Photos - Left: Vincent D'Onofrio as Pooh Bear   Right: Director D.J. Caruso (standing) directs D'Onofrio (seated, left) and Val Kilmer (seated, right) in a scene set around Pooh Bear's kitchen table.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

In the Imperial Valley of Southern California there is a little known body of water 226 feet below sea level, one of the lowest points in the United States. As there is no outlet from this sea, water is being removed only by evaporation, which results in a salinity level more than 25 percent higher than the Pacific Ocean. There is an eerie stillness to this vast sea, and a peculiar density to the water. This lake is the Salton Sea.

Set against this remote and mysterious landscape, an unexpected and brutal crime leaves an innocent woman, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, dead at the hands of masked gunmen. Her husband's life is left in ruins, his every waking moment haunted by the recurring imagery of the murder he witnessed, but was powerless to prevent. He is alive, but lifeless in his despair. "The Salton Sea" is a character-driven crime thriller about an unlikely hero entangled in a web of deceit and treachery. Full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a compelling and emotionally-charged story about loss and recovery set to the lonely resonant tones of jazz great Miles Davis' horn.

Danny Parker (VAL KILMER) is a man in search of redemption, consumed by a sense of loneliness and alienation. Following the death of his wife (CHANDRA WEST), he is set adrift in a seedy underworld inhabited by an eclectic, and often comical, cast of characters united principally by their choice of drug: crystal methamphetamine. An accomplished jazz musician, Danny is now a low-life "tweaker" in Los Angeles who leads us through a frenzied maze, one from which he must emerge before his tenuous grip on reality snaps for good.

In a bold attempt Danny secretly hatches a plan to serve as middle-man in a lucrative drug deal. With the help of his friend Jimmy "The Finn" (PETER SARSGAARD), Danny is introduced to Pooh-Bear (VINCENT D'ONOFRIO), a deranged methamphetamine baron with a penchant for sadistic recreational games, who seals the deal. But in this mad world, nothing is as it seems and no one is who he or she appears to be.

While making this perilous journey through the underbelly of Los Angeles, however, Danny reconnects with a tenderness long thought dead as he reaches out to help his troubled and vulnerable neighbor, Colette (DEBORAH KARA UNGER).

Joining the production's cast are ANTHONY La PAGLIA and DOUG HUTCHISON who portray narcotics agents Garcetti and Morgan respectively; ADAM GOLDBERG as 'Kujo,' a speed freak; LUIS GUZMAN, as 'Quincy,' Colette's violent boyfriend; rock veteran MEAT LOAF makes an appearance as 'Bo,' a shady druggie; GLENN PLUMMER as 'Bobby,' a drug dealer; in his acting debut JOSH TODD, lead singer of the band Buckcherry, as 'Big Bill,' one of Pooh-Bear's sidekicks; DANNY TREJO as 'Little Bill,' a member of Pooh-Bear's posse and Tony Award-winning B. D. WONG as 'Bubba,' a cowboy with crystal meth connections.

Castle Rock Entertainment presents A Darkwoods/Humble Journey Films Production, "The Salton Sea," directed by D. J. CARUSO (HBO's "Black Cat Run") from a screenplay by TONY GAYTON ("Murder by Numbers"). The film is produced by Academy Award(r) nominated filmmaker FRANK DARABONT ("The Majestic," "The Green Mile," "The Shawshank Redemption") along with ERIQ La SALLE ("E.R."), KEN AGUADO ("Ticker") and BUTCH ROBINSON ("The Original Kings of Comedy"). The film is executive produced by JIM BEHNKE ("The Majestic," "Zero Effect").

The behind-the-scenes team is led by director of photography AMIR MOKRI ("Coyote Ugly"), production designer TOM SOUTHWELL (HBO's "Black Cat Run"), editor JIM PAGE ("The Majestic"), costume designer KARYN WAGNER ("The Green Mile," "Eve's Bayou," HBO's "Black Cat Run") and Academy Award(r) nominated composer THOMAS NEWMAN ("Erin Brockovich," "The Shawshank Redemption"). "The Salton Sea" is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company.

Castle Rock Entertainment is an AOL Time Warner Company.

This film has been rated "R" by the Motion Picture Association of America for "strong violence, drug use, language and some sexuality."

ABOUT THE STORY...

In the opening scene of "The Salton Sea," we are introduced to Danny Parker sitting alone on a bed in a dilapidated rooming house with a duffel bag full of money. Around him the room is ablaze with fire, but he seems unaware, quietly playing his trumpet. In voice-over against this distressing image Danny speaks to us, seeking to define who and what he has become. This opening confessional reveals him to be a man in crisis, struggling with his identity and haunted by his past. His probing questions propel us backwards into the story and we begin to travel through the recent events of his life that lead him to this critical point.

Suspenseful, intriguing and moody, Tony Gayton's screenplay caught the eye of producer Ken Aguado. Gayton's original screenplay unfolds in a very deliberate and measured way, never revealing too much at one time. Just when you feel you have come to understand what's at play, another layer is unveiled and your perspective shifts. Aguado explains, "Character revelations and plot twists are introduced throughout the entire piece, which is one of the reasons it's such a fascinating movie. A lot of scripts are boring after the thirtieth page because everything has been revealed. This film is not about the immediate moment. It's about the future, the past, and it requires two hours to figure out."

Aguado passed the script on to D. J. Caruso and insisted he read it immediately. Aguado remembers, "He really responded to the material for the same reasons I had. You find yourself trying to understand the hero, what his agenda is and what his and the other characters' motives are and where they will end up. You're surprised all the way through and there are some really funny moments."

D. J. Caruso recalls his thoughts after reading the script, "I loved it. I flipped out because I had been waiting for the right opportunity to direct my first feature film. I've had a couple opportunities before, but I really wanted my first film to be something that meant something to me. I'm obsessed with character journeys, whether that growth is a positive or negative growth. I was really compelled by the dilemma the lead character Danny Parker experiences."

Producing partner Eriq La Salle, widely known as the uncompromising doctor on the hit television series "E.R.," was equally compelled by "The Salton Sea." "It was one of the best scripts we had ever read. The opening is so powerful - a man sitting in a burning room, his life about to end, while he plays his trumpet and asks the audience 'who am I?' But, he also asks the viewer to listen to his story before making any judgments because nothing is, as it seems. The whole movie then delivers on that promise and reveals what led him to this place, this burning room. The narrative unfolds so gradually over the course of the film and it has you constantly guessing. It's involving and very rewarding in that way," says La Salle.

Aguado adds, "This is a movie that survives 100% on the quality of the writing and the story. It's challenging material that requires you to use your brain while also being emotionally engaged. And all the characters are interesting and richly-drawn."

Frank Darabont, with whom Caruso had collaborated on the HBO film "Black Cat Run," with Darabont executive producing and Caruso directing, was sent the script by the Humble Journey Films partners.

"I'm an enormous fan of D. J. Caruso," says Darabont. "D. J. was really excited about the script for 'The Salton Sea'. I have enormous faith and confidence in his instincts, so I took it home that night and read it. I thought the script was really terrific."

Darabont elaborates, "The script for 'The Salton Sea' was not like any other script I had read and consequently not really like too many other movies I see. It's definitely got its own unique texture and that's rooted in the script. D. J. is a director who respects the screenplay as he's shooting the movie. The result is a director doing justice to a good script."

Intrigued by the project, Darabont lent his support and joined the producing team to help the filmmakers bring Tony Gayton's story to the big screen.

ABOUT THE CASTING...

At break-neck speed, the casting process was then underway. The lead role required an actor to project a sense of humanity and vulnerability while pulling the audience through his dark and difficult journey. "As the story unfolds, you find yourself feeling sympathy for a character that normally you wouldn't be very sympathetic towards. We needed someone with the acting chops who could pull that off," explains Aguado. At the top of Caruso and the producer's list was Val Kilmer.

Aguado explains, "This is a very dark role for an actor and it required someone who would throw himself entirely into the part. Val was our first choice." They were not disappointed, and in fact the actor's commitment to the role greatly surpassed their expectations. Aguado beams, "Val completely submerged himself in the character. He is very dedicated and serious about his craft, and I think this is one of his best performances."

Caruso adds, "I wanted Val Kilmer from the start. I enjoyed watching Val in 'Tombstone' because I thought his portrayal of Doc Holliday was just fantastic. In the 'The Doors,' he embodied and became Jim Morrison in the film. Val is the most passionate person I've ever met. You can only hope to have someone like him on your team wanting the movie to be just as good, if not better than you want it to be."

Tackling a character of such complexity was of immediate appeal to the actor, and he signed on to play Danny Parker without hesitation. Kilmer explains, "It was a very challenging role, one of the hardest I've ever done. This character is wonderfully tragic and beautiful. I was very affected personally by the character."

In summarizing his role, Kilmer continues, "Danny is a jazz musician who's really in love with his wife. They get lost one day near the Salton Sea, and his whole life changes. She's murdered and he survives. He blames himself and becomes locked in that period of time."

By infusing what could have been an unsympathetic character with humor and sensitivity, Kilmer fleshed out a multi-dimensioned portrayal of a man lost in a bleak and sordid subculture of drug users and dealers. "I had played a couple of alcoholics before - Doc Holliday and Jim Morrison - and other similar characters in theater, so I had a pretty good idea about addiction and those arenas of characters who become suicidal."

Adding to this experience, however, Kilmer sought real-life inspiration for his portrayal and spent time with police informants. Kilmer says, "Rats" are really desperate people. It's the end of the line and, as all "rats" know, eventually they get caught. There's no place to exist as an informant. It's tough - both sides are against you and you're always getting squeezed." The amalgamation of these experiences brought a depth of understanding and reality to Danny Parker. Kilmer concludes, "I put the pieces together in a non-intellectual way, watching how hard it is for some people just to survive."

Anthony La Paglia and Doug Hutchison portray undercover narcotics agents Garcetti and Morgan respectively. Their area of focus is crystal methamphetamine. Initially, they present a classic good cop/bad cop front.

Hutchison reveals, "As the story unfolds, all of the boundaries get blurred. It's refreshing not to see the same old stereotypical relationship. I like that you're never sure what's real or what's an illusion in the film."

La Paglia couldn't resist the role of Garcetti when he read the script, even though he had decided he'd had his fill of playing cop roles. La Paglia recalls, "It felt different from a lot of things I had read - it's an interesting story with a hard edge. My character is described as a man who doesn't like dolphins. 'Who doesn't like dolphins?'"

Hutchison spent time with actual narcotics agents in Riverside to help flesh out his character, during which time he accompanied them on a drug raid. "The officer that I rode with had an informant who provided the tip responsible for the bust. I grilled the officer about his relationship with the informant - it was really valuable information that perfectly applied to my character," remembers Hutchison.

Although the film is set in this harsh world, and centered around a man whose life has been destroyed in many ways, it is not a film without hope. "The film introduces you to a world of characters that most people will never meet in their lifetime - and thank god," Aguado says. "But you discover that people from all walks of life and in all kinds of different situations have their own sense of dignity, their own hopes, dreams and aspirations. This is not a film about pure and clean people. These are people who have been to a place most of us will never go, but they come out the other end changed, and hopefully better. All the characters are flawed, but loaded with humanity and reality."

It was these multifaceted characterizations that attracted Deborah Kara Unger to the story of "The Salton Sea" and to the role of Colette, Danny's neighbor in a down-and-out boarding house/hotel. Unger recalls, "I was struck by the extraordinary writing, and the story's emotional pace. This film does not insult the intelligence of an audience; the plot is rich and complex. It's a very dark world, but there are alarming flashes of humor and light, and the characters are unpredictable and colorful."

Casting Unger was a real coup for the director as she, like Kilmer, had been his first choice for the role. As Caruso's producing partner Butch Robinson explains, "D. J. wanted the film to be hyper-realistic, and he wanted someone who was attractive, but approachable, sympathetic and appealing." For everyone involved, Unger embodied all these characteristics.

Caruso explains, "I felt Deborah was right for the role of Colette because I found her to be sexy, intriguing and real, qualities that were essential for the character. Deborah's character Colette is really vital because she reawakens passion in Danny, something that he thought he had lost forever."

Kilmer states admiringly, "Deborah comes to work almost exclusively from an emotional connection, which lends a certain power to her acting."

Haunted by her own demons, Colette is a single mother who finds herself in an abusive relationship and is barely hanging on. Her despair and vulnerability mirror that of Danny Parker, and their friendship and compassion provide respite from the horrors of their lives. "My character is exceedingly fractured," Unger begins. "Both Colette and Danny are burdened by a past from which they're both trying to escape, to make sense of. They're both seeking retribution. And Colette feels a lot of empathy for the deep pain Val's character is enduring."

Kilmer further comments, "Our characters have a generosity of spirit and sensitivity in common. We also have a motive in our life that is different than survival, pleasure or greed. We're both seemingly lost and feel as though we've failed to help those we love. But we're also tough and neither one of us is revealing everything we know."

Caruso provided an opportunity for spontaneity in certain scenes, a flexibility and collaboration that reaped rich rewards. Caruso explains, "I like to be visually prepared but I also wanted to give the actors the freedom and make them comfortable enough so they felt free to do what they felt."

Kilmer responded strongly to the approach, but cautioned, "Improvisation must be in the same spirit as the writer's vision. Time is running out in our story, so the structure is very tight and dependent on a rhythm and pace. But there were moments when we were given room to really fly. All the actors in the film were well suited to that freedom."

"D. J. inspires trust and excitement in an actor," Unger reveals. "He allowed us to embrace the chaos of the characters' lives through an improvisation that helped feed the tensions needed in particular scenes. Imbalance is central to this story's world and a lack of certainty is intrinsic to the activities of most of the characters."

The filmmakers believe that the compatible acting styles of Kilmer and Unger elevated their respective performances, and indeed the film. "Val and Deborah have a very similar energy level. They're both intense, internal and thoughtful as actors," Aguado observes.

Unger, however, credits her co-star for heightening the stakes and enriching her portrayal. "Val was committed to the story and the characters. Without a doubt, I knew from the beginning that he would be able to embrace the film's world almost flawlessly, certainly fearlessly. He made every effort to let me know that whatever cliff I might want to jump off, he'd be there with a net. I'm thankful for his confidence to go places that I might not have gone."

The story's many richly drawn characters attracted a top-notch roster of gifted actors, including Vincent D'Onofrio in the sinister role of Pooh-Bear, a twisted and menacing speed dealer. "As soon as I read the script for "The Salton Sea," I immediately thought of Vincent D'Onofrio for the role of "Pooh Bear," Caruso explains. "Pooh Bear is a character that I thought Vincent would be perfect to play. Vincent is the type of actor who becomes the character and hides behind the character so brilliantly that you forget that it's Vincent."

D'Onofrio describes his character as "a dealer who sits around with his buddies cooking methamphetamines. He's a sort of bandit who's out for the money and will screw with people and rob them along the way. He also has a strange way of communicating and dealing with situations - I don't want to give anything away, but it's weird stuff!"

D'Onofrio's versatility and unquestionable talent have spurned many memorable characters, but perhaps he's most widely remembered for his disturbing portrayal of a young cadet in Stanley Kubrick's brilliant Vietnam drama "Full Metal Jacket." The actor brings a similar intensity to "The Salton Sea," and will undoubtedly leave another indelible impression on audiences with Pooh-Bear. D'Onofrio explains, "I felt there was a lot I could do with Pooh-Bear when I first read the script. He's a foil character who really helps move the story along. I always try to avoid making typical choices with a character, and villains are particularly fun and interesting for me because I try to humanize them and give them heart. I have a very short attention span, so I pick the most interesting and complex characters I can find to keep from getting bored."

D'Onofrio often transforms himself physically for his roles, and Pooh-Bear is no exception. "I gained 40 pounds for the part. This will be the last time I ever put on weight for a film because I'm getting older and it's becoming harder to take off," says D'Onofrio.

Contrary to the depraved Pooh-Bear is Jimmy the Finn, Danny's naïve but loyal drug-buddy. Peter Sarsgaard, who garnered attention in the critically acclaimed film "Boys Don't Cry," brought a sincerity and affability to the role. "My character is involved in this whole crystal meth scene. No one is quite what they seem in the film, but Jimmy is transparent - he could never lie believably, for example. He's really honest and trusting, so Danny turns to him in this world of people who are foreign to him," explains Sarsgaard. Although unaware, Jimmy becomes more and more involved in Danny's struggle and conflict.

"The Salton Sea" characterizes a very specific branch of the crime underworld: the world of crystal methamphetamine. Like crack is to cocaine, crystal meth - crank or gack as it is often called on the streets - is the crystal form of methamphetamine. Cheaply made and easily accessible, meth is powerfully addictive and, arguably, the hardest drug to kick. Highly combustible meth labs litter the landscape of the United States in unsuspecting trailers, run-down shacks or in the kitchens of people's homes. Made largely from household products, law enforcement agencies have had a difficult time controlling the traffic of meth due to its surreptitious production.

Meth's speedy high keeps its addicts, also known as tweakers, awake for days at a time. Extreme sleep deprivation not only devastates a person's body, but it amplifies the craziness of the high and can cause hallucinations and insanity. With too much time on their hands, tweakers are predisposed to manic and obsessive-compulsive behavior. "It's a lunatic world," Kilmer concludes.

Not unlike a lot of Americans, the cast knew very little about meth and its ravaging effects. The director provided them with endless research material in the form of documentary video reports and articles, but they were also encouraged to visit drug recovery centers on their own. In visiting one such center in Riverside, California, Unger met former addicts who candidly shared their experiences. "I need to thank that center and those individuals with whom I spoke for really illuminating me and enabling me to feel intimate with a world that thankfully I've never journeyed through." She continues, "I had no idea meth was so common and was shocked to discover how pervasive it is. There's no one type of individual that becomes hooked - it's indiscriminate in that way."

Kilmer adds, "It's a really rough, hard drug, and unfortunately it's very popular now. It's cheap and easy to make, and you're high for a long time. It seems that being a tweaker is a vocation - the drug will grip you, and your life becomes an endless pursuit of getting it, using it for as long as possible, sleeping a little, and getting some more."

Told with humor and pathos, "The Salton Sea" provides a glimpse into a particular world of fringe-dwelling tweakers. Although tragically in the clutches of this drug, the camaraderie of this group and their absurdly funny antics provide comic relief from the darkness of Danny's journey and his more sinister dealings with Pooh-Bear and others. Central to this dark comedy is Jimmy and the character Kujo, played by Adam Goldberg. "Kujo is a motor mouth speed freak with grand designs," says Goldberg.

In summary, Val Kilmer says of the film, "It's a tragic and beautiful love story in many ways, but also a wild ride. You step into an unusual and unique world, both strange and dynamic."

Producer Ken Aguado says, "Everything about this movie will make you appreciate your life. People can lose their way in life and find themselves in a place they never thought they'd be. I think audiences will take away a sense of this character's quest for redemption. The film's journey is about his reemergence as a person into the world of the true and the honest. It's a cautiously hopeful tale with a tremendous amount of humor."

Producer Frank Darabont says, "What I loved about the script was that it took me into a world that I was quite unfamiliar with, but did so in a way that made it tremendously accessible to me as a reader and to me as a viewer. The story delves into a real underbelly kind of existence. It has an absurdist kind of reality where anything can happen and at the same time the script has its other foot in this very intense, real crime drama that you can take seriously."

Caruso says of the film, "I'd love for the audience to connect with the soul of the piece, the theme of redemption."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION...

Director D. J. Caruso assembled an exceptional team of behind-the-scenes talent to bring his compelling story to the big screen. Director of Photography Amir Mokri contributed greatly to Caruso's highly stylized vision for "The Salton Sea." In addition, as he had on his previous film HBO's "Black Cat Run," Caruso relied on the creative ingenuity of production designer Tom Southwell and editor Jim Page. The production filmed on location at the film's namesake, the Salton Sea, in Southern California. This 380 square mile sea and its 115 miles of shoreline were home to the cast and crew for two weeks before relocating to Los Angeles for the remainder of principal photography. Throughout the shooting schedule, the newly built facility of sound stages at Center Stage Studios in downtown Los Angeles served as home base for the production. It is here that Southwell and his team of art directors, designers and set decorators constructed most of the movie's interior spaces, although various practical locations throughout the city and in the Antelope Valley were also used.

Caruso states, "Tom Southwell is such a visual production designer. You can literally sit and talk with him about a concept and within thirty-five seconds he would have a sketch. With these sketches Amir Mokri, Tom and I were able to figure out where the light was going to come from in the scene."

The characters in "The Salton Sea" dwell on the fringes of society in a Los Angeles that is decayed, light years away from the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills. They are people who exist in a vast, impersonal urban sprawl and live day-to-day, party-to-party. Downtown is their stomping ground with all of its seediness and squalor. Though Caruso, Mokri and Southwell were all committed to preserving the city's raw naturalism, they also sought to evoke a noirish mood and visual texture for the film.

Mokri lit the hidden alleys, ominous doorways, and deserted night streets of downtown Los Angeles, as well as they film's interior sets, with deep shadows. In observing his work, actor Deborah Kara Unger suggests, "The cinematography aids in displacing the characters. There's a noirish sensibility fashioned by the cinematographer that fuels the feeling of distance that exists between them and most people's reality. Their world is a world without much sun." These shadows are ever-present in Danny and Colette's dilapidated apartment complex, and are depicted in the scenes that took place at St. Vincent's Church, underneath street bridges and in a condemned warehouse. To starkly contrast these night sequences, Mokri made use of the bright, harsh sunlight in the film's few day exteriors, best demonstrated in a scene that took place in a deserted and endless Dodger Stadium parking lot with spectacular views of the city's skyline.

Oblivious to time, day or night, many of our characters live in an endless blur of parties and excess. Set decorators covered the apartment windows to impart a sense of the tweaker's subterranean living, blocking the light of day for them to continue for days on end. So when Danny and Jimmy emerge from one such cocoon they are blinded by the bright sun and comically reach for their shades in synchronicity.

Tom Southwell refers to himself as a "method production designer," applying to his work ideas of spontaneity, emotionality and authenticity. He often creates a back story to his characters, which then alter particular features of any given design. This is best exemplified in his creation of Pooh-Bear's lair, both in the windswept desert outside of the madman's adobe-style retreat and in its detailed and eclectic interior built on a stage.

Beyond Pooh-Bear's compound, Southwell and Caruso were inspired by the powerful imagery of realist painters John Register and Edward Hopper who shared a remarkable ability to evoke a sense of alienation, sadness and loneliness in their paintings. While both director and designer were familiar with Hopper's work, they visited Palm Springs in pre-production on "The Salton Sea" to familiarize themselves with the breadth of Register's paintings at a comprehensive retrospective of the artist's work. At this exhibition, they learned that Register had recently passed away which added to the impact of his images that are principally devoid of human contact but somehow speak to the presence of those who aren't there.

Though Hopper is perhaps best known for his paintings of New York and New England, Register lived and painted in and around Los Angeles and the Southwest. There is a sense of solitude, silence and anonymity to his work. Production designer Southwell used the 1982 canvas "Waiting Room" as the basis for the decoration and design of the scene where Danny sits in a police station immediately following his wife's murder. Similarly, Southwell pays homage to Hopper's 1958 painting "Sunlight in a Cafeteria" for a scene when Danny and Colette meet in a coffee shop. These paintings depict environments that mirror the loneliness and sadness of the film's lead characters. Also instrumental in helping to establish the mood and sense of the character's personalities was costume designer Karyn Wagner, who added to the visual look of the film by dressing the drug addicts in thrift store-infused ensembles. Kilmer, robed in an array of worn leather pants and tattered shirts that were made by designer L'Wren Scott, often seems to emerge, tactilely, from his very surroundings.

A handsome screen idol, Val Kilmer is less polished and rougher in his appearance in this film. While actors Josh Todd and Danny Trejo came to the movie decorated with their own tattoos, Kilmer had to have his applied everyday. British make-up artist Paul Engelan carefully painted intricate tattoos to the actor's body in designs created by a skilled specialist.

ABOUT THE CAST...

Through the roles that he has chosen, VAL KILMER (Danny) has proven his versatility as an actor to his fans and critics alike. He is currently filming "Mindhunters" directed by Renny Harlin.

Kilmer has starred in such films as "Willow," "The Doors," "Tombstone," "Batman Forever," "True Romance," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Thunderheart," "Heat," "The Saint," "At First Sight," "The Red Planet," as well as the 3-D epic "Wings of Courage" and starred as the voice of Moses in "The Prince of Egypt."

Kilmer, who was the youngest student ever admitted into the drama department of the prestigious Juilliard, made his feature film debut in the comedy "Top Secret," which was followed by "Real Genius" and his breakout role in "Top Gun."

At Juilliard, he co-wrote the play How It All Began, based on a true story of a West German radical. The play was directed by Des McAnuff and produced by the esteemed Joseph Papp for the Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the 1983 production of Slab Boys with Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. He has also appeared in Joseph Papp's Delacorte Theatre production of Henry IV: Part I; As You Like It with Patti LuPone; the title role of Hamlet; and Tis A Pity She's A Whore at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre.

On television, Kilmer starred in the critically acclaimed HBO television movie "The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains," for which he received a Cable ACE nomination.

VINCENT D'ONOFRIO (Pooh-Bear) is truly an actor's actor, amassing an accomplished body of work that reflects a drive to seek out the evocative and inspiring. With no less than ten starring roles and an Emmy Award(r) nomination in the last three years, the spotlight is shining bright on this compelling actor.

D'Onofrio appeared in the time-traveling satire "Happy Accidents," directed by Brad Anderson, where he played an out of this world lover opposite Marisa Tomei. The film premiered to great acclaim at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

D'Onofrio can currently be seen as Detective Bobby Goren in Dick Wolf's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the third installment of the "Law & Order" franchise for NBC. More recently the chameleon-like actor has appeared in three diverse film roles; as an Irish priest opposite Jodie Foster in "Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys"; as Hathaway in Dimension Films' "Imposter," with Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe under the direction of Gary Fleder; and as a lead character in Ethan Hawke's directorial debut, "Chelsea Walls." In addition, D'Onofrio, portrays a sneaker company entrepreneur who set his sights on a teen and his trusty shoes in the Showtime telepic "The Red Sneakers," directed by Gregory Hines and Dempsey Pappion.

D'Onofrio ignited the screen in 2000 as political dissident Abbie Hoffman in Lions Gate Films' "Steal This Movie!" opposite Janeane Garofalo (a film which he also executive produced), and as taxi driver Elton Garrett in the art film "Claire Dolan." Most notably, audiences saw D'Onofrio's dark side in New Line's sci-fi noir thriller "The Cell," opposite Jennifer Lopez.

D'Onofrio first came to prominence in 1987 with his unforgettable portrayal in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" where the actor left an indelible impression on audiences as the Vietnam War recruit who kills both his drill sergeant and himself. Among D'Onofrio's many other feature film credits are "Mystic Pizza," "Crooked Hearts," "JFK," "Dying Young," "The Player," "Mr. Wonderful," "Household Saints," "Ed Wood," "Strange Days," "Stuart Saves His Family," "Feeling Minnesota," "Good Luck," "Men In Black," "The Winner," "The Newton Boys," "The Thirteenth Floor" and "The Velocity of Gary." D'Onofrio's credits also include "Guy," which he also produced and "The Whole Wide World" in which he starred and produced.

On the small screen, D'Onofrio received an Emmy Award(r) nomination in 1998 for his riveting guest appearance in the critically acclaimed series, "Homicide: Life on the Streets." On stage, the actor starred in Sam Shepard's off-Broadway play, "Tooth of Crime (Second Dance)." The actor's dramatic studies include extensive work at the American Stanislavsky Theatre in New York and with Sharon Chatten of The Actors Studio.

ADAM GOLDBERG (Kujo), an actor and filmmaker, starred in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" as 'Private Mellish,' the cynical New Yorker who taunts the German soldiers with his Jewish heritage.

Goldberg was seen starring in the romantic comedy "All Over the Guy," released by Lions Gate. More recently, he stars opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind," from Universal.

Goldberg's additional feature credits include his screen debut in Billy Crystal's "Mr. Saturday Night," his breakout performance in the venerable Richard Linklater hit "Dazed and Confused," John Singleton's "Higher Learning," "The Prophecy" with Christopher Walken and Ron Howard's "EDtv." He also lent his voice to the wheelchair-bound Jack Russell terrier 'Flealick' in "Babe: Pig in the City."

Goldberg made his directing and screenwriting debut with "Scotch and Milk," a neo-noir drama on which he also served as executive producer, co-editor and star. Shot in black and white, the jazz-laden film tells the story of a group of disaffected and lovelorn friends in their twenties who model their lives on hipster films of the '50's and '60's. The film made its world premiere at the 1998 L.A. Independent Film Festival, won the Grand Jury Prize as Best Feature at the 1998 Idyllwild Film Festival and took top honors at the 1998 Flagstaff Film Festival.

Goldberg most recently completed his latest screenplay, "I Love Your Work," which he will direct.

For television, he appeared as a regular on the series "Relativity," had a recurring role as Chandler's obsessive roommate on "Friends," guest starred on "E.R.," "NYPD Blue," "Love and War," "Murphy Brown" and "Designing Women."

Born in Santa Monica, California and raised in Hollywood, Goldberg began studying acting at the age of 14, and enrolled in the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. He starred in a number of stage productions while attending Sarah Lawrence College, and recently appeared on stage opposite Robert Pastorelli in "Act One," a critically acclaimed series of one-act plays at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles.

LUIS GUZMAN's (Quincy) most recent films include the currently untitled film project, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Ron Underwood; "The Count of Monte Cristo," directed by Kevin Reynolds, "Table One," directed by Michael Bregman and "Double Whammy," directed by Tom DiCillo.

The former social worker has become a well-known leading and character actor, appearing in nearly two dozen films. Born in Puerto Rico, Mr. Guzman grew up in Manhattan. He graduated from City College, after which he worked as a youth counselor at the Henry Street Settlement House while performing in street theater and independent films. Mr. Guzman's first big break was a guest appearance on the NBC series "Miami Vice."

Mr. Guzman has appeared in three films for Sidney Lumet, "Guilty as Sin," "Family Business" and "Q & A"; two films for Brian De Palma, "Snake Eyes" and "Carlito's Way"; two films for Paul Thomas Anderson, "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights; and three films for Steven Soderbergh, "Traffic," "The Limey" (for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and "Out of Sight."

Mr. Guzman's other films include Anthony Minghella's "Mr. Wonderful," John Badham's "The Hard Way," Roger Donaldson's "Cadillac Man," Ridley Scott's "Black Rain," Joseph Ruben's "True Believer" and John Cornell's "Crocodile Dundee II."

Earlier in his career, Mr. Guzman made guest appearances on many television shows, including ABC's "NYPD Blue," NBC's "Law & Order" and HBO's "Oz."

DOUG HUTCHISON (Morgan) makes his third appearance in a Castle Rock Entertainment film with "The Salton Sea," having appeared as Percy Wetmore in Frank Darabont's critically acclaimed film, "The Green Mile" and in "Bait," where he starred opposite Jamie Foxx. Hutchison more recently can be seen opposite Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer in New Line's "I Am Sam."

Previously, Hutchison portrayed rapist Pete Willard in "A Time To Kill" and appeared in "Batman and Robin," "Fresh Horses" and "The Chocolate War." On television, Hutchison is well known for two memorable recurring roles -- Eugene Victor Tooms on "The X-Files" and The Polaroid Man on "Millennium." He has appeared regularly on "Party of Five" and "Space: Above and Beyond." He was a series regular on "Skip Chasers," "Planet Rules" and "Local Heroes."

Hutchison has won DramaLogue Awards for his performances in "The Other 5%" at the Santa Monica Powerhouse Theatre and in "The Eight" at Circle X Theatre in Hollywood. He has also appeared at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum in "Julius Caesar" and "Hope of the Heart"; with The Yale Repertory in "The My House Play"; and Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in "Sparks in the Park."

A native of Detroit, Hutchison attended the renowned Juilliard School of Drama in New York City. He has also trained under respected acting coach Sanford Meisner and at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. He made his professional acting debut at the Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis in the lead role of Charlie Hoban in the world premiere of Garson Kanin's play, "Time and Chance."

ANTHONY La PAGLIA (Garcetti), a veteran of the big screen, impressive list of credits include Terrence Davies' critically acclaimed "The House of Mirth" opposite Gillian Anderson; Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown," opposite Sean Penn; Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam," opposite Adrien Brody; and Joel Schumacher's "The Client," opposite Susan Sarandon. La Paglia more recently can be seen starring in "Lantana," opposite Geoffrey Rush.

Anthony La Paglia continues to be one of the most sought after and versatile talents in Hollywood and in the upcoming months he will be seen in several diverse roles. In 2002,

La Paglia will star in Sam Mendes' "The Road to Perdition," which also stars Paul Newman and Tom Hanks; the independent films "The Bank," a political thriller also starring David Wenham; Mark Malone's "I Fought The Law," also starring Kiefer Sutherland and Radha Mitchell; Jon Sherman's "I'm With Lucy," also starring Monica Potter and John Hannah; and Mike Bencivenga's "Happy Hour" also starring Eric Stoltz.

In addition to his acting roles, La Paglia has teamed up with producer Richard Gladstein, to produce a feature film version of Arthur Miller's "A View From The Bridge." La Paglia starred in this classic play on Broadway in 1998 earning him the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, the Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award. La Paglia's breakthrough stage role came in the off-Broadway comedy, "Bouncers," in which he performed eight of 30 characters. His other stage credits include "Northeast Local," "On the Open Road" and "The Rose Tattoo," which earned him a Drama Desk nomination for outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.

La Paglia first captivated filmgoers with his performance as Stevie Dee in Alan Alda's comedy "Betsy's Wedding." His other film roles include "Company Man," opposite Woody Allen; "Autumn In New York" opposite Richard Gere; John McNaughton's film "Lansky" opposite Richard Dreyfuss; "Phoenix"; "Commandments"; "Brilliant Lies"; "Trees Lounge"; "Mixed Nuts"; "So I Married An Axe Murderer"; "Innocent Blood"; "Whispers in the Dark"; "29th Street"; "One Good Cop"; "Looking for Alibrandi," opposite Greta Scacchi; and Mark Malone's "Bulletproof Heart," also starring Mimi Rogers, which played to unanimous acclaim at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

On the small screen, La Paglia's television roles include starring as Daphne's brother in the hit NBC series "Frasier," for which he received an Emmy nomination; Steven Bochco's critically acclaimed series, "Murder One"; HBO's "Keeper of the City"; "Criminal Justice" also for HBO, for which he received a CableACE nomination; Showtime's "Garden of Redemption"; and CBS's "Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story" in which he starred in the title role.

La Paglia lives in New York with his wife, actress Gia Carides.

MEAT LOAF (Bo) first became known to national audiences as 'Eddie' in the cult classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show." He then secured his place in pop culture with his breakthrough album "Bat Out Of Hell," one of the best selling albums of all time with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. The performer's successive album, "Bat Out of Hell: Back Into Hell," earned him a Grammy(r) for Best Rock Vocal Performance for the single "I Would Do Anything For You (But I Won't Do That)."

Meat Loaf has continued his career as in actor, starring opposite Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in "The Fight Club" and starred in Antonio Banderas' directorial debut "Crazy in Alabama," opposite Melanie Griffith.

On stage, Meat Loaf has appeared in four Broadway plays including "Shakespeare in the Park."

GLENN PLUMMER (Bobby) is best known for starring roles in "South Central"; "Strange Days," opposite Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett; "Showgirls"; "Speed" and "Speed II: Cruise Control," both starring opposite Sandra Bullock; "Colors," opposite Robert Duvall; and Showtime's critically acclaimed mini-series "The Corner," opposite Khandi Alexander.

Plummer's film credits include "Thursday," "Smalltime," "Heist," "One Night Stand," "The Substitute," "Up Close & Personal, " "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," "Menace II Society," "Trespass," "Frankie and Johnny" and "Funny Farm."

Plummer starred and served as executive producer on "Love Beat the Hell Outta Me," opposite Terrence Howard.

Plummer's television credits include guest and lead roles in such popular and diverse shows, "E.R.," "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Dream On," "L.A. Law," "China Beach" and "Tour of Duty."

PETER SARSGAARD (Jimmy The Finn) is quickly becoming one of the acting communities most sought after young talents.

Sarsgaard's credits include his critically acclaimed performance in "Boys Don't Cry," and his starring role in Wayne Wang's controversial "Center of the World." Sarsgaard stars in the upcoming "K-19: The Widowmaker," opposite Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson for director Kathryn Bigelow, the black comedy "Who Shot Victor Fox," opposite Rupert Everett and Kathy Bates for director P.J. Hogan and "Empire" opposite John Leguizamo for director Franc Reyes.

Sarsgaard gained notice as the son of John Malkovich in "The Man In the Iron Mask." Other credits include Larry Clark's "Another Day In Paradise" and Tim Robbins' "Dead Man Walking." For television, he garnered critical attention as a young quadriplegic in Showtime's acclaimed television movie "Freak City" opposite Samantha Mathis.

A member of the New York-based theatre company, The Drama Department, Sarsgaard most recently appeared in their off-Broadway production of "Kingdom of Earth" directed by John Cameron Mitchell. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, Sarsgaard was cast in Horton Foote's "Laura Dennis" at the Actors' Studio program for the Signature Theatre Company off-Broadway.

JOSH TODD (Big Bill), who makes his acting debut in "The Salton Sea," is no stranger to the world of performance. As lead singer for the platinum-selling Dreamworks Records act Buckcherry he has toured the U.S.A. and Europe extensively (including shows with KISS and Lenny Kravitz) in addition to playing Woodstock and a 1999 New Year's Eve gig with Aerosmith in Osaka, Japan, where the band played for a crowd of 60,000. The Los Angeles-based Buckcherry has released two albums: their self-titled debut in 1999, which spawned the Billboard #1 hit "Lit Up," plus their recently released follow-up Time Bomb. In addition to continuing to front Buckcherry, Todd has also begun a foray into the world of movies. Though the worlds of rock and film might seem very different, Todd doesn't find the transition between being the singer of a band and acting a necessarily big jump. "They are kind of related in a way. In a band you get on stage and you have to become something different; you have to put on your game face and get out there every night and do it, regardless of how you're feeling," he explains. "With acting, it's so fun to me to get into another headspace and change the way you look and act - and the challenge of being able to pull that off, and pull it off well. I've seen a lot of the world and I've observed so many different people in it; who they are, how they act. I love being presented with a character and then pulling from my past observations and experiences to help create this character."

Todd's other film work includes roles in "The New Guy" for Sony Pictures (directed by Ed Decter and starring DJ Qualls) and "The Banger Singers" for Fox (directed by Bob Dolman, starring Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon).

DANNY TREJO (Little Bill) was seen starring in "Spy Kids," opposite Antonio Banderas, directed by Robert Rodriguez, "Reindeer Games," opposite Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron, directed by John Frankenheimer, and "Bubble Boy" opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Swoosie Kurtz, directed by Blair Hayes.

Trejo, who began his life on the rough streets of East Los Angeles has moved on to build a prolific career as a character actor. Trejo is also widely known for his work helping young people battle drug addiction.

Trejo's film credits include roles in "Con Air," "The Replacement Killers," "Six Days and Seven Nights," "Runaway Train," "Bound by Honor: Blood In Blood Out" and "Desperado." His biggest break came in 1995 co-starring with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer in "Heat."

DEBORAH KARA UNGER (Colette) starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in Istaban Szabo's epic Jewish family saga, "Sunshine," for which she received a Genie nomination for best supporting actress; Bette Gordon's "Luminous Motion" for which Unger garnered critical praise; starred opposite Gena Rowlands in "The Weekend," written and directed by Brian Skeet from Peter Cameron's novel; starred in Jonathan Nossiter's "Signs & Wonders" opposite Stellan Skarsgård; and starred opposite Denzel Washington in Norman Jewison's "The Hurricane" based on the true-life story of Rubin Carter. Upcoming Unger will be seen in Edoardo Ponti's "Between Strangers," starring opposite Sophia Loren and Mira Sorvino.

Other feature film credits include Brian Helgeland's "Payback" opposite Mel Gibson; David Fincher's "The Game" opposite Michael Douglas and Sean Penn and David Cronenberg's award-winning psychological thriller "Crash" opposite James Spader and Holly Hunter. Unger also starred with Tim Roth in "No Way Home," "Keys To Tulsa," "Whispers In The Dark" with Alan Alda and "Prisoners Of The Sun" in which she made her feature film debut with Russell Crowe.

On television, Unger appeared in HBO's "The Rat Pack" as Ava Gardner with Ray Liotta, the award-winning drama "Bangkok Hilton" with Nicole Kidman and Denholm Elliot, HBO's "Hotel Room" directed by David Lynch and Showtime's medical drama "State of Emergency."

A graduate of the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Arts, Unger was the first Canadian-born actress to be accepted to the prestigious school whose alumni include Cate Blanchett, Mel Gibson and Judy Davis.

CHANDRA WEST's (Liz) film credits include "Something More," "The Perfect Son" and the upcoming feature "The First Twenty Million is Always the Hardest." West is also a presence on television; her episodic credits include such popular and diverse favorites as "C.S.I.," "Jack & Jill" and "Picket Fences." She has also been seen in TV movies including "The 70's," "Seasons of Love" and "Revenge of the Land."

B. D. WONG (Bubba) is one of America's most versatile actors, with award-winning performances that span comedy and drama, screen and stage.

Wong's latest role on the critically acclaimed HBO series "Oz," is further proof of B. D.'s range and appeal. The character of Father Ray Mukada is a stimulating showcase for his diverse talent. His other television appearances include the star-studded HBO film "And The Band Played On" and the ABC comedy series "All American Girl" in which he co-starred as a member of television's first Asian-American family. In addition, Wong can be seen as Dr. George Huang on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

However, it is in the theatre that Wong first gained national attention, beginning with his Broadway debut starring in the celebrated "M. Butterfly." His performance earned the Outer Critic's Circle Award, Theater World Award, Drama Desk Award, Clarence Derwent Award and the coveted Tony Award - making him the only actor to have won all five for a single role. Most recently, he gave a critically acclaimed performance in the Broadway revival of the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" as the intellectual, blanket-dependent Linus.

Between his HBO series and his stage work, Wong has amassed an impressive list of film credits, including a featured role in one of the most successful films of the past decade, "Jurassic Park." Other notable performances include the smash comedy "Father of the Bride," "The Freshman," "Seven Years in Tibet" and Disney's "Mulan."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS...

D. J. CARUSO (Director) is a partner with Eriq La Salle and Butch Robinson in Humble Journey Films, a production company with a first look feature film and television deal with Warner Bros. "The Salton Sea" will mark the first feature for the newly-formed production entity.

A graduate of Pepperdine University, Caruso began his career in the film industry as a production assistant. Before long, he directed "Cyclops, Baby," a short film which won numerous awards at film festivals in 1996. He then served as producer and aerial director on Paramount's "Drop Zone" starring Wesley Snipes. The director's aerial work garnered rave reviews for its ingenuity and beauty. Following this success, Caruso went on to serve as executive producer on another feature for Paramount Pictures, "Nick of Time," starring Johnny Depp.

In 1997, Caruso was the executive producer on the critically acclaimed HBO feature "Rebound" which was nominated for an Image Award. Later that same year, he directed four episodes of the ABC/Dreamworks television series "High Incident" for executive producer Steven Spielberg.

Caruso teamed with another Hollywood veteran when he directed Frank Darabont's screenplay "Black Cat Run" for Edge City and HBO Enterprises. The film was HBO's highest rated world premiere film of 1998.

TONY GAYTON (Screenwriter) is a graduate of the USC film school, where he received the Jack Nicholson Writing Scholarship. After graduating, he worked as a production assistant for John Milius. Gayton has been a professional screenwriter for over ten years, working both by himself and with his brother, Joe Gayton (Uncommon Valor, Shout).

Gayton also directed the critically acclaimed documentary "Athens Georgia: Inside/Out," which featured the bands R.E.M. and the B-52's as well as the eccentric folk artist, Reverend Howard Finster.

Gayton's most recent screenplay is the upcoming "Murder by Numbers," starring Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin for Castle Rock Entertainment.

FRANK DARABONT (Producer) is one of only six filmmakers with the unique distinction and honor of having his first two feature films receive nominations for the Best Picture Academy Award - 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption" (with a total of seven nominations) and 1999's "The Green Mile" (four nominations). Both films were for Castle Rock Entertainment.

Darabont himself collected Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for each film (both based on works by author Stephen King) as well as nominations for both from the Director's Guild of America. He won the Humanitas Prize, the PENWest Award, the Scriptor Award from the University of Southern California plus a Writers Guild nomination for his screenplay of "The Shawshank Redemption." For "The Green Mile," Darabont collected a Broadcast Film Critics prize for his screenplay adaptation as well as two People's Choice Awards -- Best Drama and Best Picture.

Darabont was born in France in 1959, the son of Hungarian refugees who had fled Budapest during the 1956 uprising. He emigrated to the U.S. as a child and after living in several locales around the country, he settled with his family in Los Angeles immediately prior to high school. After graduating from Hollywood High, he spent his early years in the film world as a production assistant and set decorator.

He first worked as a production aide on the 1981 fright film, "Hell Night," at which time he met another aspiring filmmaker, Chuck Russell. Together, they established themselves as screenwriters with the scripts for "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" and the 1988 remake of the classic 1950s horror film, "The Blob." Darabont also shared screenplay credit on "The Fly II," the sequel to David Cronenberg's 1986 classic.

He also wrote seven episodes of George Lucas' TV series, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," and two segments of HBO's popular anthology series, "Tales from the Crypt," earning a Writer's Guild nomination for the episode entitled "The Ventriloquist's Dummy." More recently, he executive produced the HBO thriller, "Black Cat Run."

Darabont and his production company, Darkwoods Productions, continued their affiliation with Castle Rock Entertainment with "The Majestic," directed and produced by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey. Other projects in development include adaptations of the Ray Bradbury classic, "Fahrenheit 451," Robert McCammon's "Mine" and Stephen King's "The Mist."

ERIQ La SALLE (Producer) has been nominated for three Emmy's for his portrayal of 'Dr. Peter Benton,' a demanding and intense surgical resident on NBC's hit medical drama "E.R.," as well as a Golden Globe nomination and two NAACP Image Awards. La Salle recently directed and starred in the independent film "Crazy as Hell," a film which he produced with D. J. Caruso, Butch Robinson and Ken Aguado.

In addition to acting, La Salle is very active in developing film projects and in gaining experience on the other side of the camera. He has written, directed and produced several short films, two of which have won awards on the film festival circuit including The Worldfest Houston Film Competition and The USA Film Festival.

In November of 1996, La Salle directed and appeared in "Rebound" for HBO Pictures, the true story of Earl Manigault, a legendary Harlem athlete whose basketball career was destroyed through drug addiction.

In December 1997, Humble Journey Films was formed. The first project made under the Humble Journey banner was "Mind Prey" for ABC-TV in which La Salle starred and served as a producer.

Among the actor's feature film credits are Gramercy Pictures' "D.R.O.P. Squad," directed by David Johnson and executive produced by Spike Lee, "Jacob's Ladder," "Coming To America" and "Five Corners." La Salle has guest-starred on several television series including "L.A. Law," "Quantum Leap," "A Different World" as well as HBO's "Vietnam War Stories."

La Salle studied for two years at The Juilliard School, before going on to receive a BFA degree in Theatre Arts at New York University.

KEN AGUADO (Producer) has also produced "Ticker" starring Tom Sizemore and Steven Seagal for Artisan Entertainment.

Aguado was CEO of Kings Road Entertainment until he sold the company in 1998. He first joined the production entity as a reader in 1982, and was promoted to vice president after Kings Road went public in 1985. During this time, Aguado was involved in the development and production of numerous feature films including "All Of Me" starring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, "The Big Easy," starring Dennis Quaid and "Enemy Mine" which also starred Dennis Quaid.

Taking leave from Kings Road Entertainment from 1992-94, Aguado was president of Miller/Boyett Productions, a production company based at Warner Bros. Aguado also served as senior vice-president of the Badham/Cohen Group at Universal Pictures from 1990-92 where he was involved in the development and production of the company's slate of films, as well as the supervision of the creative staff. During his tenure, the company produced "Bird On A Wire" starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn; "The Hard Way" starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods and "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" starring Jason Scott Lee.

Aguado was born and raised in Westchester County in New York. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans graduating with a degree in Psychology and Film Theory.

BUTCH ROBINSON (Producer) is a partner in Humble Journey Films with D. J. Caruso and Eriq La Salle. His collaboration with Caruso and La Salle began on HBO's "Rebound: The Legend of Ear Manigault" on which he served as production supervisor. Through Humble Journey, Robinson produced "Mind Prey," a television movie for ABC, directed by Caruso. Robinson and La Salle have also written three screenplays together, which are in development at the company.

Concurrently, Robinson continues to head DROP Squad Pictures, a production company that he formed in 1988. Based in New York, the company has produced features, short films, documentaries, music videos and commercials.

In 1994 Robinson co-wrote and produced a feature titled "The Drop Squad" on which Spike Lee served as executive producer. Based on a short film Robinson co-wrote and on which he also served as director of photography, the feature film was released through Gramercy Pictures.

Robinson reteamed with Spike Lee as co-producer on "The Original Kings of Comedy," a documentary film about a hit comedy tour, directed by Lee. The film was released by Paramount Pictures in association with MTV Films.

JIM BEHNKE (Executive Producer), an industry veteran who has worked in a variety of capacities during his two decades in the business.

Behnke began his career as an assistant director in both motion picture and television productions. Some of his credits include Rob Reiner's acclaimed drama, "Stand by Me," as well as "Alien Nation," "Weekend at Bernie's," "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," "The Gumshoe Kid," "Moving Violations" and "Let's Get Harry."

Behnke was a production manager on Clint Eastwood's "The Bridges of Madison County," George Cosmatos' "The Shadow Conspiracy," TV's "The Pretender" and Jake Kasdan's film "Zero Effect." On the latter two projects, Behnke also served as an executive producer. More recently Behnke served as the executive producer on "The Majestic," directed and produced by Frank Darabont.

His television projects also include "JAG" and "The Midnight Caller."

AMIR MOKRI (Director of Photography) was born in Iran and attended Emerson College in Boston. Upon graduation, Mokri became a cinematography fellow at the American Film Institute. He collaborated with director Wayne Wang on several films including "The Joy Luck Club," "Life is Cheap...But Toilet Paper is Expensive," "Eat a Bowl of Tea" and "Slamdance."

His other credits include "An Eye for an Eye," "Coyote Ugly," "Freejack," "Pacific Heights," "Whore," "Blue Steel," "Queens Logic" and "House of the Rising Sun."

Mokri's work on commercials and music videos is extensive.

TOM SOUTHWELL (Production Designer) reteams with D. J. Caruso having served as production designer on the director's HBO film "Black Cat Run" and as storyboard artist on "Nick of Time" and "Drop Zone."

In addition to designing, Southwell works in many different capacities in the art departments of feature films - art director, conceptual artist, illustrator and graphic designer. As an art director, he worked on "Mighty Joe Young" and was the visual effects art director on "Executive Decision."

Among those credits as conceptual artist, Southwell's credits include "X-Men," "Pluto Nash," "Man on the Moon," "Dr. Dolittle," "U.S. Marshals," "Twilight," "Devil's Advocate," "Nick of Time," "Mission Impossible," "The Sandlot," "Demolition Man," "Heart & Souls," "Under Siege," "Flatliners," "Gremlins 2" and "Major League."

As illustrator and/or graphic designer, Southwell recently contributed to the features "Lucky Numbers" and "The Minority Report" for Dreamworks. His long list of credits in these roles include "Eraser," "Basic Instinct," "City Slickers," "Arachnophobia," "Lethal Weapon 2," "The Color Purple," "Romancing the Stone" and "Blade Runner."

Southwell received a Bachelor of fine arts degree in communication design from Pratt Institute in New York and studied at the New Rochelle Academy in New York State.

JIM PAGE (Editor), a University of California, San Diego graduate, Page first met D. J. Caruso when he served as editor on the ABC series "High Incident." Since then, they have collaborated on the Frank Darabont-scripted HBO movie "Black Cat Run" and a movie-of-the-week for ABC titled "Mind Prey." Most recently, Page served as the editor for "The Majestic," directed and produced by Frank Darabont.

Page edited the ABC series "Once & Again." Among his other credits include serving as associate editor on the television series "My So Called Life" and the pilot for the HBO critically acclaimed series "Sopranos."

KARYN WAGNER (Costume Designer) is a third-generation industry veteran. Wagner's grandfather, George Barnes, won an Oscar for his black-and-white cinematography on Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." Her grandmother was part of Erich Von Stroheim's stock company and her father worked as a motion picture sound mixer.

The Hollywood native had no plans to enter the industry when she enrolled in the University of California-Davis to study art history. Before long, she won a production coordinator job on a feature, then focused her career as a camera technician before becoming a costumer.

This film marks Wagner's 4th collaboration with Darabont having designed the wardrobe for "The Majestic," "The Green Mile" and "Black Cat Run" and her 2nd collaboration with D. J. Caruso for "Black Cat Run." Other feature credits include Steven Soderbergh's "The Underneath," Robert Kurtzman's "Wishmaster" and John Woo's "Hard Target." On that film, she worked with actress Kasi Lemmons, who chose Wagner to create the period wardrobe for her acclaimed 1997 directorial debut, "Eve's Bayou." Wagner recently designed "Cora Unashamed" for ALT Films Masterpiece Theater (American Literature on television).

Wagner also designed costumes for the TV pilots "Bump in the Night" and "Beastmaster III." She served as a wardrobe supervisor on such projects as "The Rapture," "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" and Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness."

THOMAS NEWMAN (Composer) moves effortlessly from drama ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile," "The Horse Whisperer," "Erin Brockovich") to sharp satire ("The Player") to period classics ("Little Women"), building on an amazing family tradition in Hollywood. Newman has received four Oscar nominations for his film work. He was the only double nominee in 1994's Oscar race, receiving nominations for both "Little Women" and "The Shawshank Redemption," and the following year for his score for Diane Keaton's off-beat comedy "Unstrung Heroes."

In 1999, Newman scored two outstanding films: "The Green Mile," his second collaboration with director Frank Darabont, and the critically-acclaimed "American Beauty," starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, for which he received his fourth Oscar nomination.

Since the beginning of film scoring, the Newman name has been an integral part of its evolution.

Thomas Newman is the youngest son of the legendary Alfred Newman, a nine-time Oscar winner and 45-time nominee, who as musical director of 20th Century Fox from the mid-30s to the early '60s was responsible for overseeing or writing all the music created for over 200 Fox films. Alfred's brother Lionel succeeded him as Fox music director, winning an Oscar for "Hello, Dolly!" and overseeing the studio's scoring into the 1980's. Thomas Newman's cousin, Randy Newman, has also achieved fame in both pop and film scoring ("The Natural"), and brother David is also a busy film composer ("The War Of the Roses").

Newman studied composition and orchestration at USC with professors Frederick Lesemann and noted film composer David Raksin, and privately with composer George Tremblay. Newman completed his academic work at Yale, studying with Jacob Druckman, Bruce MacCombie and Robert Moore.

Newman's reputation for originality and for intensifying mood and character grew rapidly with such films as Ron Howard's comedy "Gung Ho"; "Desperately Seeking Susan"; "The Lost Boys"; the Academy Award nominated, "Scent Of A Woman"; "The Rapture"; the acclaimed cable movie "Citizen Cohn" and over 20 other major titles.

Newman's recent film scores include "Erin Brockovich," "Pay It Forward," "Meet Joe Black," "Up Close And Personal," "Phenomenon," "American Buffalo" (the film version of David Mamet's award-winning play), "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" and "Oscar & Lucinda."