“Waist Deep”

Synopsis
WAIST DEEP
In the urban action thriller Waist Deep, director Vondie Curtis Hall (Redemption)
takes audiences on a ride through contemporary Los Angeles – where a sexy
21 st -century Bonnie and Clyde hit the streets.
“I’ll always come back for you,” single father O2 (Tyrese Gibson of Four
Brothers) tells his young son Junior (screen newcomer H. Hunter Hall). This
parental promise is put to the test when O2 is suddenly plunged into a do-or-die
situation; trying to go straight for Junior’s sake, this recently paroled ex-con is
forced to go back outside the law after his son is kidnapped in a carjacking. The
resulting chase and shootout have left Junior in the hands of Meat (hip-hop
superstar The Game, in his feature debut), the vicious leader of the Outlaw
Syndicate. O2’s shady cousin Lucky (Larenz Tate of Crash) tries to mediate, but
is caught between criminal and family loyalties.
The only person who can or will help O2 get his son back is wily street-smart
hustler Coco (Meagan Good of You Got Served), whose path fatefully crossed
O2’s just moments before the kidnapping. When Lucky gets word to O2 that
Meat expects $100,000 for Junior’s freedom, O2 and Coco seize the opportunity
to pit rival elements of the South Los Angeles underworld against each other.
“It’s either all or nothing,” realizes O2. With the clock ticking down, the heat
between O2 and Coco rises as they become a lawbreaking couple, on an actionpacked
tear through a range of Los Angeles neighborhoods. Can they outwit the
underworld and save Junior and themselves?
A Rogue Pictures and Intrepid Pictures presentation of a Radar Pictures and
RSVP Productions production. A Film by Vondie Curtis Hall. Tyrese Gibson. Waist
Deep. Meagan Good, Larenz Tate, and The Game. Casting by Robi Reed.
Costume Designer, Marie France. Music Supervisor, Jabari Ali. Music by Terence
Blanchard. Additional Music by Denaun Porter. Edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire,
A.C.E. Production Designer, Warren A. Young. Director of Photography, Shane
Hurlbut. Executive Producers, Trevor Macy, Marc D. Evans, Russell Simmons,
Stan Lathan, Amy Kaufman, A. Demetrius Brown. Executive Producer, Ted Field.
Produced by Preston Holmes. Story by Michael Mahern. Screenplay by Vondie
Curtis Hall and Darin Scott. Directed by Vondie Curtis Hall. A Rogue Pictures
Release.

About the Production
A Father Takes Action
WAIST DEEP
How far will a father go to rescue his son?
Waist Deep director and co-screenwriter Vondie Curtis Hall says, “To save your
child, you would find the adrenaline that allows you to run much faster than you
have ever run. That’s a universal story, and it’s the starting point for our movie.
“You don’t get to see love between a father and son often enough in urban
movies. Here’s a black man who’s trying to do good by his son, loves his son,
and would do anything for him. That’s the way I feel about my son, and the way
a lot of black men feel about their children.”
Producer Preston Holmes adds, “O2’s love for his son is the entire motivating
factor of Waist Deep.”
Lead actor Tyrese Gibson agrees, saying that when Hall “told me all about it, I
was interested right away in the idea of a man’s son being taken, and his doing
whatever it takes to get his son back. In this movie, audiences will see a ‘hood
father, a good father who is not a deadbeat father. Family is really important to
O2, because that’s all he really has; when that bond is put in jeopardy, there’s
no length that he won’t go to for his son.
“O2 is a leader, but he has been burnt by people not keeping their word, not
keeping their promises. He’s gone to prison, did six years, got out – and the
people that he did the time for are still giving him a hard time when he gets
out.”
During the film shoot, several of the Waist Deep cast and crew found
themselves working in neighborhoods where they were raised. The Game, the
rap superstar who makes his feature acting debut in the film, reports that, of his
fellow actors, “Tyrese Gibson is from Watts, and Larenz Tate also grew up in the
‘hood.”
Gibson remarks, “I don’t think I’d be able to do most of these movies I’m doing if
I weren’t from Watts. There’s a lot of value in what the streets teach you – about
people, for example. I’d have been dead a long time ago if I wasn’t street-smart.
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I knew I’d be able to bring reality to this film, and my own instincts. Vondie was
very open to my suggestions.
“When it comes to films that have to do with South Central L.A., it’s all about
what the real cats in the ‘hood will say when you go to the mall, when you go to
the barbershop, when you’re driving through the neighborhood. You want your
people to give you love over what you did in the movie. That’s what’s important.”
Stunt coordinator and second unit director Julius LeFlore comments, “I went to
the same high school as Tyrese did, and grew up in the same neighborhood. If
we put something on the screen that doesn’t satisfy the people of our
community, it’s not going to work. When it’s authentic, you feel it. When I was in
the ‘hood, I had the best times of my life; Tyrese will tell you the same thing.”
“Waist Deep is a good ‘hood flick,” states Game. “It’s about everyday life, and
has those situations that make you feel helpless when you’re growing up in these
urban areas throughout America. I’ve been there, and been involved in those
situations.”
Hall adds, “The decisions that the characters make are organic to where they’re
from. I’m from the ‘hood in Detroit, and there’s a universal urban DNA – a
common denominator.”
Production designer Warren Alan Young notes, “Vondie was very committed to
making sure that whatever we saw, whatever we felt, was the real thing. I was
able to go check out some real chop shops. There was a lot of research to do for
this movie, but some of it was easy because I’ve lived in that world and I grew
up in that world. The fencing house in the film – I remember family members
would go to one where they sold clothes.
“So, it’s a character-driven film that is just as much about the environments. You
don’t get very far away from where you come from, no matter where you are.”
Costume designer Marie France admits, “We wanted it to feel very real, although
we did tweak reality a little bit. The film takes place during a heat wave, and so
everything is in a bit of a haze. Our visual scheme is monochromatic, with bursts
of color – like Coco’s outfits.”
Young confirms, “Marie and I didn’t over-design Waist Deep. The color scheme
throughout is fairly neutral – and [director of photography] Shane Hurlbut
researched which film stock we’d use given our color palette – but occasionally
people or signage will pop out and be lively. In the nighttime
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scenes, colors pop out like jewels. My favorite directors to work with are the
ones who are very visual, and Vondie certainly is.”
While it is a father’s mission to rescue his child that sets the plot in motion, much
of Waist Deep focuses on evolving relationships. Holmes says, “In the midst of
this wild ride, you watch a family unit developing. O2 and Coco are from the
same urban street culture, and real feeling and heart develops between them.”
Gibson says that O2 is “attracted to how smart and intelligent Coco is, and to the
fact that she goes along with his plan and is able to keep up with him. It takes a
while for him to trust her, because he knows what he’s asking her to do actually
violates all street codes; you can’t snitch about anybody and what they’re doing
in the streets, because you put your life in jeopardy. But Coco deals with it and
makes things happen, and so O2 grows to respect her.”
Holmes remarks, “One of my favorite movies is Bonnie and Clyde, and there
have been a number of films since then that starred a couple in a ‘them against
the world’ scenario. But it had never been done in an urban movie and setting.”
Larenz Tate, cast opposite Gibson as the conflicted Lucky, cites a quote, “’They
rob banks.’ So that’s one Bonnie and Clyde element – and another is, they need
one another to make progressive steps in their lives.”
Waist Deep also has its roots in a 1995 episode of New York Undercover which
(guest-)starred a then-unknown Terrence Howard and Aunjanue Ellis. The
episode, entitled “Buster and Claudia,” was written by Michael Mahern. “That
show had a youthful, and largely black and Latino, audience,” Mahern
remembers. “I had the idea to write a ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ movie for them, in part
because I was passionately opposed to California’s notorious ‘three-strikes’ law.
“I also wanted the movie, ‘Strikeback,’ to star Tupac Shakur; Preston Holmes,
who produced Vondie Curtis Hall’s Gridlock’d – which starred Tupac – told me
that Tupac had wanted to do a ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ story. Tupac was murdered
while I was writing the first draft.”
Mahern, who has since retired from screenwriting and now teaches emotionally
disturbed middle-school kids in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District, reflects,
“Ultimately, the project ran aground because it lacked a young black male star of
sufficient magnitude to play the lead. But now, Tyrese has the necessary
intensity – and the filmmakers have done a terrific job molding the script to his
talents.”
“Vondie is a very talented director, one who I’d been wanting to work with for
several years now,” adds co-screenwriter Darin Scott. “Also, as a film noir
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fanatic, it was a great thrill to work on updating the genre to make it relevant to
a modern urban audience. I think the creative team has achieved just that.
“Waist Deep brings the tradition of crime-romance movies – They Live by Night,
Gun Crazy, Bonnie and Clyde – to the hip-hop generation, with a fresh and
exciting 21 st -century flavor.”
In line with those classic films, Hall points out that the new movie follows “two
people who have nothing to lose, and are trying to change their lives. The new
title for the movie came to me when I realized that there are number of
moments where these two are in situations where they’re moving and trying to
maneuver – but it’s not the easiest for them.
“The movies that I make are about underdogs. These two – a two-strikes felon
and a hustler – come together and there’s an alchemy that changes things for
them. They form a family that’s not the picket-fence kind, but where there is
love and support.”
Meagan Good, who plays Coco to Gibson’s O2, comments, “It’s the ’06 Bonnie
and Clyde because – the worst way and the best way of saying it is, ultimately,
they’d ride or die for each other. They both want a better life for themselves.
The cast and setting are urban, but it could be anybody’s story – anybody who’s
gone through something hurtful and wants something better.”
As France points out, Waist Deep “is not just bang-bang. It’s about people
finding themselves and finding love.”
Good elaborates, “When I tell people about this movie, I tell them, ‘It’s a love
story about two different people trying to get their lives on track, working
through a situation together.’ It’s also a love story between a father and his
son.”
Tate says, “This movie isn’t just a cool action film – although we need more
action movies with African-American stars. Waist Deep has energy and an
authentic street vibe, and also a lot of heart and character and emotion. I liked
the idea of these two young people on the go, and around each corner is
something different for them.”
Young agrees, adding, “The script provided a lot that we seized on to make this
more than just an action film. We tried to convey that the film is all about the
characters’ motion, even between the action sequences.
“One of the visual elements that we designed into the film is the idea of prison –
cages, bars; on almost every set you see, we have vertical lines. Locations that
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we shot in were picked for those reasons. The idea is to suggest that O2 is still
imprisoned – and will be until he resolves the situation he’s in. Both he and Coco
are attempting to escape, and are striving for better.”
Hall comments, “The characters interact while the clock is ticking, and they have
to keep up a fast pace to achieve their goals. It’s an action drama with heart –
but, sure, we’ve got cool caper stuff, plus car chases and things blowing up!”
Holmes notes, “Waist Deep is in part a road movie – within city limits, uniquely.
The story takes the characters and the audience to a number of diverse
neighborhoods.”
As Gibson notes, that journey was also one the cast and crew took: “Every other
day, the shoot was in a different location – Beverly Hills, Long Beach...I don’t
know how Vondie and the crew managed to pull it off on our budget – but it
makes our story look right.”
Hall reveals, “In every neighborhood, we hired people who were from the
neighborhood. That was very important. We respected the residents, and all our
shoots went smoothly.”
Holmes confirms, “Our approach was always to be respectful of each
neighborhood and the people in it, and enlist them to help. It worked well.”
Gibson muses, “Being exposed to new things broadens your horizons. There are
a lot of moments in the film where O2 and Coco talk about going places and
seeing and doing things. That’s their shared mindset; thinking bigger and
broader than the box that they’re captured in.”
It’s Go Time
Waist Deep is book-ended by two high-stakes chases through two different
neighborhoods. The first, by foot and by car, finds O2 scrambling down Los
Angeles’ Adams Boulevard in a desperate and ultimately futile effort to catch up
with the carjackers before they make off with his son.
Preston Holmes remembers, “On Adams – which is a major business district – we
had to control an area several blocks long on the main drag. Now, that’s always
going to be an inconvenience to the neighborhood – particularly to businesses –
and we were there for a number of days, which makes it even tougher. But,
thanks to our locations department, in spite of all the potential problems and
difficulties – we had none, and the community welcomed us.”
For this pivotal sequence – which entailed months of planning – Julius LeFlore
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knew that he and his team needed to convey the maximum amount of tension
and fear. “We had to see O2’s desperation and feel his frustration,” he notes.
“He’s in a scary situation that could happen to us; a gun is pointed at your head,
and you or your son could lose your life.”
Holmes adds, “It’s any parent’s nightmare. But there’s nothing you wouldn’t do
within your power to save your child, and Tyrese makes the audience feel that
during the chase.”
The filmmakers pulled off this sequence and the second one (which climaxes on
the Vincent Thomas Bridge, one side of which was closed down for the shoot)
with a combination of eager actors, careful planning, and new technology.
From early on, Tyrese Gibson had made it known that he would do as many
stunts as LeFlore and his team would allow. “Tyrese was a bit of a surprise for
me in that he can do it all,” says LeFlore. “I mean, he sings, he raps, he does
stunts, he acts. I asked him one day, ‘Is there anything you can’t do? Can you
fly?’ He said, ‘Give me a week.’ It makes my job easier, when I’m able to work
with someone like him.
“It’s rare that we get to work with principal actors; usually, it’s doubles, and
there were places for doubling on this shoot. But Tyrese helped bring the other
actors up to speed, which made for more believable action sequences. Larenz
Tate did all of his own stunts, and Meagan Good did her own fight sequence –
she has this rawness to her, yet she’s extremely coordinated. The Game brought
his own energy, and told me he was available to me at any time to work
something out. This was a young cast with good suggestions and good physical
ability.”
Even so, Gibson admits, “My legs gave out after three days of shooting the
carjacking sequence. I love doing stunts, and I’m proud of what we got and the
way we did it. I’ll tell you, though, if I do another movie with an action scene
and they don’t having me jumping on cars as part of it, I’m not going to be the
one to suggest it.”
Good reports, “I love doing stunt work, and I’ve worked with Julius before; he’s a
sweetheart – and he’s really on point. He makes sure you know everything
before you get to the set, and that you’re prepared. However, on this movie I
wore these heels that had wooden platforms, and they don’t give at all – so,
after two weeks, my feet were just horrible. I’m serious; I had to soak them in
Epsom salt every day.”
When it came to orchestrating the film’s chases and action scenes, LeFlore says,
“One of the challenges of working within our budget was to do something that
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wasn’t a run-of-the-mill action scene. Audiences are more sophisticated, and the
old way isn’t enough. But you have to be concerned about safety first.”
The filmmakers were able to convince the creators of an exciting new
moviemaking aid to lend it to Waist Deep. LeFlore enthuses, “Everybody was in
awe that we got the Go Mobile, which had previously gone to much bigger films,
like The Bourne Supremacy and The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Vondie Curtis Hall adds, “Those are huge movies, and ours is modestly
budgeted. But Dan Bradley, Scott Rogers, and their team gave us a break
because they wanted to show that they could do smaller films – and for less.
This allowed our car chases to be off the hook!”
LeFlore explains, “The Go Mobile puts your actors into the action. It looks like
something out of Mad Max; it’s a shell of a car on a chassis that’s driven by
someone else with a front wheel drive. There’s a camera crew placed between
the driver and the cast. So the actors can be filmed weaving in and out of traffic
and turning corners; usually, you can’t shoot that kind of scene, because the
camera would be in the way, and they couldn’t see where they were going.
“But now we can see right into the action and the actors’ reactions – like when
cars slide out all around them. We create the action first – map out the
geography, rig special effects, set up marks for cars to hit – and then bring in
the Go Mobile to overlap the scene.”
Holmes states, “The difference it makes in stunt driving sequences is incredible.
The actors are experiencing it, so they don’t have to act like they are.”
Hall marvels, “Tyrese was able to drive at incredible speeds in the Go Mobile –
something he never could have done the conventional way; as a result, you
really feel the impact of his chase scenes.”
As one of the stars of the hit 2 Fast 2 Furious, Gibson was no stranger to filming
a car chase. But the new system impressed him. “I felt like I was working on a
roller coaster; it was a lot of fun and real fast – a rush.”
Technological virtuosity aside, the Go Mobile unit’s real advantage is the way it
allows the filmmakers to give audiences a closer intimacy with characters in lifeor-death
situations. “When you do a chase sequence properly, it’s not just a
series of stunts,” says LeFlore. “It’s drawing moviegoers into the story, letting
them feel the jeopardy and see the characters’ faces and emotions in close-up.
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“Watching the chases we got on film for Waist Deep, people are going to be on
the edge of their seats.”
The Company You Keep
With O2 at the center of the action and the film’s relationships, Preston Holmes
notes that “one of the most difficult things was casting that character. It had to
be somebody special. Tyrese Gibson is that; he is a young man with a lot of
heart, and he brings it to this role.
“He and Meagan Good are both incredibly talented, but they’re also both hot and
sexy – there’s great chemistry between them! Audiences are going to pull for
them, and will want to see them make it and get Junior back.”
Darin Scott states, “These are two of the most vibrant young stars in the movie
business today. Their chemistry is so hot, you expect steam to rise off the poster
for the movie.”
Vondie Curtis Hall remarks, “Tyrese is a force of nature, and O2 needed to be
played by somebody who the female audience will like but who will also have
stature with the male audience. Tyrese was my first choice, and I waited for him
to finish a couple of other movies he was doing.
“Meagan and Tyrese have wonderful chemistry together – they’ve just got it –
and they’re beautiful to look at. If the Coco character didn’t work, the movie
wouldn’t work. Meagan has a lot of levels to play and carry – and she brings you
in right away.”
Holmes adds, “For Meagan, this is a significant lead role at this point in her
career, one that shows another side of her. We’ve watched her grow up on
screen; most of us first saw her in Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou with Sam Jackson
and Vondie, where she was incredible. But she’s not a little girl anymore. She is a
beautiful, gifted young woman; I think everybody in the cast and crew was in
love with Meagan, as she is the kind of person you want good things to happen
for.”
Good says, “I’ve played pretty girls a lot, but I’ve never played someone like
Coco, with her background and completely different from me – she’s been
through a lot, things I haven’t been through. So this meant getting to play a
character with a lot more meat to her than usual. I also enjoyed the idea of
getting to do action scenes and car chases – really exciting. As a director, Vondie
really knows what he wants. He and his wife Kasi are important in my life and
special to me; she directed us both in Eve’s Bayou, which was my first lead role.
And now, with Vondie directing me, Waist Deep is my first leading lady role.
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“Larenz Tate played my brother in another movie, and I’ve learned a lot from
him. I’ve known Game for years too, and Tyrese – well, he’s like a brother to me,
so it was kind of weird for us to kiss in this. He’s a good person with a good
heart. On the set, we would give each other honest advice about our
performances.”
Gibson adds, “I’ve known Meagan for a while, and we were always talking about
doing a movie together. It was actually a little rough for us at the beginning of
the shoot, because our characters start out distant towards each other. Vondie
had us shoot our scenes of not being familiar with each other first, so as we got
more comfortable with our characters and our characters got more comfortable
with each other, it all happened in the right order.”
Good notes, “These two get to a point where they have each other’s back and
work together as a team. What Coco can do, O2 can’t do; what O2 can do, Coco
can’t do.”
Playing opposite Larenz Tate was another thrill for Gibson, who explains, “This
was a big deal to me, because he’s another actor that I’ve always wanted to
work with. I’m a fan of his and I knew I wanted to work with him after I started
acting. It’s interesting; the last time he really touched the streets in a movie was
in Menace II Society, and the last time I touched the streets in a ‘hood movie
was in Baby Boy. So I felt it was like our characters from those movies doing a
movie together!”
Holmes adds, “Larenz and Tyrese are terrific together in their scenes. We all
knew what Larenz could bring to this character of Lucky, and he definitely did.
Lucky is a bit of a screw-up – and nobody knows that more than O2. But he’s
family to O2 and Junior, which plays into the story’s theme of how that can and
should take precedence over everything else.”
Of his character, Tate says, “Lucky is a hustler who will grind and grind and grind
until he hits the jackpot. Despite his street knowledge, he makes some crucial
mistakes that he wants to make up for.
“Working on Waist Deep, I felt like I was part of an ensemble, because Meagan
is like a little sister to me and Tyrese and I also have a strong bond – and
because Vondie really allowed us to find ourselves in this project. But he knows
what he wants on his shots and from his actors.”
Hall reveals, “The name ‘Lucky’ came from Larenz. In the script, the character
was called Wannabe. In rehearsal, Larenz felt that it wasn’t the right tag; the
character is a wannabe, but he didn’t necessarily want to be called that. Being an
actor myself, I realized this would give Larenz a window into the character – who
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is both lucky and unlucky. This part wouldn’t have worked as well with another
actor in it.”
Tate’s portrayal of Lucky complements his memorable performance as O-Dog in
Menace II Society, over a decade earlier; the two L.A.-set stories are also linked
by the participation of Darin Scott, who produced the earlier film.
To round out the cast, for the roles of Meat and Junior, the filmmakers turned to
two screen newcomers – child actor H. Hunter Hall and music superstar The
Game.
Game reveals, “Junior is played by Vondie’s son Hunter. When Hunter was on
the set, I called him the mini-director.”
“It was interesting to see a kid being a kid and then when ‘action’ was called –
boom – get right into it,” comments Tate. “It was good for us, because we
needed a kid who could turn it on and off like that.”
Good recalls, “I’ve known Hunter since he was a baby; Kasi used to bring him to
the Eve’s Bayou set every day. I always thought he had Vondie’s eyes, because
he always looks like he’s thinking about something – and that’s how Vondie
always looks…”
Vondie Curtis Hall remembers, “Hunter expressed an interest in acting about a
year ago. I want to support him in whatever he wants to do, so I said ‘Okay.’ I
got him a coach. I’d actually had him in mind for the character – I put in things
for Junior to say that Hunter has said to me – though not as the actor per se.
“I wanted him to have the opportunity to play Junior, but I wanted to make sure
he could actually do it. We put him on tape, and everyone agreed that he was
the best kid for the role. Working with him was great; we found a new way to
communicate. The other actors on Waist Deep embraced him as one of their
own.”
Gibson adds, “Hunter is a very talented little man. He’s nine years old, and he’s
got ‘it.’ He’s got good energy and is a good listener – and impressed me more
than the last couple of adult actors I’ve worked with!”
Although Game is already a proven performer at the microphone, on stage, and
in music videos, his work on Waist Deep surprised his new colleagues.
Gibson says, “Even before we started filming, Larenz and I told Game that we
would take him under our wing. He has presence, and street credibility. But
when we’d give him some information or suggestions, he’d process it fast – so
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he could make it happen on camera. He’s sold six million records, but no ego got
in the way here.”
Tate offers, “Game would come from the recording studio to shoot a ten-hour
day without really breaking a sweat. He was very natural, and I respected him a
lot. He didn’t overplay it or underplay it. Like Tyrese and I, Game comes from
the streets, and he’s the freshest among us.”
Holmes feels that “Game has the potential to take this acting thing as far as he
wants to take it. He certainly came into the shoot with the right attitude and
focus. I saw those same qualities in Tupac Shakur, who was very serious about
his acting career. I also see them in Ludacris, but it’s not something that every
music star can do. The ones who are most successful are those who come in
knowing that while they may be huge in the world of recording, they still have a
few things to learn before sharing time onscreen with the likes of Larenz Tate.”
Game admits, “Larenz has been a role model for me. He gave such a stellar
performance in Menace II Society; I’ll never forget him as O-Dog. It was dope
getting a chance to step outside of my music career and participate in a film with
Larenz and Tyrese. They both helped me. Vondie was great, and I’d like to work
with him again. I’d worked with Julius before; if you don’t know how to punch
the s—t out of somebody in a film, you definitely need to call Julius…Everybody
made me feel I was doing a good job. Hopefully I won’t suck in the movie, and
lose fans.
“My role wasn’t too far out of my element, being as I was a gang member from
Compton, and in Waist Deep I’m playing a gang lord. It was a good script that
was right up my alley, and I jumped at it. But I wanted to get into character and
not be just Game on-screen. The prosthetic for Meat’s stabbed-out eye helped
me; he’s so bitter, this character – you don’t want to mess with him.”
Vondie Curtis Hall says, “Game brings street credibility to the part. It doesn’t
matter how large you are as a recording artist; if you can’t act, the movie’s going
to suffer. I always felt Game could pull off this role. He came with great ideas,
including for the [stabbed-out] eye, so we had that prosthetic made.
“I love working with actors and taking them deeper than they would normally go.
Actors need to feel protected, that if they fall on their face they’ll get the
opportunity to get up and make it right. Directing is a creative process that I love
– maybe not more than acting, but probably as much as acting.”
With a moviemaker who has experience on both sides of the camera leading a
committed cast and crew, the shoot went smoothly. Holmes says, “A director
who is also an actor and a writer has a different way of communicating with the
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actors, and an understanding of where they’re coming from that establishes a
shorthand which the actors appreciate.”
For his part, Vondie Curtis Hall says, “Watching Waist Deep, I hope audiences
will have a fun crowd-pleasing ride.”
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About the Cast
TYRESE GIBSON (O2)
WAIST DEEP
Two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Tyrese Gibson made a memorable
film debut in the lead role of John Singleton’s Baby Boy, with Ving Rhames,
Taraji P. Henson, and A.J. Johnson.
Mr. Gibson has since reteamed with the filmmaker on the hit movies 2 Fast 2
Furious (starring alongside Paul Walker) and Four Brothers (as one of the title
characters, alongside Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund).
His other films include John Moore’s Flight of the Phoenix, with Dennis Quaid and
Giovanni Ribisi, and Justin Lin’s Annapolis, with James Franco and Donnie
Wahlberg.
MEAGAN GOOD (Coco)
Meagan Good recently produced and starred (opposite writer/director Ty
Hodges) in the independent feature film Miles from Home. The movie is being
showcased in premieres at film festivals through spring 2006.
Ms. Good was most recently seen, opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in Rian
Johnson’s Brick, which won the Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize for Originality
of Vision and was released by Focus Features.
One of Hollywood’s rising talents, she previously starred for Focus Features in
Gary Hardwick’s romantic comedy Deliver Us from Eva. Her breakthrough role
was in Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou, for which she was nominated for an NAACP
Image Award and a Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Award.
Ms. Good’s subsequent films include Malcolm D. Lee’s Roll Bounce; Jim Gillespie’s
Venom; Lance Rivera’s The Cookout; Angela Robinson’s D.E.B.S.; Chris Stokes’
sleeper hit You Got Served; and Reggie Rock Bythewood’s Biker Boyz.
The California native began starring in commercials at age 4, and ultimately
filmed over 60 national spots. She also began guest-starring on various television
series, and was a series regular on the popular kids’ show Cousin Skeeter.
Among her more recent guest appearances was a pivotal multi-episode arc on
My Wife and Kids.
14

LARENZ TATE (Lucky)
Larenz Tate was recently honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of
the ensemble cast of Paul Haggis’ Crash, cited for Outstanding Performance by a
Cast in a Motion Picture.
For the past two years, he has starred in Academy Award-winning films; his role
in Crash (for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination) was
preceded by his portrayal of the young Quincy Jones, opposite Jamie Foxx in
Taylor Hackford’s Ray.
Mr. Tate has previously starred in a number of notable movies. These include
Allen and Albert Hughes’ acclaimed Menace II Society and Dead Presidents;
Matty Rich’s The Inkwell; Theodore Witcher’s Love Jones; Gregory Nava’s Why
Do Fools Fall In Love, in which he starred (opposite Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox,
and Lela Rochon) as singer Frankie Lymon; and Clément Virgo’s Love Come
Down (which he also executive-produced).
He studied music, theater, and art with his brothers at the Inner City Cultural
Center in Los Angeles.
THE GAME (Meat)
Top-selling recording artist The Game makes his feature acting debut in Waist
Deep.
His debut album, “The Documentary,” was executive-produced by Dr. Dre and
featured produced tracks by Kanye West. "The Documentary" debuted at #1 on
the Billboard/Soundscan Top 100 chart in winter 2005.
The Compton, CA native has earned two Grammy Award nominations, was a BET
New Artist of the Year nominee, and was also nominated for an MTV Video Music
Award. His video for “Dreams” was co-directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell.
15

About the Filmmakers
VONDIE CURTIS HALL (Director; Screenplay)
Actor/director/screenwriter Vondie Curtis Hall has had success in both film and
television, and on both sides of the camera.
His most recent feature as director was Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams
Story, which played at the Sundance Film Festival and then aired on the FX cable
network. Mr. Hall won a Black Reel Award for his direction; among the biopic’s
other honors, lead actor Jamie Foxx received NAACP Image and Black Reel
Awards as well as Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, and Screen Actors Guild
Award nominations for his performance as the late activist Stan Tookie Williams.
Mr. Hall’s other feature directing credits include Gridlock’d, from his screenplay
and starring Tim Roth and the late Tupac Shakur, for which he was honored by
the National Board of Review with the Excellence in Filmmaking Award; and
Glitter, starring Mariah Carey. For television, he has helmed episodes of such
series as The Shield, Firefly, and ER.
The latter program has featured Mr. Hall in a guest-starring arc, as well as in an
earlier (separate) characterization that earned him an Emmy Award nomination.
He was a series regular on Chicago Hope (for which the ensemble twice received
Screen Actors Guild Award nominations) and Cop Rock. He also had gueststarring
arcs on the acclaimed television series Soul Food and I’ll Fly Away.
He began his career in music, training at Juilliard and then starring in several
NYC stage shows. Among them were such Broadway musicals as It’s So Nice To
Be Civilized; Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music; Stardust; and the original
production of Dreamgirls.
Mr. Hall next segued into films, with roles in such movies as John Landis’ Coming
to America; Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train; Ridley Scott’s Black Rain; Renny
Harlin’s Die Hard 2; John Sayles’ Passion Fish (opposite Alfre Woodard); Joel
Schumacher’s Falling Down; Spike Lee’s Crooklyn; Phillip Noyce’s Clear and
Present Danger; John Woo’s Broken Arrow; Baz Luhrmann’s William
Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet; John Herzfeld’s telefilm Don King: Only in
America (for which, as Lloyd Price, he won a Satellite Award); Leon Ichaso’s
telefilm Ali: An American Hero (as Bundini Brown); and Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s
Bayou (for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination).
He is board president of Film Independent, which is the organization that
encompasses the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards.
16

DARIN SCOTT (Screenplay)
Darin Scott is a director, writer, and producer of feature films. He will be wearing
all three hats for his next movie, The ‘Hood That Dripped Blood.
He made his directorial debut on Caught Up, for which he also wrote the original
screenplay; the film starred Bokeem Woodbine, Cynda Williams, Clifton Powell,
and Tony Todd.
Mr. Scott’s feature credits as both screenwriter and producer include Jeff Burr’s
From a Whisper to a Scream (a.k.a. The Offspring), the cast of which included
Vincent Price and Rosalind Cash; and two collaborations with writer/director
Rusty Cundieff, Sprung (starring Tisha Campbell and Paula Jai Parker) and Tales
from the ‘Hood (starring Clarence Williams III).
Among his other producing credits are Allen and Albert Hughes’ acclaimed
Menace II Society, starring Larenz Tate of Waist Deep; Charles Burnett’s To
Sleep with Anger, starring Danny Glover; Jeff Burr’s Stepfather II, starring Terry
O’Quinn; C.M. Talkington’s Love and a .45, starring Renée Zellweger; Rusty
Cundieff’s Fear of a Black Hat; and Gary Hardwick’s hit The Brothers.
Mr. Scott is also the co-founder and CEO of CinemaGraphix Entertainment;
CinemaGraphix is a development, licensing, and production company that
publishes comic books and graphic novels. Prior to entering the film business, he
studied chemical engineering at the University of Southern California.
MICHAEL MAHERN (Story)
Michael Mahern works as a teacher of emotionally disturbed middle-school kids
in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District.
Previously, he worked for 17 years as a screenwriter in film and television.
Among his credits were Michael Karbelnikoff’s Mobsters, which starred Christian
Slater and Patrick Dempsey; and episodes of the popular television series New
York Undercover, one of which was entitled “Buster and Claudia,” with Terrence
Howard guest-starring as the former. That episode gave Mr. Mahern the original
idea for Waist Deep.
During his years as a screenwriter, he was highly active in the Writers Guild of
America. He served as secretary-treasurer of the Guild from 1997 to 2001, and
was co-chairman of the pivotal 2001 negotiating committee.
17

PRESTON HOLMES (Producer)
Preston Holmes’ 30 years in the film industry have taken him from Harlem and
South Central to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
After attending Princeton University, he enrolled in the prestigious Directors Guild
of America, East assistant director training program. He was accepted into the
DGA as an assistant director, and began working in commercial production in
NYC. Making the move to feature films, he soon became a production manager.
Mr. Holmes joined Spike Lee’s filmmaking team for the production of the
director’s influential Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever, and
was co-producer of the epic Malcolm X. The duo’s collaboration has continued
over the years, with projects such as Crooklyn, Sucker Free City, and She Hate
Me (which Mr. Holmes produced).
In the early 1990s, he co-produced Juice, the directorial debut of Ernest
Dickerson, which starred the late Tupac Shakur, and Mario Van Peebles’ New
Jack City. Reteaming with the latter filmmaker, Mr. Holmes subsequently
produced both Posse and Panther.
In his stint as head of Def Pictures (working with Russell Simmons and Stan
Lathan), he developed and executive-produced Vondie Curtis Hall’s Gridlock’d
(which reunited him with Tupac Shakur) and Lionel Martin’s Def Jam’s How to Be
a Player.
Mr. Holmes’ subsequent projects as producer included the award-winning telefilm
Boycott, directed by Clark Johnson and starring Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.; the Academy Award-nominated documentary feature Tupac:
Resurrection (directed by Lauren Lazin); and (as associate producer) Craig
Brewer’s Academy Award-nominated Hustle & Flow.
He is developing, among other projects, a film on the life of African-American
movie pioneer Oscar Micheaux; and Live 2 Tell, which will be based on a
screenplay by Tupac Shakur and which Mr. Holmes will produce with Mr.
Shakur’s mother Afeni.
Mr. Holmes recently executive-produced Sanaa Hamri’s acclaimed romantic
comedy Something New, a Focus Features release.
18

TED FIELD (Executive Producer)
Ted Field, a longtime leading creative and business executive in both the movie
and music industries, is the chairman and chief executive officer of the film
production company Radar Pictures.
He is one of the film industry’s top producers, with 50-plus features over a
quarter-century. Among them have been Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai;
Andrew Douglas’ The Amityville Horror (2005); Marcus Nispel’s The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre (2003); David Twohy’s Pitch Black; Garry Marshall’s Runaway
Bride; Joe Johnston’s Jumanji; Stephen Herek’s Mr. Holland’s Opus and Bill &
Ted’s Excellent Adventure; Curtis Hanson’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle;
John Badham’s Bird on a Wire; Roger Donaldson’s Cocktail; Leonard Nimoy’s
Three Men and a Baby; and Arthur Hiller’s Outrageous Fortune.
In 1990, with Jimmy Iovine, Mr. Field created Interscope Records. The label’s
strong first decade ended with a transition, as Universal acquired PolyGram and
such venerable labels as A&M and Geffen were combined under Interscope’s
aegis. At that time, Interscope became the world’s largest record label and
remains home to a wide range of gifted and top-selling recording artists; among
them are U2, Eminem, Sting, Nine Inch Nails, The Wallflowers, Dr. Dre, No
Doubt, Limp Bizkit, Hole, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Beck, Marilyn Manson,
Garbage, and Sheryl Crow.
Until 1984, Mr. Field co-owned Field Enterprises, Inc., a media conglomerate that
controlled numerous television stations and the Chicago Sun-Times. Subsequent
to the liquidation of Field Enterprises, he acquired Panavision from Warner
Communications and actively invested in partnerships formed for the purpose of
acquiring control of such public corporations as Crown Zellerback.
His extensive philanthropic work includes support for such organizations as the
American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR); the Alzheimer’s Disease and
Related Disorders Association; the Los Angeles Music Center; the Sundance
Institute; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; the Rape Treatment
Center; and the Rainforest Foundation.
TREVOR MACY and MARC D. EVANS (Executive Producers)
Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans are the principals and founders of Intrepid
Pictures, the independent production and film financing company formed in
2005.
Intrepid currently has a multi-year production and co-financing deal with
Universal Pictures and Rogue Pictures. The first-look but non-exclusive deal
19

allows for Intrepid to produce and co-finance films with other distributors.
Backed by a consortium of institutional investors and a revolving credit facility
led by JP Morgan Chase, Intrepid plans to produce and co-finance 3 to 5 pictures
per year, including a minimum of 8 pictures over 5 years with Rogue. The
company will finance 50% of each picture it produces, as well as its own
overhead and development. The first two films for the partnership are Waist
Deep and The Return, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar for director Asif Kapadia
(due out from Rogue Pictures later this year).
Mr. Macy has spent several years working as an independent feature producer,
with credits including Paul Schrader’s Auto Focus. He was previously chief
operating officer at Propaganda Films, where he oversaw all of the company’s
creative and business aspects, including feature film production and commercial
and music video endeavors. Prior to his stint at Propaganda, he was vice
president of the Sundance Group, responsible for strategy and capital of
Sundance Channel and other Group enterprises.
Mr. Evans was chief financial officer of Revolution Studios for four years,
responsible for all corporate and production finance planning and operations. He
presided over a fivefold growth in the company’s revenues, and worldwide
distribution relationships such as the domestic one with Sony Pictures
Entertainment. Prior to his years at Revolution, he worked at Turner Pictures and
the Turner Network Television Originals Group, serving as vice president of
finance and strategic planning at the latter.
RUSSELL SIMMONS (Executive Producer)
Native New Yorker Russell Simmons has been instrumental in bringing hip-hop to
every facet of business and media since the aesthetic’s inception in the late
1970s. All of his ventures are motivated by the belief that hip-hop is an
enormously influential agent for social change, and one which must be
responsibly and proactively utilized to fight poverty and ignorance.
Mr. Simmons is the chairman and chief executive officer of Rush
Communications. As such, the cultural avenues he has explored for hip-hop over
the years have led to the creation of Def Jam Recordings (which he co-founded);
the clothing and fashion lines Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Run Athletics, and Def Jam
University; the television series Def Comedy Jam and Russell Simmons Presents
Def Poetry; the Tony Award-winning stage production Russell Simmons’ Def
Poetry Jam on Broadway; the financial service UniRush (with its attendant
RushCard and Baby Phat RushCard); The Simmons Jewelry Co.; and Def Jam
Enterprises (for video gaming, mobile communications, and new media). In
2005, the Russell Simmons Music Group (RSMG) was formed as a 50/50 joint
label with the Island Def Jam Music Group.
20

With his brothers Danny and Joseph (“Rev. Run”) Simmons, he founded Rush
Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995. This organization is dedicated to providing
disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, as
well as offering exhibition opportunities to under-represented artists and artists
of color.
Mr. Simmons organized the historic Hip-Hop Summit in 2001, and subsequently
founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), to harness the cultural
relevance of hip-hop music as a catalyst for education advocacy and other
societal concerns fundamental to the well-being of at-risk youth throughout the
United States. Among HSAN’s major initiatives has been “Hip-Hop Team Vote,” a
50-city grassroots force that registered and mobilized young voters in 2004.
Mr. Simmons is also the chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, a
non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening relations between ethnic
communities.
STAN LATHAN (Executive Producer)
Stan Lathan and Russell Simmons have established the Simmons Lathan Media
Group (SLMG), a film and television production and acquisitions company that
distributes urban content across a variety of media platforms. Committed to
producing culturally significant entertainment and discovering new creative
talent, SLMG hopes to foster a new generation of urban filmmakers and quality
urban entertainment.
Messrs. Lathan and Simmons previously partnered on the Def Comedy Jam
franchise, the television series incarnation of which Mr. Lathan executiveproduced
and directed. In 2003, the duo won a Peabody Award for their groundbreaking
television series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. That same year,
they produced Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway (directed by Mr.
Lathan), which won a Tony Award. Messrs. Lathan and Simmons are currently
executive-producing the hit reality television series Run’s House.
One of Hollywood’s most accomplished producers and directors, Mr. Lathan has
directed the pilots for a host of hit sitcoms. These include Amen, Martin, Moesha
and its spinoff The Parkers, The Steve Harvey Show, All of Us, and Eve. He has
also directed episodes of such classic television series as Sanford and Son, Hill
Street Blues, Miami Vice, and Cagney & Lacey, among others.
For public television, he has directed everything from Sesame Street episodes to
telefilms to dance specials (such as Alvin Ailey: Memories & Visions).
21

For cable television Mr. Lathan has directed and executive-produced the
documentary feature It’s Black Entertainment; and directed and executiveproduced
Dave Chappelle’s stand-up concert specials Killin’ Them Softly and For
What It’s Worth, both of which have proven very popular through cable airings
and DVD sales.
AMY KAUFMAN (Executive Producer)
Amy Kaufman is an independent film producer. Her company, Primary
Productions, is based at Focus Features, and she is developing projects for Focus
as well as Rogue Pictures.
She was formerly executive vice president, production at Focus, and was with
the company from its formation in the spring of 2002 through the summer of
2005. She was the supervising production executive on, among other films,
Fernando Meirelles’ award-winning hit The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph
Fiennes and Rachel Weisz; the upcoming Rogue Pictures release The Return,
starring Sarah Michelle Gellar for director Asif Kapadia; and, also for Rogue,
Jean-François Ríchet’s Assault on Precinct 13, which was the biggest DVD
performer of 2005 relative to its box office.
On behalf of Focus Features International, she was the creative liaison with El
Deseo, the production company owned by Agustín and Pedro Almodóvar. In her
previous Focus capacity as executive vice president, acquisitions and coproductions,
Ms. Kaufman worked on such Focus films as Alejandro González
Iñárritu’s award-winning 21 Grams; Tod Williams’ The Door in the Floor; and
Sofia Coppola’s Academy Award-winning Lost in Translation.
Prior to the formation of Focus, she was senior vice president of acquisitions and
co-productions at Good Machine International, part of the independent film
production company Good Machine. While at GMI, she executive-produced
Alfonso Cuarón’s Academy Award-nominated Y Tu Mamá También. Before joining
GMI in 1997, she worked at Miramax International.
A. DEMETRIUS BROWN (Executive Producer)
A. Demetrius Brown is CEO of Tycoon International Holdings Co. He himself
holds a Ph.D. in Human Rights from the Institute of Information in Vienna,
Austria (which is an associate member of the United Nations). He graduated
from Indiana University with a BS in Governmental Affairs.
Through Tycoon, Dr. Brown is partnered with Radar Pictures chairman and CEO
Ted Field in a 13-movie joint venture. He has previously executive-produced (and
22

co-wrote) Vegas Vamps, which Fred Williamson directed and starred in; and also
executive-produced Don Abernathy’s Tournament of Dreams.
An inductee into the African-American Sports Hall of Fame, Dr. Brown played
professional basketball for three years, including two in the European Basketball
League. In his subsequent business career, he established and ran several
companies, including Euro Capital Management, Inc., Commodities Management
Exchange, Inc. (in partnership with Board of Trade Clearing Corporation), and
CMX Productions, Inc. He was recently named African-American Business Man of
the Year.
SHANE HURLBUT (Director of Photography)
Shane Hurlbut’s most recent credit as cinematographer was on Sanaa Hamri’s
Something New, a Focus Features release.
Mr. Hurlbut became the youngest cinematographer ever nominated for an A.S.C.
Award for a debut feature when he was nominated for Rob Cohen’s awardwinning
telefilm The Rat Pack. He reunited with the latter director on the feature
film The Skulls before collaborating twice apiece with John Stockwell (on
crazy/beautiful and Into the Blue) and Charles Stone III (on Drumline and Mr.
3000). His other credits as director of photography include Greg Marcks’ 11:14
and Bill Paxton’s The Greatest Game Ever Played.
The Ithaca, NY native graduated from Emerson College. He began in the industry
by working as a gaffer on commercials and music videos, learning from such
established cinematographers as Daniel Peal and Joseph Yacoe before making
the leap himself on videos for Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Stone Temple
Pilots.
WARREN A. YOUNG (Production Designer)
Just prior to the theatrical run of Waist Deep, Warren A. Young’s work as
feature film production designer will be on view nationwide in two spring 2006
releases – Doug Atchison’s Akeelah and the Bee (starring Laurence Fishburne,
Angela Bassett, and Keke Palmer) and Nnegest Likke’s Phat Girlz (starring
Mo’Nique).
The Los Angeles native’s next project is Irwin Winkler’s Home of the Brave, to
star Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Jessica Biel. Mr. Young’s previous
feature credits as production designer include Nick Castle’s The Seat Filler; Mink’s
Full Clip (also for Waist Deep producer Preston Holmes); Craig Ross’ Ride or Die;
and the Polish Brothers’ Twin Falls Idaho.
23

For television, he has been the production designer on a number of BET telefilms
(among them Brian Goers’ Fire and Ice); and on concert programs spotlighting
(among others) Mo’Nique, D.L. Hughley, and Joe and Guy Torry.
Mr. Young holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Arts for Interior Design/Interior
Architecture from the American College for the Applied Arts.
TERILYN A. SHROPSHIRE, A.C.E. (Editor)
Terilyn A. Shropshire continues her collaboration with Vondie Curtis Hall on
Waist Deep, following their work together on the award-winning feature
Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story. The latter earned her an American
Cinema Editors (A.C.E.) Eddie Award for Best-Edited Motion Picture for
Commercial Television.
Ms. Shropshire’s other feature editing credits include Darren Grant’s hit Diary of a
Mad Black Woman; Reggie Rock Bythewood’s Biker Boyz; Kasi Lemmons’ The
Caveman’s Valentine and Eve’s Bayou; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and
Basketball’; and José Luis Valenzuela’s Luminarias.
She received an Emmy Award nomination for her work on (the Sidney Poitier
tribute segment at) the 74 th Annual Academy Awards.
TERENCE BLANCHARD (Music)
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard’s two most
recent albums, “Flow” and “Bounce,” were released on the legendary Blue Note
Records label. Among his prior albums are “Let’s Get Lost,” “Wandering Moon,”
“The Heart Speaks,” and “Simply Stated.” In addition to his Grammy win last
year for his collaboration on McCoy Tyner’s “Illuminations” album, he has been
nominated four additional times.
The New Orleans native first picked up the trumpet in elementary school, and
was also coached at home by his opera-singing father. In high school, he came
under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis. After graduating, he attended Rugters
University on a music scholarship. One of his professors soon helped get him a
touring gig with Lionel Hampton’s band. Wynton Marsalis later recommended Mr.
Blanchard as his replacement in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
A subsequent stint in a quintet was followed by a solo career – now well into its
second decade – that has expanded to encompass bandleading as well as film
and television score compositions.
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Mr. Blanchard continues to enjoy an ongoing collaboration with filmmaker Spike
Lee, scoring 12 of the latter’s feature films – among them Inside Man, 25 th Hour
(for which the score earned a Golden Globe Award nomination), Summer of Sam,
4 Little Girls, Malcolm X, and Jungle Fever – as well as performing as a featured
musician on Mo’ Better Blues and Do the Right Thing. He previously worked with
Vondie Curtis Hall as composer of the scores for Glitter and Redemption: The
Stan Tookie Williams Story. Other films he has scored include Ron Shelton’s Dark
Blue; Tim Story’s Barbershop; Daniel Algrant’s People I Know; Gina Prince-
Bythewood’s Love and Basketball; and Kasi Lemmons’ The Caveman’s Valentine
and Eve’s Bayou.
MARIE FRANCE (Costume Designer)
Born and raised in France, Marie France is now based in Hollywood. She
previously collaborated with Vondie Curtis Hall as costume designer on
Gridlock’d.
She is a graduate of the Beaux Arts Academy (in fine arts), as well as the
Sorbonne (in liberal arts), in Paris. As a costume designer on music videos, she
worked with such artists as Prince, Natalie Cole, Don Henley, Tina Turner, Rod
Stewart, Steve Winwood, Sheila E., The Time, and George Clinton.
Ms. France has costume-designed five features for director Pete Hewitt – Bill &
Ted’s Bogus Journey, Tom and Huck, The Borrowers, Whatever Happened to
Harold Smith?, and Garfield. Her other film credits include Albert Magnoli’s Purple
Rain; Prince’s Under the Cherry Moon; Les Mayfield’s Encino Man; Fran Rubel
Kuzui’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer; Steve Barron’s Coneheads; Peter Care’s The
Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys; Ernest Dickerson’s Never Die Alone and
Bulletproof; Gil Junger’s Black Knight; and Stuart Gordon’s The Wonderful Ice
Cream Suit.
She was also the costume designer on the two-hour pilot for the long-running hit
series Beverly Hills 90210.
25

The Cast (in order of appearance)
WAIST DEEP
O2 TYRESE GIBSON
Newscaster #1 SHAWN PARR
Junior H. HUNTER HALL
Guard JOHNNY C. PRUITT
Coco MEAGAN GOOD
Rock DARRIS LOVE
Lucky LARENZ TATE
Newscaster #2 WILLIAM DUFFY
Meat THE GAME
Fencing House Lady KIMORA LEE SIMMONS
Man WIL E. YOUNG
Gangster #1 SYCO SMOOV
AKA DeWAYNE TURRENTINE, JR.
Gangster #2 WADE ALLAIN-MARCUS
Black Security Guard TERRELL CLAYTON
White Security Guard RAY BENGSTON
Bank Manager EARL MINFIELD
Bank Woman DAGMAR STANSOVA
Angry Black Woman KASI LEMMONS
Newscaster #3 LAURA MIRO
Look-A-Like POVERTY AKA TOMMY ABATE
Newscaster #4 DAWN REAVIS
Newscaster #5 DYLAN TAYS
Female Radio DJ YOLANDA “YOYO” WHITAKER
Male Radio DJ JULIO GONZALEZ
Radio Guest MICHAEL ERIC DYSON
Stunts
Stunt Coordinator JULIUS LeFLORE
“O2” Stunt Double JASON BRITTAN
“O2” Stand-In JULIUS DENEM
“O2” Driving Double OUSAUN ELAM
Meat’s Bodyguard #1 VERNON HAWTHORNE
“Meat” Stunt Double J.T. HOLT
Meat’s Bodyguard #2 FARLEY JACKSON
“Lucky” Stunt Double JOHN LeFLORE
Impatient Jacker SEAN ANTHONY MORAN
Fight Choreographer MARCUS SALGADO
Go Mobile Driver KEVIN C. SCOTT
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Helicopter Pilot BEN SKORSTAND
“O2” Stunt Double CC TAYLOR
“Coco” Stunt Double/Stand-In KRISTA WOODS
Camera Bike Driver DANNY WYNANS
Utility Stunts
RONALD “KARTOON” ANTWINE RANDOLPH LeROI
RICK AVERY SCOTT LEVA
ERIK BETTS JUSTIN LUNDIN
EDDIE BRAUN JALIL JAY LYNCH
KOFI ELAM JOHN MOIO
FRANK GARDNER BENNIE MOORE
JOEY GARDNER CHRIS O’HARA
J. ARMIN GARZA II ROBERT POWELL
JODY HART SCOTT ROGERS
JERMAINE HOLT THOMAS ROSALES JR.
LARRY HOLT JEFF SAUNDERS
JEFF HURD RANDALL SMITH
RASHON KAHN SHARON SWAINSON
HUBIE KERNS JOEY TUREUAD
BRET KIENE OBA VITA
AMANDA LeFLORE OSEI VITA-BARNES
JENSEN LeFLORE CRYSTAL WEAVER
LARRY WILLIAMS
The Crew and the Credits
Directed by VONDIE CURTIS HALL
Screenplay by VONDIE CURTIS HALL
and DARIN SCOTT
Story by MICHAEL MAHERN
Produced by PRESTON HOLMES
Executive Producer TED FIELD
Executive Producers TREVOR MACY, MARC D. EVANS,
RUSSELL SIMMONS, STAN LATHAN,
AMY KAUFMAN, A. DEMETRIUS BROWN
Director of Photography SHANE HURLBUT
Production Designer WARREN A. YOUNG
Edited by TERILYN A. SHROPSHIRE, A.C.E.
Music by TERENCE BLANCHARD
Additional Music by DENAUN PORTER
Music Supervisor JABARI ALI
Costume Designer MARIE FRANCE
Casting by ROBI REED
27

Unit Production Manager DWIGHT WILLIAMS
First Assistant Director NOGA ISACKSON
Second Assistant Director J.J. LINSALATA
Post-Production Supervisor DAVID DRESHER
First Assistant Editor KENNY MARSTEN
Assistant Editor LARA GRANT
Art Director YOOJUNG HAN
Set Decorator CHERYLE A. GRACE, SDSA
A-Camera/Steadicam Operator ROBERTO De ANGELIS
First Assistant A-Camera MARC MARGULIES
Second Assistant A-Camera MATTHEW STENERSON
B-Camera Operator GARY HATFIELD
First Assistant B-Camera STEVEN “MANNY” MANN
Second Assistant B-Camera JOEY O’DONNELL
C-Camera Operator TODD BARRON
First Assistant C-Camera LAWRENCE NIELSEN
Second Assistant C-Camera DEREK C. EDWARDS
Camera Loader GARY BEVANS
Camera Production Assistant PO-KING CHAN
Script Supervisor SYDNEY GILNER
Production Sound Mixer DAVID PARKER, C.A.S.
Boom Operator JEFF ERDMANN
Sound Assistant STEVE KLINGHOFFER
Costume Supervisor FRANK PERRY ROSE
Key Costumer ELAINE “CHASE” McGHEE
Key Set Costumer DEMETRICUS HOLLOWAY
Costumers PATTY MALKIN
SEANETTE DAVIS
CHANTHOU KOZBERG
Key Makeup Artist JOANETTA S. STOWERS
First Assistant Makeup Artist GENEVA NASH-MORGAN
Makeup Artists ADAM BRANDY
BECKY COTTON
Key Hairstylist JASMINE KIMBLE
First Assistant Hairstylist LINDA STEVENSON-KHAN
Hairstylists EDDIE M. BARRON
PAULA ASHBY NICHOLSON
Chief Lighting Technician TODD R. HIGGINS
Best Boy Electric DAVID TERPIN
Rigging Gaffer MICHAEL BOOK
Best Boy Rigging Gaffer MICHAEL WAGSTAFF
Lamp Operators JEFFREY CHIN
ANN ROSENCRANS
DAVID C. RUSSELL
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Key Grip JOHN JANUSEK
Best Boy Grip JOHN P. SHINE
Dolly Grip MICHAEL E. LISTORTI
Key Rigging Grip ROBERT J. REILLY
Best Boy Rigging Grip TOMMY LEE
Grips DONELL WILEY
BRYAN “SATURDAY” ASHFORD
JAMES B. STIRITZ
KEVIN WADOWSKI
NEAL WILDE
Property Master MICHAEL BLAZE
Assistant Property Masters RICK CHAVEZ
STAN W. COCKERELL
Armorer DAVID AARON
Special Effects Coordinator JOE D. RAMSEY
Special Effects Foreman JIM GUARRERA
Special Effects Technicians JAMES CAMOMILE
ELIA P. POPOV
Production Supervisor SUSAN EHRHART
Assistant Production Coordinator CHARLINE ST. CHARLES
Production Secretary CLAIRE BARCOS
2nd 2nd Assistant Directors JUANA MARIE FRANKLIN
CRAIG AMENDOLA
Supervising Sound Editors STEVEN D. WILLIAMS, M.P.S.E.
ERIC A. NORRIS, M.P.S.E.
Sound Effects Editor JASON W. JENNINGS, M.P.S.E.
Dialogue Editors GASTÓN BIRABEN
BYRON WILSON
Supervising ADR Editor CLIFF LATIMER, M.P.S.E.
ADR Editor BOBBI BANKS, M.P.S.E.
Foley Supervisor THOM BRENNAN
1st Assistant Sound Editor ROY SEEGER
Supervising Music Editor TODD BOZUNG
Music Editor CARL SEALOVE
Additional Music Editors JEN MONNAR
DEL SPIVA
Music Coordinators SEASON KENT
MARGARET McDONALD
Music Consultant JOHN HOULIHAN
Music Legal and Clearance CHRISTINE BERGREN
Additional Music Clearance JENNIFER PRAY
Re-Recording Facility WIDGET POST PRODUCTION
Re-Recording Mixers MATTHEW IADAROLA
GARY GEGAN
29

Recordist MATTHEW DUBIN
ADR Mixer ALAN FREEDMAN, C.A.S.
Foley by SOUND SATISFACTION
Foley Supervisor GARY J. COPPOLA, C.A.S.
Foley Mixer CHRIS TRENT
Foley Artists EDWARD M. STEIDELE
JERRY TRENT
Voice Casting BARBARA HARRIS
Assistant to Mr. Holmes MONIKKA STALLWORTH
Assistant to Mr. Hall JENNIFER DeCLUE
Assistant to Mr. Williams SABRINA GRAY
Office Production Assistants STEPHEN SPRAGUE
SARAH CONNOLLY
JAIME SERRANO
Key Set Production Assistant DRUE L. POWELL
Set Production Assistants GILBERT BARNHARDT
TODD HAVERN
ALEX BETUEL
RAFI COVINGTON
L.D. COZY
Leadman MYKAL WILLIAMS
On-Set Dresser JOHN WARNER
Swing Gang Boss MARK LAYTON BROWN
Set Dressers/Swing Gang ANGELO BUA
CHAD CANALE
JOSEPH GENNA
NELSON HULL
RICK WEVER
Caterers TOMKATS CATERING
DIRK LONG
Craft Service JESSE CERVANTES
RACER RANGEL
Set Medic ANTHONY WOODS
Storyboard Artists ELIZABETH COLUMBA
WARREN DRUMMOND
Art Department Coordinator ALYSIA ALLEN
Art Department Production Assistants MARK FINER
ANGIE SIMPSON
Construction Coordinator ROBERT “CASS” McENTEE
Construction Foreman RYAN MAJUS
Labor Foreman CRILL HANSEN
Paint Supervisor JOHN J. PASSANANTE
Propmaker Gangboss TERRY SHEFFIELD
30

Construction Medic ADRIANA DE LA CRUZ
Location Manager WAYNE MIDDLETON
Key Assistant Location Managers PTAH SHABAF
HILARY WALKER
Assistant Location Managers CES HARDY
RONALD “KARTOON” ANTWINE
Locations Production Assistant DANNATIS BANKS
Insurance Provided by AON/ALBERT G. RUBEN
Legal Services Provided by SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER &
HAMPTON, LLP
ROBERT DARWELL
ALEXIS GARCIA
Clearance Services Provided by ASHLEY KRAVITZ
Production Accountant CHRIS KAHN
First Assistant Accountant CARRIE JONES
Accounting Clerk AMY CHERRIX
Payroll Accountant KATHY “GEORGIA” EDWARDS
Post-Production Accountant SHARON TAKSEL
Production Video Assist MARTIN GLOVER
Video Assist Production Assistant HENRY H. LOWE IV
24 Fr. Video Engineer RICHARD CLARK
Unit Publicist CASSANDRA O. BUTCHER
Still Photographer SIDNEY R. BALDWIN
Transportation Coordinator DUKE FOSTER
Transportation Captain SPENCER FOSTER
Studio Teacher GAIL RUCKEL
Second Unit
Second Unit Director JULIUS LeFLORE
Second Unit Production Associate SABRINA GRAY
First Assistant Director DAVE HALLINAN
Second Assistant Director STEVEN BUHAI
Second Unit Stunt Coordinator OUSAUN ELAM
Director of Photography/Operators GARY HATFIELD
PAUL HUGHEN
DAVID KESSLER
Camera Operator KEITH L. SMITH
Script Supervisor LISA McNEIL
Sound Mixer JEFF ERDMANN
Video Assist JIMI JOHNSON
Casting Associate ANDREA REED
Casting Assistant EARL MINFIELD
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Digital Motion Picture
Laboratory Services,
Digital Film Recording
and Digital Intermediate Services LASERPACIFIC
A KODAK COMPANY
Digital Intermediate Timer TIMOTHY T. VINCENT
Color Science DOUG JAQUA
Digital Data Management JEFF CHARLES
Digital Data Conform CARRIE OLIVER
VALANCE EISLEBEN
Digital VFX Supervisor MICHAEL CASTILLO
Digital Film Scanners DAVID WHITE
CRAIG DeMARTINI
Digital Restoration MAI SUZUKI
Digital Film Recording Services KYLE DEVRIENDT
Digital Dailies Timer TIMOTHY T. VINCENT
Digital Laboratory Project Managers NANCY FULLER
JESSE KOBAYASHI
Digital Visual Effects by MR. X INC.
Visual Effects Supervisor EVAN JACOBS
Visual Effects Executive Producer DENNIS BERARDI
Visual Effects Producer FIONA CAMPBELL WESTGATE
Visual Effects Production Manager SARAH McMURDO
Compositing Supervisor AARON WEINTRAUB
Digital Compositors ROB DEL CIANCIO
ROBERT GREB
ANNU GULATI
JOEL SKEETE
MICHAEL STEWART
Compositing Assistant BONNIE DICKSON
Operations Manager DAVID SINGER
Office Administrator RUBINA COKAR
Systems Administration DARCY BANGSUND
MATEO NOVACOVICI
VFX Accountant LINDA ROSE
Titles by RIGHT LOBE DESIGN GROUP
Lab Color Timer KURT SMITH
Dolby Sound Consultant BRYAN ARENAS
Music
Orchestrators TERENCE BLANCHARD
HOWARD DROSSIN
Conductor HOWARD DROSSIN
Music Copyists YO ELEVEN MUSIC
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Engineers BRIAN VALENTINO
(ORCHESTRAL SESSIONS)
GREG HARTMAN
(RHYTHM SESSIONS)
Scoring Crew KORY KRUCKENBERG
JON SCHLUCKEBIER
JOHN WINTERS
INGRID SABEE
Session Coordinator ROBIN BURGESS
Session Assistant VINCENT BENNETT
Contractor SIMON JAMES
Rhythm Section TERENCE BLANCHARD/
KEYBOARD AND PIANO
MIKE SCOTT/ELECTRIC GUITAR
DERRICK HODGE/
ELECTRIC & UPRIGHT BASS
OSCAR SEATON/ DRUMS
KENDRICK SCOTT/ PERCUSSION
Recorded at BASTYR UNIVERSITY
KENMORE, WA
Songs
“LIKE THIS”
Written by Nathaniel D. Hale and Louis Harden, Jr., Dedrick Rolison
and Andre Lamont Taylor
Performed by Mack 10 featuring Nate Dogg
Courtesy of Hoo-Bangin Records/Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
Nate Dogg appears courtesy of
Nate Dogg, Inc./Love and Happiness Productions
“AYY”
Written by Denaun Porter and Tyrese Gibson
Performed by Denaun Porter and Tyrese
Denaun Porter appears courtesy of Shady Records
Tyrese appears courtesy of J Records
“KREASE KHAKI FLOW”
Written by Jimmy Rodgers and Dominick Wickliffe
Performed by Crooked I
Courtesy of Dynasty Instrumental Group
Under license from Ford Music Services
33

“THIS IS MY LIFE MAN”
Written by Jimmy Rodgers and Dominick Wickliffe
Performed by Crooked I
Courtesy of Dynasty Instrumental Group
Under license from Ford Music Services
“BAD GIRL”
Written by Leroy Austin, Christopher Featherstone, Aminata Schmahl,
Safietou Schmahl, John Jackson and Nastacia Kendall
Performed by Black Buddafly featuring Fabolous
Courtesy of The Russell Simmons Music Group/Island Def Jam
“GUTTAVILLE”
Produced by Victor Holmes
Written by Lamarr House, Victor Holmes, Rodney Jones, Tamos Houston
and Danny Saber
Performed by Dro featuring Tay Nati and Boskags
Courtesy of The Russell Simmons Music Group/Island Def Jam
Tay Nati and Boskags appear courtesy of Pedarol Records
“I’M ‘BOUT A DOLLA”
Written by Dan D. Thomas, Craig Miller, Charles Penniman, Johnean Jimenez
and David King
Produced by Dilemma for Hello World Music Productions
Performed by Kanary Diamonds featuring Kam and G. Malone
G. Malone appears courtesy of Big Ego Entertainment/Sony Urban/Columbia
Kam appears courtesy of Hereafter Entertainment
Kanary Diamonds appears courtesy of Paragon Entertainment Group
“ROLL THE DICE”
Written and Produced by Dali
Performed by Benjilino and Divine Verbal Dialect
Benjilino appears courtesy of HeadQuarter Entertainment
Under License by HeadQuarter Entertainment
Divine Verbal Dialect appears courtesy of Solar Panel Entertainment
“TURN THEY LIGHTS OUT”
Written by Russell Brown, Vince Langston and Stacey Wagner
Performed by Chico & Coolwadda
Chico appears courtesy of Valentino Entertainment Group
Coolwadda appears courtesy of Assault Entertainment
Under license from Ford Music Services
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“DOLLA DOLLA BILL”
Written by Nathaniel D. Hale and Josef Leimberg
Performed by Nate Dogg
Nate Dogg appears courtesy of Nate Dogg, Inc./Love and Happiness Productions
Under license from Ford Music Services and Love and Happiness Productions
“CHILD SUPPORT”
Written by O’Shea Jackson, Teak Underdue, Dejon Underdue, William Calhoun
and David Lopez
Performed by Ice Cube
Courtesy of Lench Mob Productions, Inc.
“THIS AIN’T A GAME”
Written by Jonathan Rotem, Tremain Neverson, Charles Schruggs,
Anthony Anderson, and Steve Howse
Performed by Lil’ Eazy E featuring Bone Thugz N’ Harmony
Lil’ Eazy E appears courtesy of L.A. Entertainment/Virgin Records
Bone Thugz N’ Harmony appears courtesy of Full Surface Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
“REASON”
Written by Andre Wilson, Lamia Dannelle Jackson, Phillip Johnson, KC Wilson
and Bruce Hornsby
Performed by Andre “Boogie” Wilson
Courtesy of Paradise Records, LLC
Soundtrack available on
Russell Simmons Music Group/Island Def Jam Music Group
“Blind Date” footage Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLLP
“Troubled Island” mural courtesy of Noni Olabisi
Production Services Provided by Timeless Releasing 2005 LLP
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Special Thanks
Kasi Lemmons
Erica Huggins
Scott Kroopf
Prints by TECHNICOLOR
Copyright ©2006 Focus Features LLC
All Rights Reserved
Dolby SR/SRD/DTS, in selected theaters Aspect Ratio: 2:35/1 [Scope]
Running Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence and pervasive language)
Waistdeep.net
A Rogue Pictures Release
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