One for the Money The Movie in Kyoto, Japan

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Action,Comedy
  
  Synopsis:
  A rookie bounty hunter (Katherine Heigl) goes after a bail jumper and murder suspect (Jason O'Mara) who just happens to be the guy who seduced and dumped her back in high school.
  
  Release Date: 01/27/2012
  Running Time: 91
  
  Rating: PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned
  
  http://oneforthemoneyfilm.com/
  
• Cast:
  Stephanie Plum: Katherine Heigl,Joe Morelli: Jason O'Mara,Ranger: Daniel Sunjata,Jimmy Alpha: John Leguizamo,Lula: Sherri Shepherd,Grandma Mazur: Debbie Reynolds,Eddie Gazarra: Nate Mooney,Jackie: Ryan Michelle Bathe,Mrs. Plum: Debra Monk,Bernie Kuntz: Adam Paul,Morty Beyers: Fisher Stevens,Connie: Ana Reeder,Vinnie Plum: Patrick Fischler,John Cho: Leonardo Nam,Mary Lou: Annie Parisse,Lenny: Danny Mastrogiorgio,Benito Ramirez: Gavin-Keith Umeh,Mr. Plum: Louis Mustillo,William Earling: Harry O'Toole
  
  Crew:
  Director: Julie Anne Robinson,Screenwriter: Stacy Sherman,Screenwriter: Karen Ray,Screenwriter: Liz Brixius,Producer: Sidney Kimmel,Producer: Wendy Finerman,Producer: Tom Rosenberg,Producer: Gary Lucchesi,Executive Producer: Eric Reid,Executive Producer: Andre Lamal,Executive Producer: Bruce Toll,Executive Producer: Katherine Heigl,Executive Producer: Nancy Heigl,Cinematographer: James Whitaker,Production Design: Franco-Giacomo Carbone,Film Editor: Lisa Churgin Zeno,Costume Designer: Michael Dennison,Original Music: Deborah Lurie,Casting: Deborah Aquila,Casting: Tricia Wood,Casting: Julie Tucker,Casting: Ross Meyerson,Set Decoration: Linda Sutton Lee
  
  Production Companies:
  Lakeshore Entertainment,Sidney Kimmel Enterrtainment
  
  Distributors:
  Lions Gate Films
  
  Notes:
  Production Notes - Notes provided by Lionsgate Films - Katherine Heigl brings Stephanie Plum - the popular heroine of Janet Evanovich's worldwide best-selling eighteen-book mystery series - to vibrant life in Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment's ONE FOR THE MONEY. A proud, born-and-bred Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum's got plenty of attitude, even if she's been out of work for the last six months and just lost her car to a debt collector. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company...as a recovery agent. True, she doesn't even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn't stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny's biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli - yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school. Nabbing Morelli would be satisfying payback - and a hefty payday - but as Stephanie learns the ins and outs of becoming a recovery agent from Ranger, a hunky colleague who's the best in the business, she also realizes the case against Morelli isn't airtight. Add to the mix her meddling family, a potentially homicidal boxer, witnesses who keep dying and the problem of all those flying sparks when she finds Morelli himself...well, suddenly Stephanie's new job isn't nearly as easy as she thought. Starring Katherine Heigl, ONE FOR THE MONEY is a fresh, funny action-comedy directed by Julie Anne Robinson and also starring Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Debbie Reynolds and Debra Monk. Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment present a Lakeshore Entertainment Lionsgate Wendy Finerman Sidney Kimmel Entertainment production in association with Abishag Productions. Directed by Julie Anne Robinson. Screenplay by Stacy Sherman & Karen Ray and Liz Brixius. Based on the novel by Janet Evanovich. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION ``Stephanie Plum is a woman who moves through the drama of her life with all the grace of an 'I Love Lucy' episode, laughs best-selling author Janet Evanovich. ``She destroys every car she owns. Her hair frizzes up in Jersey humidity. She can't cook. She's not going to stop a speeding train like Superman or catch a bullet in her teeth. But she's the woman we all want to be. Since her first appearance in the 1994 bestseller, One For The Money, Evanovich's beloved New Jersey girl-turned-bond recovery agent has solved crimes and nabbed felons over the course of eighteen global bestsellers, the latest of which, Explosive Eighteen, hit bookshelves this November. As a recovery agent, Stephanie's record is stellar; but she's won the hearts of readers everywhere more for her genial humanity than her investigative prowess. ``She's heroic in small ways, offers Evanovich. ``She puts one foot in front of the other and at the end of the day, she's proud of what she's accomplished. Back in 1994, Evanovich could never have anticipated that Stephanie Plum would garner her a worldwide following and firmly establish her as a leading writer of crime fiction. Neither could she have believed that after seventeen years of interest from Hollywood, she would actually be watching film and television star Katherine Heigl bring Stephanie Plum to life. ``Seeing One For The Money made into a movie after all these years is...it's terrifying, admits the author. ``It's also exciting, it's wonderful; it's amazing. I absolutely love the movie. Known for her charismatic work on television's ``Grey's Anatomy and the $200 million dollar box office hit The Ugly Truth, 27 Dresses ($160M worldwide) and Knocked Up ($219M worldwide), Katherine Heigl eagerly embraced the opportunity to create Stephanie Plum onscreen. ``For me, it's always been about the story and it's always been about whether or not I liked the character, and that limits me, admits the star. ``But Stephanie Plum is so much fun and has so much life in her. I fell in love with her. Over sixteen years ago, before it hit bookstores and the bestseller list, One For The Money caught the attention of producer Wendy Finerman. ``When I first read the galleys, I thought Stephanie Plum was the most relatable, enjoyable character anyone could connect with, Finerman recalls. ``She's a little bit of an every-woman. She's outspoken and she's brash and fun. And she's hit a sticky point where things haven't worked out like she planned. She's back in her hometown, trying to sort out her life. Finerman spent years developing a screen adaptation, working with different writers on several variations of the story. At one point, a Stephanie Plum television series was seriously considered. But Finerman still felt the adaptations hadn't effectively captured the tone of Evanovich's sharp dialogue and her skillful mix of suspense and character-based comedy. ``Janet does an amazing job combining humor and drama, she explains. ``That's a very hard thing to capture on film. She's so detailed in her writing, so it's difficult to capture the world she creates and the sassiness she gives to Stephanie. Eventually the project found its way to Lakeshore Entertainment, where Finerman partnered with producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi. ``I was introduced to the material by my wife, Lucchesi recalls. ``Every year she'd bring home another Janet Evanovich book and at a certain point there were twelve of them on the shelves and I turned to her one day and I said, 'What is it with these books?' she said, 'They're fantastic books.' So I read the first three and I thought they were great. It happened to be at that time we were making The Ugly Truth for Sony Pictures and had discovered that Sony held the rights to this material. Like Finerman, Lucchesi and Rosenberg knew that effectively translating Evanovich's sparkling tone to film was crucial to the project's success. ``I was attracted to the fact that Stephanie Plum is a working class hero, says Rosenberg, ``and I thought it was the right time to deliver that to audiences. Stephanie isn't a doctor or a lawyer. She's very relatable and we thought that honesty and vulnerability would make her a character moviegoers could get behind. But finding the right screenwriter proved difficult. Lucchesi explains, ``It wasn't until Liz Brixius, who's the show runner on 'Nurse Jackie,' became involved that we found a writer who could completely capture the voice of the material. ``Liz brought not only her experience as a successful screenwriter and filmmaker to the project, observes Rosenberg, ``but also her love for the books and for Stephanie herself. She was terrific at guiding the journey of the character from the page to the screen. For Brixius, adapting One For The Money for the screen wasn't just any job offer. ``The whole thing started for me about 10 years ago when my sister gave me a paperback to read on the plane ride home from L.A. to Minneapolis, Brixius recounts. ``I read One For The Money and fell in love with it. I read the second one. Read the third one. My sister's read all of them. Then I got a phone call on the set of 'Nurse Jackie' from my manager saying, 'Lakeshore wants you to read One For The Money. I'm like, 'I already read One For The Money. I know One For The Money. I love One For The Money!' Moments after she got the job, Brixius felt the immensity of the responsibility she had enthusiastically taken on. ``This comes out of Janet Evanovich's brain, she explains, ``and it's beloved by millions and millions of people and you just want to do it justice. Meanwhile, Lucchesi and Rosenberg had become friendly with Katherine Heigl on the set of The Ugly Truth and thought Stephanie Plum would be an appealing change of pace for the actress. Lucchesi explains, ``Katherine's a very interesting actress and extraordinarily talented. We wanted to see her play a slightly more adult character that was a little tougher, a little bit out for the norm. She responded to that challenge. Continues Rosenberg, ``Katie's talent lies in her versatility. She is capable of comedy, romance, drama, all of which are present in the script for One For The Money. In this film she really is Stephanie Plum, she's not Katherine Heigl. Not only did Heigl have to transform herself into someone radically different, she also had the opinions of millions of fans with which to contend. ``Katie has a heavy burden because of the fan base, continues Rosenberg. ``Everyone has their idea of what Stephanie Plum should be. Katie had to make it her own while still delivering what the fans expected. There really aren't too many people who could pull that off. ``This project has been my little mountain to climb this year, says Heigl. ``It's been really, really satisfying on a million levels to get to be a part of it and to make the trek up the mountain and get to see the view. Having seen Heigl's performance in the film, Evanovich can't imagine another actress in the role. ``Katherine Heigl is so talented, she enthuses. ``She's bold, she's brave. She's afraid. She's vulnerable. She's sexy. She has this wide range of emotions in this movie and she just nails them all. She walks like Plum. She talks like Plum. She absolutely is Stephanie. With Heigl in place, the production focused all of its efforts on doing justice to the source material, which meant finding the ideal supporting cast and creating just the right look for the film. As Gary Lucchesi explains, ``We made a conscious effort to be loyal to the books' following. We paid very, very strict attention to every detail. ``I think it's really, really important to get everything right, adds Heigl, who is also an executive producer on the film. ``You really don't want to alienate the fans. They're the people who have made this franchise. They're the people who have given Stephanie and these characters a life after the first book. Director Julie Anne Robinson turned to the novel again and again for guidance. ``I've looked at it down to details of dress colors, reveals Robinson. ``The description of Stephanie's apartment, I pulled it from the book. It had to be a red brick building. It had to be a place where a lot of old age pensioners could live. Even small details like Mrs. Delgado who lives opposite Stephanie; she's there in the book. The fact that Stephanie drinks a Big Gulp. The fact that she feeds Ritz crackers to Rex. We've gone down to the smallest detail. The actual cage that Rex is kept in is identical to the one described in the book. At first glance, Robinson, a British director with a background at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court and the National Theatre, might seem an unlikely choice for a New Jersey-set story about working class Americans. But Heigl, who fondly remembered her experience working with Robinson on several episodes of Grey's Anatomy, suggested the director be seriously considered. ``After spending some time talking to her we realized that her vision was exactly right for the movie, recalls producer Lucchesi. ``Being a director you've got to steer a big ship of about 150 people and everybody's got an opinion. You need a captain who can really channel the way to the right port. And Julie Anne did that. ``Julie Anne came onto this project with such unbelievable energy and passion and determination, reports Heigl. ``She has incredible focus and I never saw her get tired or burn out. And I think she's just done a beautiful job with the casting of this movie, with the locations, the set design, everything. The right look and feel of this movie, the balance between comedy and drama, will be thanks to Julie Anne, for sure. Actor Jason O'Mara, who plays Joe Morelli in the film, credits Robinson and the clarity of her direction for the vibrancy of the cast's performances. ``She's really what you want from a director. You come prepared, you know how you want to play the scene, but she says one thing to you and it changes the way you deliver the lines and suddenly it comes alive. Julie knows what she wants and there's never any indecision, but at the same time she's open to a lot of ideas. So she's been very collaborative and that's given everybody on this movie a sense of ownership and pride in their work. Hopefully that will come through. Joe Morelli's tumultuous love/hate history with Stephanie Plum began when she was only six and culminated in a disastrous high school date. A former bad-boy turned vice cop, Morelli becomes an unlikely suspect in a homicide investigation and jumps bail, which seemingly points to his guilt. But as Stephanie tracks him down as her very first FTA (``Failed To Appear in bail bond speak), she realizes the case against Morelli is more complicated than she initially thought. ``Joe Morelli has to have humor, a little bit of danger, be handsome, but also authentic, says Rosenberg. ``You have to buy he's from Trenton and that he's a policeman. It's a very tough role to pull off, but Jason did it effortlessly. ``In Jason and Katie, we've got two actors who can match each other, adds director Julie Anne Robinson. ``She's a very powerful actress and he meets her head on in their scenes together. There's a tension and an electricity in every frame. They play off each other. They play off the script. It's great fun to watch. I fell in love with their chemistry. From the moment O'Mara read the script, he was ready to sign on to the project. ``It really jumped off the page, remembers the actor. ``And when I read Katie's role I realized she was perfect for it and she was going to really knock this one out of the park. She's got a great sense of comic timing. The part of this I've really enjoyed is the comedy. ``Jason is going to be the only person people can think of from now on when they read the books, affirms Heigl. ``He's brought Morelli to life in the most seamless and perfect way. But Joe Morelli isn't the only sexy, eligible - and potentially dangerous - man in Stephanie's life. When she realizes she needs formal training in order to succeed at her new job - and hopefully survive it - Stephanie enlists Ranger, a bounty hunter who specializes in fugitive apprehension, bodyguarding and other semi-legal business ventures, to show her the ropes. As played by actor Daniel Sunjata, Ranger is cool, confident and knowing, and his scenes with the bumbling Stephanie teasingly suggest that opposites really do attract. ``Stephanie and Ranger have a mentor-student relationship with sexual tension as the undertone, says Sunjata. ``I found his character to be interesting and appealing. It's a color that I haven't had the opportunity to show so far in my career. Of all the people in her brash dysfunctional family, Stephanie Plum relates to her Grandma Mazur the most. As played by screen legend Debbie Reynolds, Grandma Mazur is a plucky, opinionated woman who's resolutely unwilling to grow old. ``Stephanie and Grandma Mazur are actually kindred spirits, explains Evanovich. ``They're like the two bad apples on the family tree, in a good way. Grandma Mazur's a woman of a certain age who doesn't see any limitations to her life. She's up for extreme bowling. She'll do nude karaoke. You name it, Grandma Mazur's there. ``Grandma Mazur is a real character, admits Debbie Reynolds with a laugh. ``The part reminded me of my girlfriend Thelma Ritter years ago when all she did was wonderful character parts, and I never really had the opportunity to play those roles. So when this was offered to me, I said, 'Well, I'd like to do that.' ``As a person she's fantastically funny and sharp-witted and raunchy, and she brought all of that to the part, says Heigl of Reynolds. ``I love her. And I love how she brought Grandma Mazur to life. As Stephanie's mother, Mrs. Plum, New York actress Debra Monk appreciated portraying a real working class family onscreen. ``I think everybody can relate to this family, offers Monk. ``In today's world where people need jobs and are being let go and there's no money, it really speaks to what's happening today. It speaks to all working class families. Having grown up in a blue-collar neighborhood, actor Louis Mustillo immediately understood the part of Mr. Plum. ``I see Mr. Plum as a really well-liked guy, he says. ``He says what he has to say at home and his mother-in-law is there all the time who's quite a lot to handle. So he's a saint, really. He's the type of guy who you could call at four o'clock in the morning and he'd come and help you fix your flat tire. Apart from her family, Stephanie Plum encounters a colorful range of characters in her transition from lingerie salesperson to recovery agent. As she explores the seedy side of Trenton, Stephanie meets Lula, a prostitute played by Sherri Shepherd, who offers her information about the Morelli case. ``It was kismet, says Shepherd of winning the part of Lula. A longtime fan of Evanovich's book, Shepherd had fantasized about playing Lula before she ever heard of a film adaptation. ``I remember thinking, 'Gosh, if it ever becomes a movie I really want to play this woman. She's evolved and sassy and she's fun.' Shepherd got her wish, and she's thrilled to have a hand in bringing Stephanie Plum's world to life. ``Stephanie Plum is a woman who goes after what she wants even when the chips are down, she says. ``She fights, and she's a strong woman. I think we need to see more women like that. As Stephanie investigates the darker underbelly of Trenton, she crosses paths with volatile men like Benito Ramirez, a boxer with a violent temper played by Gavin Keith Umeh, and Benito's manager, Jimmy Alpha, played by John Leguizamo. ``I'm the boss, says Leguizamo. ``I'm the alpha male in the movie. I'm a boxing manager and I've got my fighters that I promote and I'm trying to just make an honest living like a regular guy. Observes Rosenberg, ``John had different approaches to each take, he ad-libbed new lines that were really very good. He gave us a lot of options to work with. He's a very creative actor who actually makes his role better. All of these characters come together to create the vibrant diversity of Trenton, N.J., a city Evanovich knows well from her early years and which serves as the setting for the entire Plum series. Stephanie's particular neighborhood, known as ``The Burg, is an area with a strong cultural identity, a lot of attitude and plenty of food. ``The Burg is a real character in the film, says Evanovich. ``It's an inner city neighborhood, a little enclave of second-generation Americans. They're proud to be Americans and they're working class people for the most part. They have their rituals. They sit down to pot roast dinner at five o'clock and you'd better not be late. They gossip at the deli - this is the major way that information is passed in the Burg - and it's a very family-oriented situation. I like that the neighborhood is a family. The production team searched extensively for locations that would stand in for Trenton as it looked fifteen years ago, finally settling on Pittsburgh, PA and its outlying areas. ``The look of the film is urban and it's not pretentious, Lucchesi says. ``It's very middle and working class, and Pittsburgh afforded us a number of locations. We shot in Braddock, which was once a thriving steel town. We also shot in a neighborhood called Friendship and in Bloomfield, which is the Italian-American district. That's where the Plum house is and it felt very right for Stephanie. ``There wasn't one set that I went to and thought, 'I think that should be different,' or, 'It looked different in my mind,' asserts Heigl. ``The look of this film is so vital. It was really important to all of us that this film not look like a glossy romantic comedy, because that's not what this is. It has the romance. It has the comedy. But it's also a murder mystery that takes place in Jersey. It has tough characters and a really blue-collar sense to the whole thing. These are real people in real situations. Lucchesi hopes that Evanovich's loyal fans will experience a similar thrill watching the film as they did reading the novel. ``In most of the Plum novels, there are murders, people die and Stephanie's life is in danger, he says. ``But at the same time you've got characters like Grandma Mazur and Lula or Vinnie Plum who deliver broad character comedy. So you have this interesting blend of comedy and drama and action. That's what sets these books apart. And I think we've achieved that in our film version. Evanovich agrees wholeheartedly. ``I think the movie was very successful in translating the tone of my book. In fact, I think it enhances it. This is an action adventure film. The movie is fast paced. It is sexy, it is funny, it is Jersey. I love the movie. Even if I didn't write the book I'd love the movie. ABOUT THE CAST KATHERINE HEIGL (Stephanie Plum, Executive Producer) became a box-office sensation starring first in Judd Apatow's smash hit comedy, "Knocked Up," followed by a starring turn with Ed Burns and James Marsden in the romantic comedy, "27 Dresses," and then opposite Gerard Butler in the romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," which she also executive produced. These earned Heigl ``Female Star of the Year honors at the 2010 ShoWest awards. Heigl will next be seen starring in Gary Marshall's "New Year's Eve" opposite Jon Bon Jovi for New Line Pictures, and recently completed filming on "The Wedding" alongside Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried and Topher Grace. Heigl's film credits include "Life As We Know It," opposite Josh Duhamel, directed by Greg Berlanti; the action comedy ``Killers, opposite Ashton Kutcher for director Robert Luketic; the comedy "The Ringer"; Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed depression-era drama "King of the Hill"; "Under Seige 2: Dark Territory"; "Stand-Ins" and "That Night." Her first feature film leading role was in Touchstone Pictures' "My Father the Hero," starring opposite Gerard Depardieu. Heigl will star in "The Knitting Circle" for HBO Films, executive producing the project with her mother and producing partner, Nancy Heigl, under their Abishag banner, alongside Pine Street Pictures. Craig Wright is writing the screenplay adaptation, based on the best-selling novel by Ann Hood. Abishag also recently announced that they will executive produce an original series, "Trending," for The CW Network. They are partnering with Lakeshore Entertainment and CBS TV Studios on the project. Gren Wells is writing the pilot. On television, for six seasons, Heigl portrayed 'Dr. Isobel ``Izzie Stevens', the small-town girl constantly battling for respect amongst her peers, on ABC's critically acclaimed drama "Grey's Anatomy." In 2007, Heigl earned a Primetime Emmy(R) Award and a Golden Globe(R) nomination for her performance. Heigl also starred on the WB sci-fi drama series, "Roswell." In May of 2009, Katherine Heigl and her mother Nancy launched the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation in honor of her older brother, who died much too young in an automobile accident and whose strong, compassionate nature and great love of animals was the cornerstone of their endeavors. The Heigls are using their resources to work directly to address the pet population crises in Los Angeles and across the country. Toward that goal, the Foundation launched the ``Compassion Revolution in September of 2010, pledging over one million dollars to a variety of low cost and free spay/neuter programs in Los Angeles and surrounding counties, as a key component to reducing the number of animals in shelters. The Foundation also presently funds pet education programs, actively supports pet adoption programs, and fund and supports small dog transport from local kill shelters to both no kill shelters and rescues facilities throughout the country. To date the Foundation has funded the transport of over 4500 animals out of high kill shelters to areas where they are rapidly adopted. JASON O'MARA (Joseph Morelli) stars in the Fox series "Terra Nova." The science-fiction drama, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, premiered on September 26, 2011. The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony established in prehistoric Earth, as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race. O'Mara stars as the show's patriarch, 'Jim Shannon.' O'Mara made his U.S. television debut in 2001 as 'Lt. Thomas Meehan' in the Emmy(R) award-winning and critically acclaimed HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers." The following year, O'Mara starred as a regular on the CBS espionage series, "The Agency." He then continued to establish himself by taking multi-episode character arcs on several hit television series' including "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees" and "The Closer." In 2006, O'Mara starred opposite Kyle MacLachlan in the crime drama series "In Justice." In 2007, O'Mara made his feature film debut opposite Milla Jovovich in "Resident Evil: Extinction." Returning to television in 2008, he notably starred as time-traveling detective ``Sam Tyler in ABC's U.S. adaptation of the British drama series "Life on Mars." Although the series only aired for one season, O'Mara received critical accolades for his performance. Born and raised in Ireland, O'Mara never planned on acting as a profession. He was an avid rugby player and it wasn't until he suffered a sports injury that he was introduced to acting. While recovering, O'Mara tried out for the school play and won a part. The thrill of opening night sealed his fate, and his former passion for sports transferred to acting. He then attended Trinity College in Dublin, where he received his degree in drama. His British television credits include the BAFTA-winning "Playing the Field," "Berkeley Square" and the hugely popular "Monarch of the Glen." On the London stage, O'Mara appeared in "Popcorn" at the Apollo Theatre, "The Jew of Malta" at the Almeida Theatre and "The School for Scandal" with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He went on to join the ensemble of the award-winning production of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" with Ian Holm, which played in Dublin, London and at Lincoln Center in New York. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2002 Irish Theatre Awards for his performance in "Bash," written and directed by Neil LaBute. Returning to the London stage in 2010, O'Mara starred in "Serenading Louie" at the world-famous Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden. O'Mara is married to actress Paige Turco and has one son, David. The family divides their time between New York and Los Angeles, and makes frequent trips to Ireland. DANIEL SUNJATA (Ranger) is best known for his portrayal of firefighter 'Franco Rivera' in the critically-acclaimed FX series "Rescue Me" opposite Denis Leary for seven seasons. In 2006, Sunjata portrayed fashion designer 'James Holt,' in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, "The Devil Wears Prada," starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway and in the romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" alongside Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey. Sunjata's additional film credits include "Bad Company," which starred Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock; the 2004 Woody Allen film ``Melinda Melinda opposite Will Ferrell; and "Noel," starring Penelope Cruz and Susan Sarandon. Sunjata garnered rave reviews for his portrayals of Langston Hughes in the 2004 Rodney Evans film "Brother to Brother" as well as legendary baseball player Reggie Jackson in the ESPN TV series, "The Bronx is Burning." Sunjata's other television credits include notable appearances on "Love Monkey," "Law & Order, ``Law & Order: SVU," "Sex and the City," Showtime's film "The Feast of All Saints" and starring role alongside Andie MacDowell in "At Risk" and "The Front" - two movies adapted from the novels of America's 1 best-selling crime-writer Patricia Cornwell. Sunjata's repertoire is not only limited to film and television though. He was nominated for a Tony award for his role as 'Darren Lemming' in "Take Me Out," the 2003 Tony award-winning play by Richard Greenberg. He has also appeared in "Henry VIII" at the New York Shakespeare Festival, "Twelfth Night" at the Guthrie Theater and "Cyrano de Bergerac" opposite Kevin Klein at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Born in Evanston, IL, Sunjata was raised in Chicago and graduated from Mount Carmel High School. He did his undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University and the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and received his Masters degree in Fine Arts from New York University. Sunjata recently wrapped production on the next installment of the Christopher Nolan "Batman" franchise in "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" opposite Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway. He will next be seen in the independent drama "Gone" opposite Amanda Seyfried. Sunjata currently resides in Los Angeles. A multi-faceted performer and Primetime Emmy(R) Award winner, JOHN LEGUIZAMO (Jimmy Alpha) has established a career that defies categorization. With boundless energy and creativity, his work in film, theatre, television and literature covers a variety of genres, continually threatening to create a few of its own. Leguizamo can most recently be seen in ``The Lincoln Lawyer opposite Matthew McConaughey and the independent film "Vanishing on 7th Street" opposite Thandie Newton and Hayden Christensen. He also reprised his voice-over role of 'Sid' in "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" which was released with box office success in 2009. In 2008, Leguizamo starred in Overture Films' "Nothing Like the Holidays" opposite Debra Messing and Alfred Molina. In addition to this, Leguizamo starred in the independent film "Where God Left His Shoes," in which he plays a struggling boxer desperately seeking a home for his family during the holidays. Leguizamo's other recent film credits include "Love in the Time of Cholera," "The Happening," "Righteous Kill," "The Babysitters," and "The Take." In addition, Leguizamo has led his talents to a slew of other films including "Gamer," "Miracle at St. Anna," "Land of the Dead," "The Groomsmen," "Lies & Alibis," "Assault on Precinct 13," "Sueno," "Spin," "Moulin Rouge," "Summer of Sam," "King of the Jungle," "Spawn," "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," "Dr. Doolittle," "Carlito's Way" and "Casualties of War." For his performance as a sensitive drag queen in "Too Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, Leguizamo garnered a Golden Globe(R) nomination for Best Supporting Actor. John also won the ALMA Award for Best Lead Actor in ``Nothing Like the Holidays. Leguizamo has previously received ALMA Award nominations for his roles in "Moulin Rouge" (Best Supporting Actor) and "King of the Jungle" (Best Lead Actor). In the summer of 2007, Leguizamo returned to television in Spike TV's limited series "The Kill Point," in which he played the leader of a gang of bank robbers who had recently returned from serving in Iraq. Additionally, the ever versatile Leguizamo appeared as a guest star in twelve episodes of NBC's cornerstone drama "ER" during the 2005/2006 season, and in 2006 did a guest star arc on the NBC hit "My Name is Earl." Going back to his theatrical roots, Leguizamo recently returned to Broadway in a revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo," which centers around the twisted plot of three men attempting to steal a rare coin. In 1991, Leguizamo created an off-Broadway sensation as the writer and performer of his one-man show ``Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different characters. He received Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Vanguardia awards for his performance. The play's HBO special led to his first television comedy special, Comedy Central's ``The Talent Pool, for which he received a CableACE Award. His second one-man show, ``Spic-O-Rama, had an exte