We’re looking for three non-union actors for a short film. We’ll shoot the film over 2 -3 days in July / August.
The film explores complicated attraction and family tension, both of which are subtly exposed over the course of a weekend when a young woman meets her boyfriend’s mother for the first time.
The film is being made with a grant from the Toronto Arts Council. The grant is small so unfortunately all positions will be low / no pay. We are going to be doing auditions this Sunday in Toronto (Dufferin and Bloor).
Please send us headshots if you have them, as well as a resume with acting experience. Successfully candidates will be contacted with an audition time this Sunday. Please email Maisie (dot) Jacobson (at) gmail (dot) com
Ruth, 23-28 – any race
Ruth is an aspiring writer, currently working as a waitress. She studied literature in university, and nothing has really panned out yet professionally. She’s smart, but unfocused. She’s a bit insecure, and anxious to prove herself as a result. She is the daughter of an electrician and a massage therapist. She didn’t grow up in a house that valued art and literature, and has had to find that world herself. She is kind and sees the good in people, but can be a bit naive. She’s impressed with her boyfriend Mal’s intelligence and easy confidence, but becomes disenchanted when she realizes he’s been manipulating her. She’s immediately captivated by Mal’s mother, Naomi, whose writing she worships.
Mal, 23-28 – any race
Mal is boyish and charming — when he wants to be. The son of a famous writer and an architect, he now works in construction. Having always been surrounded by his parents’ intellectual milieu, he wanted to forge his own path. His father, with whom he was very close, died of cancer a year ago. He’s always had a fraught relationship with his mother, Naomi, who he thinks is selfish and unloving. He resents that his mother was mostly absent during his childhood, and that he had to be the primary caregiver to his father while he was sick. Mal is stubborn, and more similar to his mother than he realizes. He and Ruth have been dating for eight months — he thinks she’s salt of the earth and aspires to be like her, until he takes advantage of her naivete.
Naomi, 50-60 – any race
Naomi is a famous writer, and a bit of a narcissist. She has a powerful, intimidating presence. She’s won many literary awards and has always surrounded herself with other celebrated intellectuals, writers, artists, etc. She has been singularly focussed on her career for most of her life. She always maintained her independence throughout her marriage, and wasn’t around much while her husband was dying of cancer or when her son was growing up. Her relationship with her son, Mal, is very strained. She’s disappointed in him and thinks he’s taking the easy way out in life. Her intellect and ability to read people have allowed her to manipulate others easily. She is attractive and elegant in an understated way — she wears minimal makeup and Eileen Fisher.
