A CLASSIC PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WITH A TWIST

"Identity features some bold ideas," says director James Mangold. "It plays with conventions of suspense and shock and was an opportunity for me to work on a particular brand of film I admire, the single location thriller (Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Ridley Scott’s Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing). It’s a challenge to make this one place stay interesting for the length of the film."

The chilling originality of Michael Cooney’s screenplay for Identity is what first seduced producer Cathy Konrad. "It was a classic puzzle movie, a whodunit with a shocking surprise twist. But there was also something subversive and dangerous about it," she says. "In addition, the characters were fresh. Typically in this genre they serve the plot. Yet in this film, the characters are the plot."

Mangold and Konrad worked with Cooney on the script, adding dimension and shading to the characters. "What Jim emphasized was giving all the characters a point of view and situating them at a crucial point in their lives," says Konrad. "The material is very rich, but it’s subtle. We learn a great deal about these people in a brief period of time."

"I wanted to give each character a flaw and a secret," says Mangold, "something they are frightened of, something they’re protecting, something that implicates them."

Another original aspect of Identity that intrigued Mangold was that the film features a shocking revelation, which occurs long before the movie’s end. Mangold likens the moment in the film to "that sinking feeling in nightmares when it seems the very ground you’ve been standing on drops away. I couldn’t wait to film these scenes and see them cut together."

"The film is expertly set up," promises Konrad. "The audience will not be able to anticipate most of the surprise twists and turns. They’ll be looking elsewhere. Yet, the clues are there from the very first images of the film, which makes the movie both fun and challenging at the same time."

Mangold wanted strong actors for the film. For the role of Ed the limo driver, he turned to John Cusack. "John brings a subtle kind of humanity to even his most serious roles, a warmth that I felt would be a great asset to a story which, at times, is pretty dark and frightening," says Mangold.

"John has an amazing screen presence. His performances are filled with the contradictions that make a character real, yet the charm that makes them leap off the screen," adds Konrad.

As was true for Mangold and Konrad, Cusack found himself immediately taken with the script of Identity. "I’ve never seen a film where the twist happens at the beginning of the third act and there’s still more movie to go," says Cusack. "It just keeps on surprising you. It has so much edge."

Mangold reunited with Ray Liotta, with whom he’d worked on Cop Land, to play Officer Rhodes. "Ray creates truly unique characters, men brimming with wit and intelligence who also contain the potential for violence," Mangold explains. "There’s a sense of explosiveness behind Ray’s eyes, a fire, which was perfect for Rhodes."

"The main attraction for me was working with Jim again," says Liotta, "but also because it was a genre I hadn’t tackled. The characters are all compelling. They’re all fighting to find their way in the world. And it’s a very different kind of movie in terms of pacing. Just a couple of minutes into the movie it jumps into high gear and never slows down."

Another pivotal character was Paris, an ex-call girl with dreams of starting a new life. Amanda Peet "had just the right kind of raw energy to her, and a little bit of sass," says Konrad. "She’s a natural actress and, like John, able to move from a comic moment to a dramatic beat effortlessly."

"I was very frightened when I first read the script," Peet admits. "I was wandering around my apartment making sure all the doors and windows were locked. It’s very smart. And it really messes with your head."

Each of the other members of the ensemble brought another color, another element to the story, which was crucial to the success of the outcome. "It’s a testament to the actors that even after the truth has been revealed, the audience really wants to see it through," says Konrad, "to learn their ultimate fates."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

The dominant character in Identity, according to director James Mangold, may be the motel where all the film’s principals are trapped. "The motel needs to feel alive throughout the movie," says Mangold. "The palette and the shapes of the rooms all had to feel real, but also emphasize the terror of the characters."

"The right environment can also trigger an emotional response from the actors," Mangold explains. "There’s something desperate and marooned about all the characters in Identity. Having the actors pushed up against each other in a confined space is fascinating. There’s no way out for them, because the water and nature have hemmed everyone into this nightmare. They are powerless. Feeling that kind of claustrophobia can lead to fireworks."

To create the proper ambience of the roadside inn, Mangold collaborated for the second time with production designer Mark Friedberg (Kate & Leopold, Ice Storm, Far From Heaven), who says his primary task was to "make this one main set compelling enough to hold the audience’s attention for the duration of the film (the average movie has about 50 sets or locations)."

The motel was built in its entirety on stage 27, the second largest stage on Sony Pictures’ Culver City lot – though an exterior location, in the California desert about 20 miles east of Palmdale, was used for drive-up scenes and establishing shots. Given that most of the movie takes place at night in a rainstorm, however, both Mangold and producer Konrad agreed that it was easier to control the environment by shooting indoors most of the time. It would also add to the claustrophobic discomfort the characters are experiencing.

Friedberg and his crew required eight weeks to construct the motel, which filled the cavernous stage. The set was an engineering feat as well. It had to be carefully constructed so as to be leak-proof, and designed so that the constant rain would drain off without destroying the stage floors or walls. A giant rubber sub-floor was laid down over the stage floor and the motel was erected on it. The flooring for the set was made of gunite a material used in the construction of swimming pools.

"I wanted the water to completely envelop the actors and the camera frame," says Friedberg.

"Though the rain functions as a barrier to the characters’ escape, it’s not that easy to make it look real," says Konrad. "A system had to be devised through the installation of rain bars above the set, which would enable us to control the volume and direction of the water."

"The rain created a pretty consistent mood, which worked for the material," says Cusack. "We’d show up early in the morning, looking for coffee to wake us up before shooting started and then we’d get doused with cold water all day long. So remaining alert was never a problem."

Of course, Cusack’s character Ed is the only one who wears a raincoat in the film, much to the chagrin of his fellow actors. "How the hell did Ed know it was going to rain and no one else?" jokes Ray Liotta. "The rain was uncomfortable to be sure, but it really helped set the mood. It was like taking a cold shower all day long which, at times, was exhilarating."

Friedberg also enhanced the mood through his interior design scheme. Though the audience may not notice, the rose lattice patterned wallpaper in some of the rooms "looks almost like a chain link fence when you view it from a distance," says Konrad. Other rooms have striped wallpaper "which we consciously picked to look like bars, trapping people in."

So rich is the movie with detail, says Konrad, "that visitors to the set would all say the same thing: ‘I feel like I’ve been here on one of my bad road trips.’"

ABOUT THE CAST

JOHN CUSACK (Ed) is one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. He earned rave reviews for his portrayal of a clever young con-artist in Stephen Frears' The Grifters and received critical accolades for his performances in Eight Men Out, Say Anything and The Sure Thing. He has also made memorable cameo appearances in Robert Altman's Hollywood satire The Player and Tim Robbins' political comedy Bob Roberts.

With several movies completed and others in production, Cusack joins the ranks of Hollywood's busiest actors. He recently starred in Max for director Menno Meyjes as Max Rothman, a celebrated gallery owner who meets a fellow war veteran and aspiring artist, Adolf Hitler, and encourages him to paint. He will next star in The Runaway Jury with Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.

Other recent appearances include the romantic comedies Serendipity with Kate Beckinsale and America’s Sweethearts with Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal, directed by Revolution Studios chairman Joe Roth.

Cusack also starred in the critically acclaimed feature version of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, which he co-produced and co-wrote (with his New Crime partners Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis) earning him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor as well as a Writers Guild nomination for Best Screenplay. The film focuses on a Chicago slacker record storeowner who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.

In 1999, Cusack starred in Spike Jonze’s audaciously original dark comedy Being John Malkovich, in which he portrayed a puppeteer who finds a door in his office that allows him to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich. His co-stars were Catherine Keener and Cameron Diaz. His performance garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination as Best Actor. (More recently Cusack made an unbilled appearance playing himself during the filming of Malkovich in Jonze’s new film Adaptation). Cusack also co-starred (as Nelson Rockefeller) in Cradle Will Rock, an ensemble drama written and directed by Tim Robbins, which revolved around the attempt to stage a musical that has been banned by the government during the 1930s. That same year he starred in the HBO production "The Jack Bull," a traditional Western written by his father Dick Cusack. He also executive produced the film along with Pink and DeVincentis under their New Crime Productions banner.

Cusack also starred, with Billy Bob Thornton, in Pushing Tin, a comedy about the angst of air traffic controllers. The film was directed by Mike Newell and co-starred Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie. Prior to that he appeared in Terence Malick’s Oscar®-nominated World War II epic The Thin Red Line, as part of an ensemble cast that included George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Bill Pullman and John Travolta.

Cusack starred opposite his sister Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Minnie Driver in Grosse Pointe Blank, a dark comedy he also produced and co-wrote. Grosse Pointe Blank was the first project developed and produced under the New Crime banner. He appeared with Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi in the blockbuster action film Con Air, in Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with Kevin Spacey, and leant his voice to the animated feature Anastasia.

Other notable credits include City Hall opposite Al Pacino, Woody Allen’s Shadows and Fog and Bullets over Broadway, Tapeheads, Fat Man and Little Boy, The Road to Wellville, Map of the Human Heart, Money For Nothing and True Colors.

In addition to his film work, Cusack founded the New Crime Theater Company, which is based in Chicago. He has directed four plays with the group, including "Alagazam...After the Dog Years" and "Methusalem," which won him a Jeff Corey Citation for Best Director at Chicago's famed Joseph Jefferson Awards. The production also won awards for Best Original Music and Best Costume Design. He also directed a production of Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas."

RAY LIOTTA (Rhodes) has carved out an impressive filmography of both dramatic and comedic roles, working with the most diverse actors and directors in the motion picture industry. In Identity, he reunites with director James Mangold for whom he first appeared in Cop Land, which also starred Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro and Harvey Keitel.

Known for his versatility, Liotta went from sensitive and vulnerable in Corrina, Corrina to vicious and brutal in his feature film debut Something Wild, for which he was chosen as Best Actor from the Boston Film Critics Association and received a Golden Globe nomination.

In his next role, he portrayed a medical student caring for his mentally challenged brother in Dominick and Eugene opposite Tom Hulce. It was followed by a dynamic performance as the soul-searching ghost, 'Shoeless Joe Jackson,' in the 1989 Academy Award®-nominated Field of Dreams. It was DeNiro who suggested the actor for a starring role in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, in which he plays the half-Irish, half-Sicilian 'Henry Hill.' Liotta's lauded performance and the film's Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture fueled his ascent into the ranks of his generation's most highly respected and sought after actors.

Liotta is noted for his diligence in researching and developing his characters. He went undercover with the LAPD to create the over-the-edge-cop 'Officer Pete Davis' in the 1992 hit Unlawful Entry co-starring Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe.

Liotta has also received acclaim for his work on the small screen. His portrayal of Frank Sinatra in HBO’s "The Rat Pack" garnered Liotta a Screen Actors Guild nomination. He has also made an appearance, as himself, on NBC’s "Just Shoot Me."

Other film credits include Hannibal, John Q., Blow and Heartbreakers, Unforgettable, Operation Dumbo Drop, No Escape and Article 99.

Recently, Liotta added producing to his resume. Tiara Blu Productions, which Liotta runs with his wife, the actress Michelle Grace, and producing partner Diane Nabatoff, recently produced the highly acclaimed Narc, which had its world premiere at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. The film was subsequently acquired by Paramount Pictures and released last December. Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, Narc starred Liotta and Jason Patric. Liotta’s portrayal of a gritty Detroit detective garnered him a 2003 Independent Spirit Award nomination.

A New Jersey native who began acting while a student at the University of Miami, Liotta credits working on the stage and in musicals with helping to shape him as a performer.

AMANDA PEET (Paris) most recently starred in Igby Goes Down, Changing Lanes and High Crimes.

Other credits include the hit comedy The Whole Nine Yards opposite Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. Peet recently finished filming the sequel The Whole Ten Yards and is currently in production on Nancy Meyers’ (What Women Want, Father of the Bride) new romantic comedy co-starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Frances McDormand and Keanu Reeves.

Among Peet's other film credits are Isn't She Great starring Bette Midler and Nathan Lane, Southie with Donnie Wahlberg and Rose McGowan, the romantic comedy One Fine Day opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, as well as Body Shots, Simply Irresistible and Saving Silverman.

Peet is well known to television audiences for her role as Jack in the series "Jack & Jill," which focused on a young couple in Gotham.

On the stage, Peet has appeared in "Whale Music" for the Rattlestick Theater Company, "The Country Club" for the Long Wharf Theater, as well as "Awake and Sing," "Winter Lies" and "27 Sketches: Fear and Misery in the Third Reich."

JOHN HAWKES (Larry) won over audiences and critics alike with his soulful portrayal of Bugsy, the lovelorn sailor in The Perfect Storm. He recently starred opposite Keanu Reeves in Hardball as "Ticky," Reeves’ best friend and business partner.

Hawkes also starred in and co-produced the independent film, Don’t Try This at Home. Other feature credits include A Slipping Down Life, Playing God, and From Dusk ‘Till Dawn. This summer he was invited to participate in the Sundance Film Lab alongside Ed Harris, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Stanley Tucci, among others.

Hawkes has delivered memorable performances on television as well. He recently starred with Timothy Olyphant and Keith Carradine in the HBO pilot, "Deadwood" written by David Milch and directed by Walter Hill. In addition to a leading role in "Taken," Steven Spielberg’s mini-series for the Sci-Fi channel, he had a recurring role on the hit series "The Practice," and guest-starred on "The X-Files" and "24."

Hawkes was born and raised in rural Minnesota and moved to Austin, Texas, where he began his career as an actor and musician. He co-founded the Big State Productions theater company and appeared in the group’s original play "In the West" at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He also starred in the national touring company production of the play "Greater Tuna," which included engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Additionally, Hawkes wrote and performed a critically acclaimed solo play "Nimrod Soul" at the Theatre at the Improv. He currently writes, records and plays music with his band Gangster Folk.

ALFRED MOLINA (Doctor) is an accomplished actor who has appeared in more than 50 film and television productions, as well as enjoying an extensive theatrical career.

Born in London of a Spanish father and Italian mother, Molina studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His stage work includes two major Royal National Theatre productions "Speed The Plow" and "Night of The Iguana" (as Shannon). He made his Broadway debut in 1998 in the Tony Award-winning play "Art" opposite Victor Garber and Alan Alda. In addition to a Best Actor Tony nomination, Molina received a Drama Desk Award for his performance. The production was also honored with an Outer Circle Critics Award for best ensemble.

Other theatrical performances of note include a starring role in the off-Broadway production of "Molly Sweeney," for which Molina garnered a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Debut Performance.

Molina made his movie debut with Raiders of The Lost Ark and had a notable role as a Soviet sailor in Letter To Brezhnev. His breakthrough movie role came in 1987 when he played the role of Kenneth Halliwell, the tragic lover of Joe Orton in Stephen Frears’ Prick Up Your Ears.

In 1998, Molina won accolades for his powerful performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Boogie Nights, which won the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a theatrical motion picture. Anderson also cast Molina in Magnolia. Other film credits include The Imposters, Anna Karenina, Species, The Perez Family, Maverick, Enchanted April, Not Without My Daughter, Dudley-Do-Right, Texas Rangers and Chocolat.

Molina recently received a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for Julie Taymor’s Frida, in which he played artist Diego Rivera, opposite Salma Hayek’s Frida Kalho. Upcoming for Molina is Luther and The Amazing Spider-Man, in which he portrays the superhero’s new archenemy "Doc Ock."

CLEA DuVALL (Ginny) first worked with James Mangold and Cathy Konrad when she portrayed Georgina Tuskin in Mangold’s 1999 film Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.

DuVall first gained recognition in the independent feature How To Make The Cruelest Month, which was one of 16 films in dramatic competition at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Later that same year, her starring role in The Faculty garnered her nominations for a Blockbuster and Teen Choice award for Breakout Performance. Her starring role in the comedy But I’m A Cheerleader made her one of the most sought after young actresses in Hollywood.

She was recently seen in the star-studded HBO production of "The Laramie Project," based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was murdered in Wyoming. Other recent credits include The Slaughter Rule and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, a drama co-starring Matthew McConaughey, John Turturro and Alan Arkin. All three films premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

DuVall’s other films credits include John Carpenter’s sci-fi thriller Ghosts of Mars, Committed, She’s All That and The Astronaut’s Wife.

On television, her credits include Showtime’s "The Defenders" with Beau Bridges as well as appearances on the series "Dangerous Minds," "E.R." and "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer."

Born and raised in Los Angeles, DuVall first became interested in acting while attending the Los Angeles High School of The Arts. During her time there, she performed in the theater and also took outside acting classes.

Duvall just finished production on 21 Grams, the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directed drama, opposite Sean Penn, Benecio del Toro and Naomi Watts. Duvall portrays Watts' sister.

The unstoppable Duvall recently began shooting HBO's highly anticipated new drama series "Carnivale." Co-starring Nick Stahl, the series is directed by Rodrigo Garcia.

JOHN C. McGINLEY (George York) was first spotted on stage by Oliver Stone while he was an understudy in the Off-Broadway Circle-In-The-Square production of "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea." The director subsequently cast him in his feature films Platoon, Wall Street, Talk Radio, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon and Any Given Sunday.

With more than 60 feature films to his credit, McGinley has also appeared in Seven, The Rock, Office Space, The Animal, Nothing to Lose, Set It Off, Get Carter, Mother, Wagons East, Point Break, On Deadly Ground, Surviving The Game and Fat Man and Little Boy. He also served as producer on Colin Fitz and Watch It!

He is currently receiving acclaim for his role as the hilariously gruff Dr. Perry Cox on the hit NBC comedy "Scrubs." Dr. Cox mentors the rookie doctors with a spoonful of dirt and then a cup of sugar. He previously starred in the highly rated Dean Koontz miniseries, "Intensity" for FOX-TV, and he starred in and produced the HBO original film, "The Jack Bull."

Born in Greenwich Village, New York, McGinley’s love for acting began as an undergraduate at New York University. In 1984, he received a master of fine arts degree from the prestigious New York University theater school. He has performed in numerous theatrical productions, including "Requiem for a Heavyweight" on Broadway, and off-Broadway in "The Ballad of Soapy Smith" and "Talk Radio," both at Joseph Papp's renowned Public Theater.

As the father of Max, a young son with Down Syndrome, McGinley is committed to building awareness and acceptance of people with Down Syndrome. He currently serves as the 2002/2003 national spokesperson for the Buddy Walk, an advocacy walk organized by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS).

WILLIAM LEE SCOTT (Lou) recently completed the comedy When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer and tackled the lead in Killer Diller, playing the role of a blues guitar player/singer opposite Lucas Black, who plays his autistic, piano-playing best friend. He is currently starring in the psychological thriller The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart.

Scott’s most challenging role, as a fighter pilot in the Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay blockbuster Pearl Harbor opposite Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale, was a huge success. He also co-starred in the Bruckheimer production Gone in Sixty Seconds for director Dominic Sena, which starred Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi.

Other screen credits include James Toback’s racially charged drama Black & White, October Sky, a 1950’s period piece directed by Joe Johnston (Jumanji), The Opposite of Sex and Gattaca. In 1995, Scott earned Columbia University’s Best Actor Award in the student film Tis the Season.

On the small screen Scott co-starred with Ellen Barkin and Julia Stiles in Oprah Winfrey’s first telefilm production, the Emmy-nominated "Before Women Had Wings," Robert Altman’s "Gun, Cracker" for CBS, and co-starred for five years on WB’s "The Steve Harvey Show."

Scott was raised in a small town north of New York City, where he went to an arts-intensive high school studying writing, painting, singing and theater. Scott resides in Los Angeles and divides his time between acting and screenwriting. He still finds time to paint, read, play the drums and remains an avid sport enthusiast.

JAKE BUSEY (Robert Maine) is a multi-faceted young actor who has turned in numerous standout performances, from the murderous religious fanatic in Contact opposite Jodie Foster, to the smart-mouthed soldier in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers.

Busey was recently seen in The First 20 Million is Always The Hardest, Fast Sofa with Natasha Lyonne and Jennifer Tilly, Taillights Fade, Tomcats and Held Up with Jamie Foxx.

Raised in Mailbu, Busey spent his childhood summers on film sets and touring with bands that his father, Gary Busey, played in. At the age of five he began acting and playing the drums and made his motion picture debut in Straight Time opposite his father and Dustin Hoffman. On the guidance of his parents, he spent the rest of his childhood focusing on school and the drums. After completing a semester of college, he decided to pursue acting. For three years, Busey took part in an intensive acting program and then went to a three-month workshop with acclaimed acting teacher James Best (who also taught his father in the 1960s).

Busey began his adult career with parts in films such as James L. Brooks' I'll Do Anything and SFW, which led to roles in such high-profile films as Home Fries with Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson, the Tony Scott-directed Enemy of the State with Will Smith, and Peter Jackson's The Frighteners.

In his spare time, Busey continues to pursue his first love, music. He is currently playing bass guitar in a band and writing music. He is also a licensed pilot and spends several days a month flying.

PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE (Malcolm Rivers) was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and made his film debut in director Walter Hill’s Red Heat.

He won critical acclaim for his portrayal of a lovelorn cook in James Mangold’s 1995 debut film Heavy. Also starring Liv Tyler and Shelley Winters, the film won the Special Jury Prize at that year’s Sundance Film Festival. He has appeared in more than two dozen other films including Simone opposite Al Pacino and Catherine Keener, 13 Moons with Steve Buscemi, Trapped starring Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon, Wim Wenders’ The End of Violence, Robert Benton’s Nobody’s Fool, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers and JFK, David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, and with Alan Parker, Come See the Paradise, Mississippi Burning and Angel Heart. His credits also include Doctor Dolittle starring Eddie Murphy, Mumford, Love From Ground Zero, The Legend of 1900, Cold Around the Heart, Beautiful Girls, City Slickers II, China Moon, Jacob’s Ladder, Barfly and Shy People.

Vince won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor for his recurring role on the ABC drama "Murder One." He has guest starred on "The X-Files," "Gideon’s Crossing," "Thieves," "The Marshall," "Chicago Hope" and "Sisters," and has appeared in the mini-series "Night Sins" and the telefilms "Til Death Do Us Part," "Dead in the Water," "Sweet Poison" and "I Know My Name is Steven."

REBECCA DeMORNAY (Caroline Suzanne) made her acting debut in Paul Brickman’s 1983 hit film Risky Business, in which she played a seductive call girl to an impressionable Tom Cruise. Her diverse film roles include a tomboy train mechanic in Andrei Konchalovsky’s Runaway Train, a gentle God-fearing wife in Horton Foote’s The Trip To Bountiful (with Geraldine Page), the wicked Milady De Winter in Disney’s The Three Musketeers, a slick defense-attorney stalked by her client in Sidney Lumet’s Guilty as Sin, a loving fireman’s wife in Ron Howard’s Backdraft, a conniving low-rent lounge singer in Alex Cox’s The Winner, a criminal psychologist in Sir Peter Hall’s Never Talk To Strangers (on which she was also executive producer), and a chillingly twisted nanny in Curtis Hanson’s international box-office smash The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Other film work includes Testament, And God Created Woman, Feds, and Table for One.

On television, DeMornay starred as an ex-convict looking to straighten out her life in "Getting Out " (based on Marsha Norman's play), as the enchanting but doomed mistress to Jason Robards in "An Inconvenient Woman," as a mother whose son dies in her arms in "Night Ride Home" (with Ellen Burstyn), and as a socialite struggling with breast-cancer in a multi-episode story-arc for "E.R." Other network and cable TV credits include "Thick as Thieves" (with Alec Baldwin), "Blindside" (with Rutger Hauer), "The Con" (with Bill Macy), "The Right Temptation" (with Kiefer Sutherland), Stephen King's "The Shining," "A Girl Thing," "Range of Motion," "By Dawn’s Early Light," and the CBS mini-series "Salem Witch Trials," debuting this spring.

On stage, DeMornay has starred in "Born Yesterday" at the Pasadena Playhouse, in "Marat/Sade" at the Williamstown Festival, and in "Closer" at the Mark Taper Forum.

DeMornay made her directing debut with "The Conversion," a segment of Showtime's anthology series "The Outer Limits."

DeMornay resides in Los Angeles, and is the proud mother of two little daughters, Sophia (5) and Veronica (2).

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

JAMES MANGOLD (Director) With his fifth feature, the thriller Identity, director James Mangold continues to explore a wide variety of genres while keeping constant the powerful ensemble casts, sterling performances, striking imagery and themes of the outsider, which have come to define his work.

Mangold’s last film, Kate & Leopold (2001) starring Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Breckin Meyer, Bradley Whitford and Liev Schreiber, was modeled after the 1940s and ‘50s romantic comedies Mangold admires. The film was a fantasy about love, destiny and the lost art of civility, and was nominated for two Golden Globe awards.

Prior to that, Mangold co-wrote and directed Girl, Interrupted (1999). This film was adapted from Susanna Kaysen’s best-selling memoir about her two-year stay at a mental hospital and featured another strong ensemble (Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Clea DuVall and Vanessa Redgrave). The Los Angeles Times praised Girl, Interrupted for the "purity and grace of its lead performances" and Jolie went on to win the 1999 Oscar® for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.

For his second feature, Mangold directed his original screenplay for Cop Land (1997), a mythic drama about a suburban New Jersey sheriff caught between his duty to the law and the lawless New York City cops who populate his town. Featuring yet another gifted ensemble (Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta), Cop Land opened to critical acclaim. "Everywhere the camera turns in this tense and volatile drama, it finds enough interest for a truckload of conventional Hollywood fare," wrote Janet Maslin of the New York Times.

Heavy (1996), Mangold’s lyrical and nearly wordless debut film, was hailed by Maslin as "earthshaking [and] eloquent," and described as a "quiet miracle of a movie" by Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times. Written under the guidance of Milos Forman and featuring powerful performances by Pruitt Taylor Vince (also starring in Identity), Liv Tyler, Deborah Harry and two-time Oscar® winner Shelley Winters, Heavy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (winner of the jury prize for best direction) and was selected to represent the United States at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes.

The son of two celebrated painters, Mangold earned a B.A. in Film and Acting from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied under Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success, The Ladykillers). Thanks to an array of student shorts, at age 21 Mangold landed a writing and directing deal with Disney, where he penned both an ABC television movie and the animated feature musical Oliver & Company. Mangold then went on to gain a Masters in Film from Columbia University.

Now 37, Mangold lives in Los Angeles with his wife and partner, producer Cathy Konrad. They have made his last four films together and are currently preparing Walk the Line, a film about the turbulent life of legendary singer/songwriter Johnny Cash.

MICHAEL COONEY (Writer) was born and raised in London, England, but now resides in Los Angeles. Prior to Identity, Cooney wrote and directed the cult phenomenon Jack Frost and its sequel Jack Frost 2. He also wrote Tracks of a Killer.

In addition to Cooney’s film work, he is also part of the British theater world. His stage writing credits include the comedy "Cash On Delivery," which had its world premier at the prestigious Theatre Royal Windsor and has gone on to break box office records throughout Europe. The play ran for a year in London’s West End before beginning a nationwide tour. His two stage thrillers, "The Dark Side" and "Point of Death" have both enjoyed successful British tours, and the latter has just been adapted to the screen as The I Inside.

Cooney’s stage directing credits include "Penny for the Guy," a thriller by David Soames, "Nil by Mouth," a drama by John Chapman, and the first London tryout of the smash French comedy "Le Diner du Cons" by Francis Verber. He also directed his own three plays "Point of Death," "Cash On Delivery" and "The Dark Side."

"Murder In Mind," the film written by Cooney adapted from his stage play, was produced for HBO and starred Nigel Hawthorne, Mary Louise Parker, Jimmy Smits and Jason Scott Lee.

He has also had two children’s books published, George the Germ and Fantastic Adventures in the Land of Wishful Thinking.

Michael lives in Los Angeles with his wife Danielle.

CATHY KONRAD (Producer) has produced 15 feature films. She is widely recognized in the industry for launching new filmmakers and writers, and for her choices in material, which are both artistically progressive and commercially viable.

In 2001, Konrad produced both Kate & Leopold starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman (who was nominated for a Golden Globe) and The Sweetest Thing starring Cameron Diaz. She also Executive Produced Lift an urban drama starring Kerry Washington, which debuted at Sundance and premiered on Showtime. In 1999, Konrad produced Girl, Interrupted, which won Angelina Jolie an Academy Award® as Best Supporting Actress. The film was directed and co-written by her husband James Mangold. She also completed the third installment of the hugely successful Scream trilogy, all of which were directed by Wes Craven and produced by Konrad. Scream and its sequels have grossed more than $350 million dollars worldwide, making it the most lucrative horror franchise of all time.

Other films Konrad has produced include Kids, the controversial and critically acclaimed debut film by Larry Clark and written by Harmony Korine, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg, Alexander Payne’s satirical debut film Citizen Ruth, Beautiful Girls directed by Ted Demme and written by Scott Rosenberg, Wide Awake written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Teaching Mrs. Tingle written and directed by Kevin Williamson, and Cop Land written and directed by Mangold, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.

Konrad is currently developing Walk the Line, a biopic about the life of country music legend Johnny Cash. The film is set up at Fox 2000 with Mangold writing and directing. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are attached to star.

STUART BESSER (Executive Producer) most recently served as executive producer of The Sweetest Thing starring Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair. He also served as co-executive producer on Wes Craven’s Scream and Scream 3.

Besser co-produced 40 Days and 40 Nights starring Josh Hartnett and Shannyn Sossamon, Nick Castle’s Delivering Milo starring Albert Finney and Bridget Fonda, Wes Craven’s Music of the Heart starring Meryl Streep, and David Winkler’s Finding Graceland starring Harvey Keitel, Johnathan Schaech and Bridget Fonda.

On Michael Mann’s Canadian Bacon starring John Candy, Besser served as line producer. He was the producer on Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs and Dr. Giggles and executive producer on Vampire in Brooklyn. Besser was also an associate producer on Love at Large starring Tom Berringer, Elizabeth Perkins and Kate Capshaw, The Moderns starring Linda Fiorentino and Geraldine Chaplin, and Made in Heaven starring Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis. Besser served as executive in charge of production on Trouble in Mind starring Kris Kristofferson and Geneviève Bujold, as well as production manager on Madonna’s Truth or Dare.

Television and cable work include producing Kevin Williamson’s ABC show "Wasteland" featuring Marisa Coughlan, Brad Rowe, Rebecca Gayheart and Eddie Mills. He also served as associate producer on the pilot for "Beverly Hills, 90210," as well as such movies of the week as Memphis starring Cybil Shephard, The Five of Me and Angel City.

Besser is currently co-executive producer on Cursed, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven.

PHEDON PAPAMICHAEL, ASC (Director of Photography) has shot the movies Moonlight Mile, America’s Sweethearts, Million Dollar Hotel, Patch Adams, Mouse Hunt, The Locusts, Phenomenon, Unhook The Stars, Unstrung Heroes, While You Were Sleeping, Cool Runnings and Poison Ivy, among others.

He won the Best Cinematography Award at the Film-Avignon Film Festival in 2000 for 27 Missing Kisses and was cited for Best Cinematography at the 1990 Cork (Ireland) Film Festival for Spud.

For television, he shot the pilots for "White Dwarf" and "The Conversation," as well as the miniseries "Wild Palms."

MARK FRIEDBERG (Production Designer) reunites with director James Mangold after their collaboration on Kate & Leopold. His eclectic film design work includes Todd Haynes’ acclaimed Far From Heaven, Ed Harris’ Pollack, Runaway Bride, I’m Not Rappaport, The Perez Family, and for director Ang Lee, The Ice Storm and Ride With The Devil.

For television his work includes the pilot for "Sex and The City," and Bob Rafaelson’s "Poodle Springs."

DAVID BRENNER, A.C.E. (Film Editor) first worked with director James Mangold on the Meg Ryan/Hugh Jackman romantic comedy Kate & Leopold. Identity marks their second collaboration.

Previously, he edited Columbia Pictures’ action epic The Patriot for director Roland Emmerich, with whom he had previously worked on the blockbuster Independence Day. Brenner is currently editing Emmerich’s new film The Day After Tomorrow.

In 1989, Brenner received the Best Editing Academy Award® for Born on the Fourth of July. The film was one in a series of collaborations with director Oliver Stone and also included The Doors, Heaven and Earth, Talk Radio, and Wall Street (as Additional Editor).

Brenner has also worked with director Adrian Lyne on Lolita and Unfaithful (as Additional Editor), Curtis Hanson (The River Wild), Vincent Ward (What Dreams May Come), James Foley (Fear) and Irwin Winkler (Night and the City).

ARIANNE PHILLIPS (Costume Designer) recently made her theater debut in London’s West End designing costumes for "Up For Grabs" starring Madonna and directed by Laurence Boswell. Her work as a costume designer includes such feature films as director Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams, and Guy Ritchie’s Swept Away starring Madonna.

Her other credits include John Cameron Mitchell’s award-winning and acclaimed Hedwig And The Angry Inch, which won Arianne an EDDY award and a Costume Guild nomination, James Mangold’s Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, Milos Forman’s The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Rachel Talalay’s Tank Girl and Alex Proyas’ The Crow, among others.

Arianne began her career in New York City working in music and fashion. She currently keeps this part of her career alive, alternating between magazine editorial, music video and feature film work. This diversity has enabled her to do such projects as styling Madonna’s 2001 "Drowned World" tour and more than 50 pop videos for a variety of artists ranging from Lenny Kravitz to Courtney Love.

ALAN SILVESTRI (Composer) received Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for his Forrest Gump score and two Grammy nominations for the compositions he created for the Back to the Future trilogy. Silvestri’s most recent credits are Maid in Manhattan, Stuart Little 2, Lilo and Stitch, Showtime, Serendipity, The Mummy Returns, What Lies Beneath, Castaway, What Women Want and The Mexican. In all, he has composed scores for more than 80 films including The Abyss, Eraser, Predator, The Bodyguard, Romancing the Stone, Stuart Little, Practical Magic, Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men, Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, Contact and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Upcoming for Silvestri is the feature film version of Pirates of the Caribbean.

BULLETIN BOARD (Rules)
Post your thoughts in the forum
View or post comments -click here.

Your Private Comments.
I will not post these comments. What are your personal thoughts?  I also welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs.  I will correspond with you, usually within two weeks. Click here