilson interjects, "Sebastian is a lonely figure, and there's a powerful realization for John that he's made the right choice [to be a family man], and that there's nothing as strong as the love for, and of, your family." John and Sebastian work at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, another beneficiary of Marley's "adventures." Marley provides fodder for the columns John writes for the paper, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by his editor, Arnie Klein, played by Oscar®winner Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine"). The relationship between John and Arnie, an abrasive, old-school newspaperman, is one of respect and concern. John, a reporter at heart, has become a columnist - reluctantly - at Arnie's behest. "Arnie thinks John is a decent guy - a little confused, but a decent guy," says Arkin. "Arnie is impressed with John's writing, including his tales of Marley, but he must reassure John that column writing is what he's meant to do." Chief among Marley's misadventures chronicled by John is a misguided attempt at taming the leaping Lab through a stint at a local dog obedience school. No dog, John and Jenny are told by the school's drill-sergeant-like instructor Ms. Kornblut (Kathleen Turner), has ever failed her program. But as Ms. Kornblut learns, there's always a first time - especially when Marley is involved. Until Marley stormed into and through Kornblut's class, there was no one - on two legs or four - who could stand up to the trainer's stern ways. "She's very no-nonsense," says Turner of her character. "She insists there are no bad dogs, only bad dog-owners, and she berates the Grogans during the entire class." That is, until Marley unleashes the full force of his non-obedient ways, and is invited by Ms. Kornblut to exit her school. The film's starring cast - indeed the entire production - identified with the film's themes of love, marriage, family, and a very trouble-prone pooch. David Frankel felt a particularly strong kinship with Grogan's story. "My family is full of 'dog people,'" states the director. "We have four amazing dogs that create great moments of laughter for us. Then there are the geographical ties: John lived in South Florida, and I live in Miami." Perhaps the strongest autobiographical connection between the filmmaker and his subjects is delineated in a scene from the film. Frankel explains: "Marley has eaten Jenny's necklace, and Owen as John is in the backyard, looking for the missing jewelry in Marley's poops. John says, 'This is just not how I pictured my life, standing in the backyard spraying poop.' Well, I spend a good part of every day with four dogs in the backyard, spraying poop - and I have that same thought expressed by John." Apart from the autobiographical connections, Frankel says much of what made the production special for him was the on-screen chemistry between Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. "That kind of magic is the luck of the draw," says Frankel. "You put two brilliant movie stars together and they spark in a thrilling way." This magic was also apparent to the two stars. "Owen Wilson is just great," says Aniston. "He's so good at his job, so professional, and such a generous actor. We had a lot of fun playing off of each other, and he has some moments in the film that are just really special." Wilson, in turn, says he had much to admire in Aniston's performance. "Her instincts were incredible," says the actor. "She does the work in ways better than I ever imagined." MARLEY & ME GOES TO THE (22) DOGS W.C. Fields is reputed to have first uttered the immortal line, "Never work with animals or children." Fields probably would have been fairly miserable on the set of MARLEY & ME, which had a large assortment of animals and kids. But the film's cast and crew couldn't have been happier about it. "We had babies, puppies, children, adult dogs, old dogs, kids - and we all had a ball," Aniston says. The production utilized 22 dogs to portray Marley, who ages thirteen years in the story. Eleven of the 22 Marleys were puppies, a large number necessitated by the film's schedule; since MARLEY & ME was shot out of sequence, a puppy used in a given scene would have grown too much to be used again in a scene shot weeks later. Other on-set "Marleys" ranged in age from six months to fourteen years. Given the age range of the various Marleys, Frankel and head animal trainer Mark Forbes had to carefully map out which dog - at which age - was right for a specific scene. (Approximately 65 percent of the story is set when Marley is 1-6 years old.) But working with the Marleys was more than charts, graphs and intricate scheduling. It was a production that allowed dogs to be, well, dogs. Mark Forbes elaborates: "We didn't train our dogs to do anything that a dog wouldn't naturally do. This film is about a real family who had a real dog. There are no wild tricks or talking animals here." Taking the notion a step further, the trainers let Marley be Marley - meaning that since the on-screen character was so rambunctious, it made sense to let the "actors" run wild. "Preparing the dogs [for the film] was almost a kind of anti-training," notes Forbes. "Usually, we try and create definite behaviors and the dogs are very well trained. With MARLEY & ME, the dogs got to not only be dogs, but the most unruly, untrainable and out-of-control dog in the world. We encouraged bad behavior!" David Frankel, adamant about letting the dogs be dogs, filmed them even during rehearsals - understanding that their unpredictable behavior could yield the best "take" at any given moment. The main Marley, a dog named Clyde, was predictably unpredictable, just like his cinematic alter-ego, so Frankel elected not to rehearse him at all. "He's a dog trained to be untrained," says the director, "and it was exciting to watch him work. Every time we filmed him, he added something really funny and energetic to the scene." During the first few weeks of the dogs' "un-training," they learned basic commands like how to sit, stand, lie down, and hit their marks. During the next period, the puppies were acclimated to the shooting locations, and the final portion of their prep had them polishing their "skills." The Marley puppies began their training at the ripe old age of eight weeks, and then filmed until they reached about twelve weeks of age. Then, another batch of Marley pups were brought in for training. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION (2-LEGGED VERSION) The events John Grogan chronicled in his book take place largely in South Florida, where John and Jenny made their first home together, and in Pennsylvania, where the Grogan clan later resided, and where they live to this day. These settings are critical to Grogan's book and to the film, which shot on location in those two states. "We spent a lot of time trying to find the right location for the right story point," says production designer Stuart Wurtzel. "David Frankel wanted the film to have a bit of a messy quality; he didn't want [the locations and sets] to look perfect. John and Jenny's life is always in flux, always changing." John and Jenny begin married life in a starter house in West Palm Beach. As their family grows, the Grogans move to a larger home in Boca Raton. The final move in the story took the production to Philadelphia, as well as to the Pennsylvania countryside and the towns of West Chester, Birmingham Township and Uniondale. "By the time they make the move to Pennsylvania, Marley and the Grogans have grown up together," says Wurtzel. "John is finally doing the kind of newspaper work he wants to do, Jenny is settled, and Marley has seen them all through the good times and bad." To reflect the family's maturity and growth, Wurtzel wanted the Grogan's Pennsylvania home to have a warm, solid and inviting feel. The stone farmhouse found by Wurtzel and the production's locations team in Birmingham Township, so impressed the real John and Jenny Grogan, that the couple decided to purchase a similar home. The parallels between real and "reel" life for the Grogans didn't end there. The Grogans make cameos in the film as participants in the obedience school sequence. It was art imitating life - and vice versa - to have the Grogans act in a scene that actually happened in their lives, and to have Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston re-enact this memory right in front of the Grogans. "It was a very funny moment - a 'wake-up' moment that this movie was really happening," says John Grogan. "That they were really making a movie about Jenny and me." ABOUT THE CAST OWEN WILSON (John Grogan) has made his mark in Hollywood as both an actor and writer for feature films. Originally from Texas, Wilson now resides in Los Angeles. Most recently, Wilson appeared in Steven Brill's high concept comedy "Drillbit Taylor" for Paramount, produced by Judd Apatow. Wilson was recently seen with Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman in the independent hit "The Darjeeling Limited" (from Fox Searchlight Pictures) and with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams in director Shawn Levy's blockbuster comedy "Night at the Museum." His recent box office successes also include "You, Me and Dupree" opposite Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon and Disney's animated feature "Cars," which was nominated for an Academy Award® in the category of Best Animated Film. Up next is "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," the sequel to the 2006 smash. In the summer of 2006, Wilson starred in the blockbuster comedy "Wedding Crashers" opposite Vince Vaughn. This followed the success of Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic: The Life of Steve Zissou," in which Wilson starred opposite Bill Murray and Anjelica Huston. Wilson's previous work with Wes Anderson includes "The Royal Tannenbaums," for which he and Anderson were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Wilson also co-wrote and starred in Anderson's first film "Bottle Rocket," and co-wrote and co-executive produced Anderson's second feature "Rushmore." He also served as associate producer on the Oscar® winning film "As Good As It Gets." Wilson's additional acting credits include "The Cable Guy," "Armageddon," "The Minus Man," "Shanghai Noon," "Meet The Parents," "Zoolander," "Behind Enemy Lines," "I Spy," "Shanghai Knights" and "Starsky and Hutch." JENNIFER ANISTON (Jenny Grogran ), born in Sherman Oaks, California and raised in New York City, is a versatile actress who was exposed to acting at an early age by her father, John Aniston, who starred on NBC's daytime drama "Days of Our Lives," and by her godfather, the late Telly Savalas. Aniston stars opposite Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson in the feature film "He's Just Not That Into You," based on the bestseller by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. In the past year, she also completed the films "Traveling" co-starring Aaron Eckhart, and "Management" with Steve Zahn, the latter premiering at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Additionally, Aniston is set to produce "Goree Girls" with producing partner, Kristin Hahn. The project is based on the true story of a group of women who served time in Texas' Goree Prison during the 1940s and formed one of the nation's first all-female country and western acts. Aniston completed her tenth and final season on the hit ensemble comedy "Friends," along with Courteney Cox-Arquette, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow, on NBC. Her work as Rachel Green earned her five Emmy® nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations as well as two Golden Globe® Award nominations, and four People's Choice® Awards. Aniston won her first Emmy in 2002 for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as well as her first Golden Globe Award in 2003 for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. In addition to the massive success she has achieved on the small screen, Aniston has continued to branch out with very different roles on the silver screen. She was last seen in the hit romantic comedy "The Break-Up," which also starred Vince Vaughn. She also starred in "Friends with Money," which marked Aniston's return to independent cinema; her performance and the film received rave reviews. Additionally, Aniston starred in the Rob Reiner film "Rumor Has It," as well as in the thriller "Derailed," also starring Clive Owen. Aniston played opposite Ben Stiller in Universal's "Along Came Polly" and starred opposite Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman in the smash hit comedy, "Bruce Almighty." Aniston starred in Miguel Arteta's critically acclaimed third film, "The Good Girl" opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly and Zooey Deschanel, for which Aniston earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The film made its debut to rave reviews at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Fox Searchlight. Aniston's other film credits include: "Rock Star" opposite Mark Wahlberg, directed by Stephen Herek; "She's the One" opposite director Ed Burns and Cameron Diaz; "Picture Perfect" opposite Kevin Bacon and Olympia Dukakis, directed by Glenn Gordon Caron; "'Til There Was You" with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dylan McDermott; and the critically praised "The Object of My Affection" opposite Paul Rudd. Her other film credits include "Office Space" and "Dreams for an Insomniac." In 2006, Aniston made her directorial debut, directing the short film, "Room 10," as part of the award winning short film series, Glamour Reel Moments. Aniston, who is of Greek descent, spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family, relocating to New York when her father landed a role on the daytime drama "Love of Life." She had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. Her experience at the Rudolf Steiner School also helped Aniston develop a passion for art. At age 11, she created a painting that was selected to be on display in an exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. She began her professional training as a drama student at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. After graduating in 1987, Aniston won roles in the Off-Broadway productions "For Dear Life" at New York's Public Theater and "Dancing on Checker's Grave." In 1989, she landed her first television role as a series regular on "Molloy." Aniston's other television credits include series regular roles on "The Edge" and "Ferris Bueller," a recurring role on "Herman's Head" and guest-starring roles on "Quantum Leap" and "Burke's Law." ERIC DANE (Sebastian Tunney) gained massive recognition early 2006 when he first appeared on "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan. "Grey's Anatomy" was honored at the 2007 SAG Awards™ when its cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast, and at the 2007 Golden Globes, where the show won for Best Television Series-Drama. Dane was raised in San Francisco, the older of two brothers whose father was an architect and interior designer and mother a homemaker. While excelling as an athlete in high school, he was bitten by the acting bug in a production of Arthur Miller's play "All My Sons." After moving to Los Angeles in 1993, Dane made his TV debut on "The Wonder Years," racking up guest roles on other series and recurring roles on "Charmed," "The American Embassy" and, giving precedence to his current role, as a doctor on "Gideon's Crossing." He has also appeared in several television films, including "Serving in Silence" and the remake of "Helter Skelter." Most recently, he appeared in "Wedding Wars" opposite John Stamos. On the big screen, Dane's first major role came in 1999 in the World War I film "The Basket," and he was subsequently featured in the comedy "Sol Goode." Other film credits include the tongue-in-cheek horror film "Feast" and "Open Water: Adrift." Dane portrayed Jamie Madrox, aka Multiple Man, in the summer blockbuster hit "X-Men: The Last Stand." ALAN ARKIN (Arnie Klein) has long been recognized as an actor of great talent and versatility on stage, screen and television. He won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2007 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2007 Best Motion Picture Cast Performance by the SAG Awards and the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male - all for his performance in "Little Miss Sunshine." Most recently, Arkin played The Chief in "Get Smart" and was in the film "Rendition" starring opposite Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep. Next, he will be seen in "Sunshine Cleaning" starring opposite Emily Blunt and Amy Adams. Born in New York, Arkin launched his career with Chicago's improvisational revue, "Second City." This led to his first part on Broadway, the lead in Carl Reiner's play "Enter Laughing," for which he won a Tony® Award. The following year he appeared again on Broadway in Murray Schisgal's hit "LUV." In 1998, he directed, starred and co-wrote with Elaine May, the hit production of "Power Plays" at the Promenade Theatre. Arkin began directing for the stage with the acclaimed "Eh?" starring Dustin Hoffman, at the Circle in the Square. He then won an Obie® for directing Jules Feiffer's "Little Murders," followed by Feiffer's "The White House Murder Case"; these three plays kept the Circle in the Square tied up for several years. These productions were followed by "The Sunshine Boys" on Broadway, "Rubbers and Yanks Three" at The American Place Theater, "Joan of Lorraine" at the Hartman in Stamford, "The Sorrows of Stephen" at the Burt Reynolds Theatre, starring his son, Adam Arkin, and "Room Service" at the Roundabout in New York. Arkin's debut feature film, "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming," earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, as well as an Oscar nomination. He received a second Oscar nomination and the New York Critics Award, for his performance in "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." A second New York Critics Award followed for his role in "Hearts of the West." Arkin's other films have included "Catch 22," "Little Murders" (which he also directed), "Joshua: Then and Now," "The In-Laws," "Edward Scissorhands," "Havana," "Glengarry Glenn Ross," "Four Days In September," "Mother Night," "Slums Of Beverly Hills," "Gattaca," "Steal Big, Steal Little," "Jakob The Liar," "Grosse Pointe Blank," "America's Sweethearts," "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing," "Noel" and "The Novice." Arkin has written and directed two short films, "T.G.I.F." and "People Soup." The first opened the New York Film Festival, and the latter received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject. Arkin starred in the highly acclaimed series "100 Centre Street," written and directed by Sidney Lumet. Other television work includes his Emmy-nominated performances in "Pentagon Papers" for the FX network, and "Escape From Sobibor." He guest starred as the father of his real-life son Adam, on "Chicago Hope," which earned Alan yet another Emmy nomination. He also appeared in Showtime's "Varian's War," and was recently seen in HBO's "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself" with Antonio Banderas for director Bruce Beresford. Arkin directed the television adaptation of the Broadway play "Twigs," with Carol Burnett, and "The Visitor," with Jeff Daniels, Swoozie Kurtz and Julie Haggerty, which won multiple international awards. When not occupied as an actor or director, Arkin is likely to devote his time to music or writing. He has written six books, the latest a children's book entitled Cassie Loves Beethoven. An earlier work, The Lemming Condition, has sold steadily for twenty years, and was honored by The Book Sellers of America by being placed in the White House Library. KATHLEEN TURNER (Ms. Kornblut) has garnered critical acclaim for her performances in a wide variety of film and theater projects. Turner was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in "Body Heat." She won a Golden Globe Award for her performances in "Romancing the Stone" and "Prizzi's Honor." Turner's work in "Peggy Sue Got Married" brought her both an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination, and she earned yet another Golden Globe nomination for "War of the Roses." In 2008, Turner wrote of her many accomplishments and life experiences in her autobiography titled Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on my Life, Love, and Leading Roles. The book, co-authored by Gloria Feldt, secured a position on The New York Times Best-Seller List. Turner's extensive film credits also include the critically acclaimed "The Virgin Suicides" directed by Sofia Coppola, "The Man with Two Brains" with Steve Martin, "Jewel of the Nile" with Michael Douglas, "Crimes of Passion," "The Accidental Tourist," "V.I. Warshawski," John Waters' "Serial Mom," "Naked in New York" and "Moonlight and Valentino." It is also impossible to forget Turner's standout performance as the sultry voice of Jessica Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" In addition to her thriving film career, Turner frequently returns to live theater. In 2008 she directed the Roundabout Theatre Company's off Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize winning play "Crimes of the Heart." In 2007, she received London's coveted Evening Standard and London Critics Circle awards and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for the West End production of Edward Albee's modern classic "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" having been nominated for the 2005 Tony Award for Best Actress during the play's acclaimed run on Broadway. In the fall of 2000, Turner broke box-office records starring in the stage version of the classic film "The Graduate" in London's West End, playing the role of Mrs. Robinson. In 2002 she took "The Graduate" to Broadway. In 1998, she made her British stage debut at the Chichester Festival Theater, which was founded by Sir Laurence Olivier. Recently, Turner worked with Michael Lessac, who directed Turner as Tallulah Bankhead in Sandra Ryan Heyward's one-woman show "Tallulah," which she toured in across the U.S. Turner starred on Broadway in Jean Cocteau's "Indiscretions." Other stage works include her portrayal of "Maggie the Cat," in the 1989 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the Broadway production of "Gemini," and "Camille" at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut. Turner also starred in "Travesties," "The Seagull," "Toyer," and "A Midsummer's Night Dream" at the prestigious Arena Stage in Washington D.C. Turner is an ambassador for Planned Parenthood and also sits on the boards for City Meals on Wheels, People for the American Way, Childhelp and the Ms. Foundation. She speaks across the country on behalf of these various causes. Turner is a Missouri native, but was raised in Canada, Cuba and England, where her father was a diplomat. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS DAVID FRANKEL (Director) directed the smash hit "The Devil Wears Prada" starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Additionally, he directed the HBO series "Entourage," for which he was nominated for an Emmy in 2005. Previously for HBO, he directed the hit show "Sex and the City," and "Band of Brothers," the latter winning six Emmys, including Best Director. He also directed "The Pennsylvania Miners' Story" for ABC. Frankel is a comedy writer and director who began writing and producing TV sitcoms before making his feature film directorial debut with "Miami Rhapsody" in 1995. Frankel also wrote and produced the film, which featured Sarah Jessica Parker. The son of Max Frankel, former executive editor and later columnist for The New York Times, Frankel toyed with becoming a political humorist. After graduation from Harvard, his first professional assignment was an article for Esquire about John McEnroe, the tennis star against whom Frankel had competed in high school. Frankel began writing for TV, breaking in with "The Ellen Burstyn Show," a short-lived ABC sitcom that debuted in 1986. Teaming with Norman Steinberg, he wrote, directed and was co-executive producer of the CBS sitcom "Doctor, Doctor" (1989-91) starring Matt Frewer. The show revolved around an earnest but eccentric physician and earned critical applause, even if a larger audience never found the show. In 1991, Frankel and Steinberg created "Teech," a short-lived CBS sitcom starring Phill Lewis as a music teacher. The following year, Frankel created, wrote and directed the critically well-received "Grapevine" (CBS), about relationships. With Steinberg, Frankel made the leap to the big screen in 1990, co-writing "Funny About Love," which starred Gene Wilder as a cartoonist who wants to be a father. He went on to write "Nervous Ticks" (1993), about the life of a luggage handler at an airport. Frankel was back to TV for a spell in 1996, writing the busted pilot for an ABC sitcom starring Bebe Neuwirth called "Dear Diary," which was later released as a short film and earned an Oscar as Best Live Action Short. SCOTT FRANK (Screenwriter) made his directorial debut with "The Lookout," which he also wrote. Frank earlier won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, the Best Screenplay Awards from both the National Society of Film Critics and The Boston Society of Film Critics, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, all for "Out of Sight," based on the novel by Elmore Leonard. Frank's other screenplay credits include "The Interpreter," "Flight of the Phoenix," "Minority Report," "Get Shorty" (Writers Guild, Edgar, and Golden Globe nominations), "Malice," "Dead Again" and "Little Man Tate." Frank grew up in Los Gatos, California, and received a B.A. in Film Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara. DON ROOS (Screenwriter) wrote and directed "Happy Endings," a comedy-drama about love, family and the sheer unpredictability of life, released in 2005. In 1998 he made his directorial debut with "The Opposite of Sex," winning two Independent Spirit Awards for best first feature and best screenplay. In 2000, he directed Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow in his script "Bounce," and created the NBC series "M.Y.O.B." Next, he directs the film "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits," starring Nat
