UNIVERSAL PICTURES Presents In Association ... - SYE Publicity

Frank and Jake remedy the situation.
good from the get-go, and we immediately knew what
we had to do as a pair.”
Cast to portray the smooth-talking Frank, the
manager of Jake and Remy’s Union, was actor Liev
Schreiber. Offers Sapochnik of Schreiber’s talents: “A
lot of things make Liev right to play Frank, starting
with his amazing voice. He has the perfect salesman
voice and the glint in his eye that could make anyone
sign on the dotted line. Liev’s known for playing
serious roles and as a great theater actor, but he’s also
very funny. He’s menacing but also hilarious in this
role. He was our perfect Frank.”
Of being cast in the film, Schreiber notes: “I had
a suspicion that the filmmakers saw me in Mamet’s
Glengarry Glen Ross, which is all about the
cutthroat world of Chicago real estate. The idea of a
guy who is only a couple of steps away from a used
car salesman running this company that sells people
artificial organs to keep them alive was really interesting
to me.”
The character of the fugitive who agrees to help
Remy navigate the world of the artificial-organ
damned was a tricky one to cast. Beth had to be a
strong woman who is Remy’s intellectual and physical
equal, as well as believable as his soul mate.
– 14 –
Sapochnik had seen actress
Alice Braga in the Brazilian
film Lower City and knew he
wanted to meet with her for the
part. “Alice is one of the first
people I met for the role of Beth,
and she was impressive in her
desire to understand and build a
real character and not get stuck
being a damsel in the action
man’s world,” explains the
director. “She played a young
and very tough prostitute with
stoic qualities in Lower City,
and I thought that was going to
be an important aspect of Beth’s character.”
Screen tests were done with a diverse group of
other actresses, but it was Braga who captivated
the filmmakers. Sapochnik notes, “As soon as
Alice came on, there was a palpable chemistry
between her and Jude that existed even when they
didn’t say anything. That became a cornerstone in
the relationship they developed on screen, where
they can just look at each other and the audience
feels the connection.”
Sapochnik knew that Braga had a series of difficult
chores ahead of her. “Beth is the romantic heart
of the movie and has to grasp the audience in very
few scenes,” he says, “so she had to have a charisma
that audiences immediately get invested in. Alice
turned out to be the anchor for our film.”
Reflecting upon Beth and Remy’s relationship,
Braga notes: “It’s the kind of connection that is
instant.” The actress also commends Law’s talent in
helping develop their characters’ chemistry: “It’s
been amazing to work with Jude because he’s the
kind of actor who is both intense and very concentrated.
I’m inspired to act with someone who has that
power of creation and such an emotional connection
with the scene.”