TV Interview!
Interviews with Nicholas Colia and Everett Blunck of the movie “Griffin in Summer” by Suzanne 8/21/25
It was a lot of fun to chat with both of these guys. Nicholas is the brilliant mind behind the movie, and Everett is the talented young actor who stars as Griffin. It’s always great to enjoy a film and then pick the brains of the people in or behind it. They did not disappoint! Don’t forget to watch “Griffin in Summer,” which premieres August 29th in theaters everywhere.
Nicholas Colia
Everett Blunck
MORE INFO: Official Site Trailer
VERTICAL PRESENTS:
GRIFFIN IN SUMMER
Written & Directed by: Nicholas Colia
Produced by: Juliet Berman, Bobby Hoppey, Camila Mendes, Rachel Matthews, Matthew Miller
Executive Produced by: Fred Bryant, Cullen Conly, Alex Tynion
Starring:
Everett Blunck (The Old Way)
Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)
Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)
Abby Ryder Fortson (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret)
Kathryn Newton (Lisa Frankenstein)
RT: 90 minutes
SYNOPSIS
Griffin Nafly (Everett Blunck) is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. He’s also fourteen years old and living with his parents in a humdrum suburb while dreaming of moving to New York City. When his mom (Melanie Lynskey) hires a handsome 25-year-old handyman (Owen Teague), Griffin’s life and his new play take an inspired turn. Also starring Kathryn Newton and Abby Ryder Fortson.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
On March 13th 2020, I left Brooklyn, moved back home to Massachusetts for what I thought would be a couple weeks. I ended up staying for several months, and like a lot of people, found myself languishing. A year out of NYU Graduate Film School, I had come to the end of the road on various script collaborations I had spent the past couple years working on and was generally adrift. So, with seemingly nothing certain in the future, I decided to look backwards, digitize all our old home movies. Amongst the endless baby videos, the now colorless weddings of relatives since divorced, I found dust-covered VHS tapes of the various plays and films I had directed out of my parents’ basement as a teen but hadn’t really revisited since. Watching them back as an adult, I was finally at a place where I was able to see the unintentional absurdity of these productions.
While Griffin is not my exact autobiography (he loves writing new dramas, I preferred directing old comedies. Think Neil Simon), these shows were still all a bunch of young teens in bad wigs, with wrinkles drawn on their faces, sipping fake martinis as they discussed their divorces. I became obsessed with this notion of kids playing adult. And, more than anyone onstage, with the overzealous teen at the center of it all, choosing to spend the bulk of his pubescent years striving for theatrical professionalism whilst avoiding his actual impending adulthood. I combined these themes with a handyman crush element from a short film of mine, and the journey of Griffin in Summer began.
Five years later and we are finally releasing Griffin into the world, it’s taking on a life of its own. Part of this has been seeing the phrase “queer coming-of-age” attached to our film. While not inaccurate, it still feels surprising for me as this was never really something I thought about. Griffin’s queerness is not incidental, but it’s also not the source of the central conflict in the film. Ultimately, I just wanted to make a comedy that felt wildly personal and actually got made. In terms of what I hope audiences will take away from the film, I’d be pleased if they picked up on any of the more thematic elements described above. But truly, I just hope they fucking laugh. Thanks! – Nicholas Colia, 2025
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
NICHOLAS COLIA (Writer & Director)
Nicholas Colia is a Brooklyn based filmmaker. He received his MFA from NYU Graduate Film School where he was the recipient of the Martin Scorsese and Maurice Kanbar Scholarships. His award winning short films include Alex and the Handyman and Untitled Short Film About White People. His first feature, Griffin in Summer, premiered at the Tribeca Festival where it received awards for Best US Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and the Special Jury Mention for New Narrative Director. Since then, it’s played over twenty additional festivals across the US and Europe and was acquired for distribution by Vertical Entertainment. He was recently nominated for the Someone to Watch Award at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards.
JULIET BERMAN (Producer)
Juliet Berman is a film and television producer with experience working in both the independent and studio/streamer space.
Since forming Spiral Stairs Entertainment in 2023, Berman has produced two features, a remake of the 1991 cult classic DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD which was released wide theatrically in April 2024 before streaming on BET+ and independent comedy GRIFFIN IN SUMMER, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024 where it won the Founders Award for Best US Narrative Feature as well as Best Screenplay and a jury mention for Best New Director. She is currently in post-production on DEAD LETTERS, an independent drama starring Margo Martindale, Cole Sprouse, Stephen Root and Yalitza Aparicio.
Previously, Berman was the Head of Production for Treehouse Pictures where she built a film and television slate from the ground up and managed an in-house fund for independent development/production financing. During her ten-year tenure at Treehouse, she brought in and oversaw a diverse range of films, including the Italian drama MEDITERRANEA written and directed by Jonas Carpignano which premiered at Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, Iraq war film SAND CASTLE, starring Nick Hoult and Henry Cavill and the romantic comedy SET IT UP starring Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch, which was developed based on her original idea and was Netflix’s top-performing movie in over 200 territories in the summer of 2018.
Prior to Treehouse, Berman worked at New Line Cinema, Summit Entertainment and Anonymous Content. She grew up in Los Angeles and graduated with honors from Columbia University.
BOBBY HOPPEY (Producer)
Known for championing talent, Bobby Hoppey has over a decade of experience in film and television development. Bobby’s executive experience includes indie finance shops Complementary Colors, Valparaiso Pictures, and Echo Lake Entertainment where he oversaw their respective in-house project slates. His most recent producorial credits include Neon’s PIG starring Nicolas Cage (streaming on Hulu), and the LGBTQ rom-com STRAIGHT UP (streaming on Netflix) – both Independent Spirit Award nominees. Bobby currently has a number of feature projects in development through his new production shingle, Coveside Films. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Corporate Communications from Elon University.
RACHEL MATTHEWS (Producer)
Rachel Matthews is an actress and producer, and a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is known for her work in Disney’s Frozen II, Universal’s Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, Lionsgate’s The Duel, CW’s Batwoman, Hulu’s Looking for Alaska, Netflix’s Do Revenge, and Upgraded, which reached #1 worldwide on Prime Video. She is also the co-founder of Honor Role, a production company she launched with Camila Mendes. Honor Role produced Griffin in Summer, which won the Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and will be premiering in theaters this summer and most recently produced Idiotka which premiered at SXSW and has been acquired by Utopia for a theatrical release.
CAMILA MENDES (Producer)
Camila Mendes is a Brazilian American actress and producer best known for her role as Veronica Lodge on the CW’s hit series Riverdale. In 2020, she appeared in the critically acclaimed sci-fi/comedy Palm Springs,followed by Netflix’s Do Revenge in 2022. After wrapping her seventh and final season of Riverdale in 2023, Mendes launched production company Honor Role alongside her fellow NYU Tisch graduate Rachel Matthews. Mendes and Matthews previously collaborated as executive producers on Upgraded, a romantic comedy in which they also starred. The film premiered on Amazon and remained the platform’s number one film globally for several weeks. Their latest project, Idiotka, which also stars Mendes, premiered at SXSW to glowing reviews and was acquired by Utopia for a theatrical release. Mendes also served as an executive producer on Amazon’s critically acclaimed Música, in which she starred opposite director Rudy Mancuso. Next year, she will star in Mattel’s live-action film, Masters of the Universe,portraying the character of Teela alongside Nicholas Galitzine, Alison Brie, and Idris Elba.
MATTHEW LEE MILLER (Producer)
Matthew Lee Miller is the co-founder and owner of Vanishing Angle, a critically acclaimed production company known for championing innovative independent films. A Spirit Award and Critics Choice Award-nominated producer, Matt has produced over seventeen feature films and has executive produced, co-produced, or line produced over ten others. His work also includes more than thirty short films, several digital series, and numerous music videos and commercials. His projects have premiered and won awards at top festivals worldwide, including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes, and Berlinale. Before shifting his focus to producing, Matt spent years working in production as an assistant director and set PA, gaining hands-on experience under some of the industry’s most respected filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Noah Baumbach, Gus Van Sant, Clint Eastwood, and Sean Penn. These experiences shaped his approach to fostering a collaborative and supportive production environment. Through Vanishing Angle, Matt continues to support emerging talent while maintaining long-term collaborations with filmmakers. Recent projects include Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead which recently won the audience award at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, and The Edge Of Normal, starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Rupert Friend, which recently wrapped production. For more, visit www.vanishingangle.com.
FRED BRYANT (Executive Producer)
Fred is a Richmond, Virginia-based serial entrepreneur. Over the past decade, he has founded, built, run, and exited businesses across various industries. Before his private sector career, Fred served as a decorated officer in the United States Army, where he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). He currently oversees several companies he has founded and serves as a Board Member and advisor to several privately held businesses. Fred is a University of Richmond graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
CULLEN CONLY (Executive Producer)
Cullen Conly is a literary manager and producer at Anonymous Content. Among his clients are Academy Award winner Sian Heder (CODA), Cory Finley (Bad Education), Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) and Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge! The Musical). Prior to Mosaic, he was a Motion Picture Literary agent in the New York offices of ICM Partners. Before representation, Conly was the Manager of the Feature Film Program of the Sundance Institute, where he worked in the Screenwriter and Director Labs. Among the filmmakers he supported in that program are Ryan Coogler, David Lowery, Marielle Heller, Sara Colangelo, Sean Durkin, Benh Zeitlin, Lena Dunham and Ry Russo-Young. Before Sundance, Conly worked in development and production at Paramount Vantage and began his film career in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency.
BETSY FIPPINGER (Casting Director)
Betsy Fippinger has trained under some of the best casting directors in New York, including Meredith Tucker, Ellen Lewis, Ellen Chenoweth, and Shayna Markowitz. As a casting associate and assistant, she worked on projects directed by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Bo Burnham, Greg Mottola, and Lynn Shelton. She won an Artios Award for her work as the casting associate on the pilot episode of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. As a casting director, Betsy cast the pivotal youth roles of ‘Margaret’ and ‘Nancy’ in “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret” for Lionsgate. Her upcoming films include Jane Weinstock’s “Three Birthdays”, Patrick Clement’s “Bury Me When I’m Dead” and Sarah Friedland’s “Familiar Touch”. Before entering casting, Betsy worked at HBO and the William Morris Agency and graduated with a BFA in Film from Wesleyan University in 2003.
MEREDITH TUCKER (Casting Director)
Meredith Tucker is a New York-based casting director. Credits include THE WHITE LOTUS (Emmy Win), BOARDWALK EMPIRE (Emmy win and nomination), VEEP (Emmy win and nomination/New York Casting) and WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS, all for HBO; UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (Emmy Nomination) and the upcoming THE RESIDENCE for Netflix; GODFATHER OF HARLEM for MGM+ and DEFENDING JACOB for Apple TV+. Recent film highlights are EIGHTH GRADE, BRAD’S STATUS, BEATRIZ AT DINNER, IRRESISTIBLE, and SET IT UP.
Prior to breaking out on her own, she worked for Walken/Jaffe Casting on THE SOPRANOS from Season 3 on, and co-cast Seasons 1 & 2 of ENTOURAGE (Emmy nomination). She also worked for Casting Director Howard Feuer on films helmed by directors including Jonathan Demme, Alan Parker, Tom Hanks, Peter Weir, Barbet Schroeder, Harold Ramis and Gus Van Sant.
FELIPE VARA DE REY (Director of Photography)
Felipe Vara de Rey is a Madrid-born, LA-based director of photography. After obtaining a Fulbright Scholarship, Felipe moved to New York City to pursue NYU’s Graduate Film program, where he has now served as an adjunct professor for the cinematography department for the past seven years.
Felipe’s body of work as a cinematographer includes commercials, music videos, documentaries and long-form narrative projects. He’s recently shot the sci-fi thriller BREATHE, directed by Stefon Bristol and produced by Thunder Road Pictures; the film FIRE ISLAND, directed by Andrew Ahn for for Searchlight; the four-part HBO documentary series ‘NYC Epicenters’, directed by Spike Lee; and the rom-com LONG WEEKEND, directed by Steve Basilone and distributed by Sony Classic Pictures.
ABOUT THE CAST
EVERETT BLUNCK
Everett Blunck was the breakout star of GRIFFIN IN SUMMER, from filmmaker Nicholas Colia, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024 where it took home the festival’s top prize for Best Narrative Feature. The film will release in theaters later this summer. He was most recently seen in the lead role in Charlie Polinger’s directorial debut, THE PLAGUE, which had its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Everett is currently in production on Jonathan Glatzer’s upcoming AMC series, THE AUDACITY, with Billy Magnussen, Sarah Goldberg, and Zach Galifianakis. Additional film credits include OUTLAW POSSE (dir. Mario Van Peebles), BLOOD FOR DUST (dir. Rod Blackhurst), and THE OLD WAY starring Nicolas Cage (dir. Brett Donowho).
OWEN TEAGUE
Teague’s range and versatility as an actor is robustly captured on both big and small screens, as witnessed in his numerous television, theatrical, and streaming credits. Teague’s performance in 20th Century’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is earning him high praise with film critics worldwide and opened number one at the box office during its first weekend. 2023 was a busy year for Owen, the widely-praised actor with co-starring roles in two films which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: writer/director Nicole Holofcener’s comedy “You Hurt My Feelings,” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies released by A24 in January; and “Eileen,” a mystery-thriller directed by William Oldroyd, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie released by Neon in December. In 2022, Teague received unanimous praise for his role in the critically acclaimed drama “To Leslie,” as Andrea Riseborough’s son, James, which debuted at SXSW Film Festival and was released by Momentum Pictures in October (and resulted in an Oscar® nomination for Riseborough as best actress). He also starred in “Montana Story” opposite Haley Lu Richardson, released by Bleecker Street in April of that year. Additional film credits include “The Empty Man” and “Every Day.”
MELANIE LYNSKEY
New Zealand-born and Emmy Nominated actor Melanie Lynskey has become an industry staple, having amassed a plethora of thought-provoking roles in television and film over the course of 30 years.
Most recently, Melanie starred opposite Christina Ricci and Tawny Cypress in the 10-time Emmy-nominated Showtime series Yellowjackets, which had its season 3 finale on April 13th to much acclaim. She plays Shauna Sadecki, a player on a team of wildly talented high school soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. Melanie has received high praise for her performance, including two Emmy Nominations, a Critic’s Choice Award win for Best Actress in a Drama Series and a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in a New Series.
Upcoming, Lynskey will lead Pike River as Anna Osborne, opposite Robyn Malcom and directed by Robert Sarkies. The film is centered around the 2010 Pike River tragedy and captures the profound impact of one of the worst mining disasters in New Zealand’s history.
Lynskey was seen in the film Griffin in the Summer alongside Everett Blunck, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. In this coming-of-age story, ambitious fourteen-year-old, Griffin Nafly, is putting on a dramatic new play when his attention begins to drift toward Brad, a handyman working at his house, his life will never be the same. The film won three awards at Tribeca Film Festival, including Best Screenplay.
In 2024, Lynskey starred in Peacock’s limited series The Tattooist of Auschwitz alongside Jonah Hauer King, which premiered May 2nd. She portrays Heather Morris, the writer of the heartbreaking true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov’s time in Auschwitz Birkenau.
Lynskey recently starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed The Last of Us, a series adaptation of the widely popular 2013 PlayStation video game of the same name. Written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, Melanie stars alongside Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay, Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman. The first episode premiered on January 15, 2023 and drew4.7M viewers across linear and HBO Max, marking the second-largest debut for the network since 2010.
Lynskey picked up a Guest Actress Emmy nomination for her role, which was one of the twenty-four the show was nominated for.
Lynskey’s career began in 1994 with the release of Peter Jackson’s acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures, which earned her a New Zealand Film Award for Best Actress. Subsequent film credits include Adam Mckay’s Don’t Look Up, Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Steven Soderbergh’s TheInformant, Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Megan Griffith’s Sadie, Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, Jason Reitman’s Up in The Air, Justin and Christian Long’s Lady of the Manor, Andy Tennant’s Ever After and Sweet Home Alabama, Jamie Babbit’s But I’m A Cheerleader, Clint Eastwood’s Flags Of Our Fathers, Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, Angus MacLachlan’s Goodbye To All That, Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, for which Lynskey was nominated for a Gotham Award for Best Actress, and Clea Duvall’s debut feature, The Intervention, which earned her the US Special Jury Prize for Individual Performance at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2012, Lynskey played the lead role in Todd Louiso’s film Hello I Must Be Going. The film opened the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was rated one of the Top Ten Independent Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. Lynskey’s performance earned her critical praise and a nomination for a 2012 Gotham Independent Film Award in the category of Breakthrough Actor.
On the small screen, Melanie starred in Hulu’s crime thriller Candy opposite Jessica Biel. The series tells the true story of Candy Montgomery, a Texas housewife who infamously murdered her friend Betty Gore, played by Lynskey, with an ax in 1980. She received a Critic’s Choice nomination for her performance in the series. Additional television credits include: Hulu’s Mrs. America opposite Uzo Aduba and Cate Blanchett and Castle Rock, opposite André Holland, Sissy Spacek and Bill Skarsgård; Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later and Girlboss; the Duplass brothers’ critically acclaimed HBO show, Togetherness in which she was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award for her performance in the series. Lynskey voiced the character Beatrice in Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall, which won the 2015 Emmy for Best Animated Program; and from 2003-2015, Lynskey had a popular recurring role as Rose in the hit TV show Two and A Half Men.
Melanie currently resides in Los Angeles, with her partner, actor and producer, Jason Ritter and their daughter.
ABBY RYDER FORTSON
Abby Ryder Fortson recently starred in the title role for Lionsgate’s feature adaptation of Judy Blume’s beloved novel, ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, opposite Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie.
In addition to her work in MARGARET, she can also be seen as ‘Cassie Lang’ in Marvel feature films ANT-MAN and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, where she earned widespread praise for her scene-stealing performance opposite Paul Rudd. Abby also played Kara in GRIFFIN IN SUMMER an indie film that recently got accepted to the Tribecca film festival. Prior to that, Abby starred as ‘Young CJ’ opposite Betty Gilpin in the DreamWorks and Universal feature, A DOG’S JOURNEY.
Abby is also active in TV and reoccurred in the Golden Globe winning Amazon series, TRANSPARENT. She can be seen in the Amazon series TALES FROM THE LOOP and as a series regular in the HBO series, TOGETHERNESS. Additional credits for Abby include Spielberg’s ABC series, THE WHISPERS, and the Duplass Brothers’ HBO show, ROOM 104.
Entertainment Weekly named Abby “One of TVs Most Valuable Kids” and “One of the Top Child Actors to Watch.” She was also awarded RISING STAR OF THE YEAR at CinemaCon in April 2023, and nominated for Critic Choice Awards, Best Young Actress in 2024.
KATHRYN NEWTON
Kathryn Newton most recently starred opposite Cole Sprouse in Zelda Williams’ directorial debut, LISA FRANKENSTEIN, which was written by Oscar-winner Diablo Cody and will be released by Focus Features on February 9. She will also be seen opposite Connie Britton and Zach Galifianakis in WINNER, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and Universal’s ABIGAIL alongside Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, and Angus Cloud.
Newton recently starred in Marvel’s ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, in which she stars as ‘Cassie Lang’ opposite Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer – the film made almost $500 million at the box office and was nominated for a 2024 People’s Choice Award for “Action Movie for the Year.” Upcoming, she will be one of the few new actors that will lead Marvel’s next iteration of the MCU in Phases 5 & 6.
Newton is well known for starring in HBO’S Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series, BIG LITTLE LIES, for which she was nominated for a SAG Award as part of the ensemble. She also starred in Netflix’s popular series, THE SOCIETY; Kay Cannon’s BLOCKERS, which made almost $100 million at the box office and was the highest earning R-rated comedy of 2018; and POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU opposite Ryan Reynolds, which made $450 million.
Newton’s other film credits include Amazon’s THE MAP OF TINY PERFECT THINGS; THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI for which she was nominated for a SAG Award as part of the ensemble; Universal’s FREAKY opposite Vince Vaughn; Greta Gerwig’s LADY BIRD; and Peter Hedges’ BEN IS BACK.
Newton is also an extremely accomplished golfer, having played in some of the most prestigious international golf tournaments including the Celebrity Ryder Cup. She is a champion for women in the sport and was recently named as the newest ambassador for the R&A.
ALIVIA BELLAMY
Alivia Bellamy, a talented young actress, has quickly made a name for herself in the world of film, theater and TV. She recently starred as Pam Vanderworm in Griffin in Summer, directed by Nicholas Colia, which is set to world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival June 2024.
Alivia honed her craft through rigorous training at Richmond, Virginia’s Cadence Theatre Company, where she studied under esteemed instructors such as Laine Satterfield and Jana Ferrell. Her dedication to the art of acting was evident from an early age, participating in various theater productions such as Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Black Girl Magic, and Heathers: The Musical, all of which have helped shape her into the skilled performer she is today.
Born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, Alivia’s passion for acting was ignited at a young age by watching classic films like the 1934 classic Imitation of Life and theater productions like Diana Ross’s The Wiz with her grandmother. Her commitment to her craft and ability to bring depth and authenticity to her characters have earned her praise from peers and mentors alike.
Looking ahead, Alivia aspires to explore diverse and challenging roles that push her creative boundaries. She is particularly interested in memorable characters and hopes to continue to work with visionary directors and writers who share her passion for storytelling. Outside of acting, Alivia enjoys watching movies, singing, listening to old school music, and collecting vintage albums, all of which she believes enrich her performances and provide a well-rounded appreciation of the arts.
JOHANNA COLÓN
Johanna Colón first entered the spotlight at the age of 6 when her dance recital video to Aretha Franklin’s RESPECT went wildly viral earning more than 80 million views world wide. After appearances on NBC’s Little Big Shot and The Ellen Show she began acting in television on TBS’ The Guest Book (2017) and HBO’s Euphoria (2019) and in film as Smash in Troop Zero (2019) on Amazon and as Lucia in Feel The Beat (2020) on Netflix. She made her voice over debut as Becky in Little Ellen (2021) making her dream of becoming a cartoon a reality. Johanna is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent and loves singing, dancing and performing improv with her troop.
MICHAEL ESPER
Michael Esper plays a supporting role in the recently released film THE CREATOR, for writer/director Gareth Edwards, and starred opposite Rebecca Hall in RESURRECTION (dir. Andrew Semans). Other features include BEAU IS AFRAID (dir. Ari Aster), BEN IS BACK (dir. Peter Hedges) starring Julia Roberts, RUNNER, RUNNER (dir. Brad Furman), FRANCES HA (dir. Noah Baumbach), THE DROP (dir. Michael R. Roskam), ALL GOOD THINGS (dir. Andrew Jarecki) and A BEAUTIFUL MIND (dir. Ron Howard).
Esper has a Recurring Role in the new Amazon series, FALLOUT and a Guest Starring Role in the recently released series, THE GIRLS ON THE BUS for HBO Max. He recently starred in FLORIDA MAN opposite Edgar Ramirez, currently airing on Netflix. He was a Series Regular in TRUST (FX) starring opposite Donald Sutherland and Hilary Swank. Recurring Roles include THE OUTSIDER (HBO), RAY DONOVAN and NURSE JACKIE (Showtime), THE FAMILY (ABC), SHADES OF BLUE (NBC), PERSON OF INTEREST, THE GOOD WIFE and BRAINDEAD (CBS) and has Guest Starred in JULIA (HBO MAX), PRODIGAL SON (Fox), REPRISAL (Hulu), ELEMENTARY (CBS) and HALT AND CATCH FIRE (AMC). Esper is currently in the Tony nominated Broadway hit, APPROPRIATE with Sarah Paulson (Belasco Theater). He has originated several Leading Roles on Broadway and Off including Sting’s THE LAST SHIP, the Tony nominated production of THE LYONS, the multiple Tony award winning musical, AMERICAN IDIOT, and Roundabout Theater Company’s critically acclaimed production of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Other New York Theatre credits include CATCH AS CATCH CAN (New Ohio Theatre), LAZARUS (NYTW AND LONDON), THE AGONY AND THE AGONY, AS YOU LIKE IT (The Public), SLANTED! ENCHANTED!, PAVEMENT, THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES (The Public Theatre), BIG BILL (Lincoln Center Theater), ASSISTANCE, CRAZY MARY, MANIC FLIGHT REACTION (Playwrights Horizons), THE FOUR OF US (Manhattan Theatre Club), and subUrbia (Second Stage Theatre), THE GLASS MENAGERIE (LONDON WEST END) Regional credits include LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (The Druid Theatre Company & the Dublin Theatre Festival) and ME, MYSELF, AND I (The McCarter), TALES FROM RED VIENNA (MTC) .
IAN HERNANDEZ-OROPEZA
14 year old Puerto Rican actor, Ian Hernandez-Oropeza, started his journey in 2020 through the IMTA competition where he won the Most Sought Out Talent award. He filmed his first short film in Los Angeles, “The Last Human Person on Earth,” directed by Ryan Hoskins and went on to work on the feature film “Over/Under” from Director, Sophia Silver that premiered in the Deauville American Festival in France.
Ian plays the principal role, alongside Jason London and Robert LaSardo on Danny LeGare’s “Blood Harvest”, currently streaming on Prime Video. In 2023, he worked alongside Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Everett Blunk on “Griffin in Summer” directed by Nicholas Colia, now premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and nominated for the Best US Narrative Feature Award.
Ian is proud of his heritage and continues to honor it by bringing Latinx characters to life through bilingual (English/Spanish) voiceover work for video games and audiobooks, as well as in his choice of acting roles.
Ian is very active on and off set. He is an outstanding student, plays competitive baseball and loves other sports such as golf, basketball, and table tennis. Ian lives at home in Florida with his parents, grandma and four dogs.
GORDON ROCKS
Gordon Rocks is an American actor who was born on December 2, 2009, in Sydney, Australia, to a family of Russian immigrants. Due to his father’s job (an airline pilot) Gordon spent the first years of his life in Miyazaki City and Tokyo (Japan). When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Southern California, where he began acting at the age of 10.
Gordon’s first onscreen appearance was as The Boy in Rene Perez’s western Righteous Blood (released on DVD and being streamed on Amazon since August 2021), where he played most of his scenes with Michael Paré.
Gordon is best known for his lead role of the Son in the short film Lemon Tree, directed by Rachel Walden, which had its World Premiere at the Directors Fortnight Division of Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, got qualified to be considered for Academy Awards, and is now streaming on MUBI.
CREDITS
| Written & Directed by | Nicholas Colia |
| Produced by
Starring |
Juliet Berman Bobby Hoppey Camila Mendes Rachel Matthews Matthew MillerEverett Blunck Melanie Lynskey Owen Teague Abby Ryder Fortson Kathryn Newton |
| Executive Produced by | Fred Bryant Cullen ConlyAlex Tynion |
| Edited by
|
Sam Levy Jon Higgins |
| Cinematography by | Felipe Vara de Rey
|
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
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