Movie reviews, production notes, and more! - "Holes"

Movie : Holes

Notes provided by Walt Disney Pictures ABOUT THE CAST SIGOURNEY WEAVER (The Warden) made her motion picture debut in 1979 in Ridley Scott's hugely successful "Alien." She reprised the role ofWarrant Officer Ripley in James Cameron's "Aliens" in 1986, for which she earned a Best Actress Academy Award' nomination, and in David Fincher's "Aliens 3" in 1992, for which she also served as co-producer. In 1997, Weaver brought Ripley back to life in "Alien Resurrection" for director JeanPierre Jeunet. She has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, in other films as well, from "Ghostbusters" to "The Year of Living Dangerously" to "Gorillas in the Mist" to "Working Girl" to "Dave." 2002 provided a busy and diverse year for Sigourney Weaver. In July, she starred alongside Bebe Neuwirth and newcomer Aaron Stanford in the Miramax release of the Sundance Film Festival favorite, Gary Winick's comedy feature "Tadpole." She completed reprising - on film - the role she originated on stage earlier that year at the Flea Theatre in Downtown Manhattan with "The Guys." Playwright Anne Nelson's moving response to the World Trade Towers collapse and events of September 11, "The Guys" is directed for film by Weaver's husband, Jim Simpson, who also directed the stage production.The stage production co-starred Bill Murray and the film version costars Anthony LaPaglia. In 1982, Weaver made an indelible impression on audiences and critics alike, starring opposite Mel Gibson and Linda Hunt, in Peter Weir's brilliant romantic drama set in Indonesia at the outset of the 1965 revolution, "The Year of Living Dangerously" In a single year, 1988, Weaver had starring roles in three hit movies back to back: "Gorillas in the Mist," in which she portrayed primatologist Dian Fossey; the Mike Nichols comedy "Working Girl"; and "Ghostbusters IL" Weaver received her second and third Academy Award' nominations for "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Working Girl," and received Golden Globe Awards for her performances in each of these films. In 1992, Weaver reprised Lllen Ripley in David Fincher's "Alien 3," and in 1993 she starred opposite Kevin Kline in Ivan Reitman's incandescent political comedy "Dave." In 1994, she starred in Roman Polanski's gripping film adaptation of Ariel Dorfman's political drama, "Death and the Maiden," opposite Ben Kingsley. In 1995, Weaver starred opposite Holly Hunter, under the direction of John Amiel, in the psychological thriller "Copycat." In the fall of 1997, Weaver starred in Ang Lee's critically acclaimed "The Ice Storm" alongside Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci. Her performance garnered her a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors' Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In the winter of 1999, Weaver starred in two strikingly different films. Her galvanizing performance in "A Map of The World," Scott Llliott's powerful drama based on the novel by Jane Hamilton, earned universal critical praise and a "Best Actress" Golden Globe nomination. Her comic turn, along with crewmates Tim Allen and Alan Rickman, in the science fiction comedy "Galaxy Quest" for director Dean Parisot, proved to be one of the delights of the holiday season, and a continuing cult hit. Weaver starred last spring as half of a mother daughter con artist duo, together with actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, Gene Hackman and Ray Liotta, in director David Mirkin's hit romantic comedy caper "Heartbreakers." Other film credits include starring roles in "Deal of the Century" with Chevy Chase and Gregory Hines, "Half Moon Street" with Michael Caine, "One Woman or Two" with Gerard Depardieu, "Eyewitness" with William Hurt, Ridley Scott's "1492" again with Depardieu, a memorable cameo appearance in the film adaptation of Paul Rudnick's stage comedy, "Jeffrey," and a fleeting moment as Woody Allen's date outside the movie theatre in "Annie Hall." Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Lnglish from Stanford University and went on to receive a Master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. Her first professional job was as an understudy in Sir John Gielgud's production of "The Constant Wife," starring Ingrid Bergman, which toured before being presented on Broadway. Weaver made her first stage appearance in an Off Off Broadway production of Christopher Durang's "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe," following it with another Off-Broadway double bill, "Titanic" and "Das Lusitania Songspiel," the latter of which she co-authored with Durang. "Das Lusitania" won Drama Desk nominations for both Weaver and Durang. Weaver subsequently appeared in a number of OffBroadway productions in New York, working with such writers as John Guare, Albert Innaurato, Richard Nelson, Len Jenkin and Christopher Durang. In regional repertory, she performed in plays written by Pinter, Williams, Feydeau and Shakespeare. She also appeared in the PBS series "The Best of Families." Weaver received a Tony Award nomination for her starring role in "Hurlyburly" on Broadway. After completing filming on "Aliens", she collaborated for the first time with her husband, theater director Jim Simpson, playing Portia in the Classic Stage Company of New York's production of "The Merchant of Venice." In 1996, Weaver appeared on Broadway again in Lincoln Center Theater's production of "Sex and Longing," written by Christopher Durang. Weaver starred as the sorceress stepmother in Showtime's live-action film, "Snow White: A Tale of Terror," based on the original Grimm's fairytale. She received both Screen Actors Guild and Emmy nominations for her performance. Weaver's production company, Goat Cay Productions, based in New York, is working to introduce new voices from the theater into the film industry. She and her family live in New York. JON VOIGHT (Mr. Sir), an Oscar' nominee for his role as Howard Cosell in "All," is still remembered for the classic "Midnight Cowboy" (which brought his first Academy Award' nomination) as well as his Oscar® winning turn as Luke Martin in "Coming Home." Since then, Voight has forged a career in which he successfully transitioned from leading man to one of America's most versatile character actors. Voight has recently been featured in "Pearl Harbor" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (starring his daughter Angelina Jolie), and has starred in "Mission Impossible," "Varsity Blues," "Enemy of the State," and "Anaconda." Other feature film credits include Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker" (Golden Globe nominee), "The General," "Deliverance," "Runaway Train" (which earned him a third Academy Award' nomination and a Golden Globe), "The Odessa File," and "The Champ" (Golden Globe nominee). Voight made his Broadway debut in "The Sound of Music." In 1966, he starred opposite Robert Duvall in the acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." He later starred at LA's Ahmanson Theatre in "A Streetcar Named Desire." On television, Voight recently co-starred in "Uprising," the true story of the Warsaw ghetto for NBC, and in "Jack & The Beanstalk: The Real Story," a miniseries for CBS. Voight has starred in "Chernobyl: The Final Warning," "The Last of His Tribe" (which earned him a Cable Ace Award), and the mini-series "Return to Lonesome Dove." He made his directorial debut with the Showtime cable movie "The Tin Solider," which won several awards, including Best Children's Film at the Berlin Film Festival. Voight is a humanitarian who has been an advocate for American Indian rights and has worked on behalf of Vietnam veterans. He is currently active in a continuing effort to air lift children from the contaminated areas of Chernobyl. PATRICIA ARQUETTE (Kate Barlow) recently wrapped production on Matthew Bright's "Tiptoes," starring opposite Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey and Kate Beckinsale. Concurrently, Patricia is also involved in Richard Linklater's "12-Year Movie," in which the life of a boy is shot from the first grade through graduating high school. Her most recent film is "Human Nature." In addition, she can also be seen in "The Badge" opposite Billy Bob Thornton and in "Little Nicky" opposite Adam Sandler. Other credits include Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed "Bringing Out the Dead" opposite Nicolas Cage, and Rupert Wainwright's "Stigmata" opposite Gabriel Byrne. In addition, Patricia has appeared in Sean Penn's "The Indian Runner," John Madden's "Ethan Frome," Tony Scott's "True Romance," Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," David O. Russell's "Flirting With Disaster," John Boorman's "Beyond Rangoon," "Lost Highway" (in a dual role for David Lynch), "Nightwatch," Steven Frears' "Hi Lo Country," and Roland jaffe's "Goodbye Lover." Her telefilm credits include Lifetime's "Wildflower," directed by Diane Keaton, for which Arquette earned a CableAce Award as Best Lead Actress. Born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, Arquette counts in her family of several actors: her grandfather, Cliff Arquette, was a comedian, best known as TV personality Charlie Weaver; also, her siblings Rosanna, Alexis, Richmond and David are all fellow actors. Her father was actor Lewis Arquette. Arquette currently resides in Los Angeles. As an acclaimed actor, writer and director, TIM BLAKE NELSON (Dr. Pendanski) continues to amaze audiences with his versatility. As an actor, Nelson recently co-starred in Miguel Arteta's "The Good Girl" opposite Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly and Zoey Deschannel. "The Good Girl" was nominated for a 2002 Independent Spirit Award for "Best Feature." Additionally, Tim recently starred in Finn Taylor's "Cherish" opposite Robin Tunney, Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" co-starring Tom Cruise, Samantha Morton and Colin Farrell, and the Coen Brothers' acclaimed hit "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" with George Clooney and John Turturro. "O Brother" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy. In addition to starring in the film, Nelson recorded a song for the "O Brother" soundtrack, which won a Grammy Award. Nelson will next star in Helmut Schleppi's "A Foreign Affair" opposite David Arquette and Emily Mortimer. "A Foreign Affair" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January Nelson recently wrapped production on "Max & Grace" opposite Natasha Lyonne and "Wonderland" opposite Val Kilmer and Lisa Kudrow. Nelson's other screen acting credits include Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line," Mike Newell's "Donnie Brasco," Hal Hartley's "Amateur," Nora Ephron's "This Is My Life," and Larry McMurtry's "Dead Man's Walk." Nelson's "The Grey Zone," which he wrote and directed, starred Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Mira Sorvino, David Arquette, Allan Corduner and Natasha Lyonne. The film premiered at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival and opened October 11, 2002. "The Grey Zone" is a dramatic story of the Sonderkommandos, special squads of Jews who processed corpses in the crematoria at Birkenau. Shot in Bulgaria, "The Grey Zone" is based on his award-winning play. The National Board of Review (2002) honored "The Grey Zone" with a Special Recognition of Films that Reflect the Freedom of Expression. Nelson also directed "O," a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello" starring Martin Sheen, Julia Stiles, Josh Hartnett, and Mekhi Phifer for Lions Gate. "O" premiered at the 2001 Seattle Film Festival, where Tim was awarded Best Director. Nelson wrote and directed the film "Eye of God," starring Martha Plimpton, Hal Holbrook, and Kevin Anderson, which appeared at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, and was released theatrically in the United States later that year. The film received the top award at the 1997 Seattle Film Festival, as well as the Tokyo Bronze Prize at the Tokyo Film Festival. As a playwright, Nelson's produced plays include "The Grey Zone," "Eye of God" and "Anna Darko." He has also acted extensively in New York Theatre. Tim's credits include "Oedipus," "Troilus and Cressida," "Les Bourgeois Avant-Garde," "Mac Wellman's Dracula," "The Amazon's Voice," "An Imaginary Life," "The Baltimore Waltz," "Mad Forest," "The Innocents Crusade," "Richard III," and "Twelfth Night." Nelson was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Brown University and the julliard Theater Center. He resides in New York City with his wife and 2 sons. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, DULÉ HILL (Sam) has begun his fourth season, as Charlie, the personal aide to the President, in the Lmmy Award-winning NBC hit drama, "The West Wing." He co-stars with Martin Sheen, John Spencer and Rob Lowe in the critically acclaimed series created by Aaron Sorkin. Hill (whose first name is pronounced "due-lay") was born in Orange, New Jersey, raised in nearby Sayreville, and is the youngest of two sons born to his Jamaican parents. He owes his unusual name to an aunt who discovered it during a trip to France and suggested it upon her return before his birth. He began attending dance school when he was 3 and got his first break years later when producers of Broadway's "The Tap Dance Kid" called the school in search of child dancers who could sing and act for the production. As the understudy to Savion Glover in "The Tap Dance Kid," he went on to perform the lead role in the musical's national tour working with Harold Nicholas (of the famed Nicholas Brothers) for the next 16 months. He also later appeared with Gregory Hines and Jimmy Slyde. More roles followed in the musicals "Shenandoah," "Little Rascals" and "Black & Blue," and during Hill's senior year of high school, he appeared in his first feature film, "Sugar Hill," as the young character later played by Wesley Snipes. Hill also was seen in national commercials, and was cast as one of the "City Kids," a Saturday morning series, while he was studying business finance at Seton Hall. Hill's next career boost came with his starring role in the original cast of "Bring in `da Noise, Bring in `da Funk" on Broadway," as he re-teamed with Glover but had to abandon his college studies during his junior year. He spent 2 1/2 years in the show and earned favorable notices from casting directors, and later starred with Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the hit feature-film "She's All That." His other television credits include guest-starring shots in "Cosby," "Smart Guy," and appearances in the TV movies "The Ditch Digger's Daughter," "Color of Justice," and "Love Songs" opposite Louis Gossett. Jr. During his free time, Hill still immensely enjoys tapdancing as well as bowling, paintball games, and marathon Monopoly sessions, and rates himself as a Los Angeles Laker "freak." He also tries to make it to Jamaica to see family members when his schedule allows. Hill currently resides in Los Angeles. SHIA LaBEOUF's (Stanley Yelnats) natural talent and raw energy are quickly earning him a reputation as one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood. Including "Holes," LaBeouf will impress audiences in three major motion pictures in 2003. On June 13th, LaBeouf will star in New Line Cinema's prequel to the 1994 blockbuster hit, "Dumb and Dumber," which originally starred Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. "When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer" follows the adolescent versions of title characters, Harry and Lloyd, as they meet and try to survive high school. Shia plays Lewis, the high school's mascot and a student in Harry and Lloyd's Special Ld class. Also in June, LaBeouf will appear opposite Bernie Mac, who plays the new Bosley, in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," the follow-up to Sony Pictures' smash hit "Charlie's Angels." Shia's character, Max, falls under the protection of the Angels, played by original stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. The movie will be released by Sony Pictures on June 27th. LaBeouf is currently filming the lead role in the Miramax/HBO Project Greenlight production "The Battle of Shaker Heights." Matt Damon and Ben Affleck serve as executive producers on the project. LaBeouf recently earned a Daytime Lmmy nomination for the 2002-2003 Awards for his role as Louis Stevens on the Disney Channel's highest rated original series, "Even Stevens." LaBeouf has also appeared in telefilms such as "BreakfastWith Einstein" and "Hounded." In 2002, he portrayed a mentally challenged boy in "True Confessions." The NewYork Times' review of the telefilm stated that Shia gives "a remarkable performance" and that he "does a more convincing job of portraying someone with a developmental disability than various big-name adults have managed." LaBeouf attended the Magnet School of Performing Arts at USC and currently resides in California with his family. HENRY WINKLER (Stanley's Father) is a celebrated television and film actor, producer and director whose work has spanned three decades. He most recently starred on Broadway in Neil Simon's "The Dinner Party" and the New Line comedy "Little Nicky" His other film credits include the hit comedy "The Waterboy" opposite Adam Sandler; Wes Craven's "Scream"; "Down To You, Dill Scallion"; "Night Shift" opposite Shelly Long; and "Lords of Flatbush." Winkler most recently appeared on the critically acclaimed ABC series "The Practice" for which he received an Lmmy nomination for his guest-starring role. Other recent television credits include "Law & Order: Specials Victims Unit" and "The Drew Carey Show" Winkler is perhaps best recognized for his popular role of Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli in the long-running '70s sitcom, "Happy Days." Winkler's performance garnered him two consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, three consecutive Lmmy nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a director, his credits include the feature films "Memories of Me" starring Billy Crystal and Alan King, "Cop and a Half" starring Burt Reynolds, and the madefor-television movie "A Smokey Mountain Christmas" starring Dolly Parton. Winkler's producer credits include the television series "MacGyver," "Sightings," "Dead Man's Gun," and "So Weird" in addition to numerous after-school specials and made-for-television movies. Veteran Chicago actor NATE DAVIS (Stanley's grandfather) has been acting for over 70 years. In the 1930's he was a member of the Chicago Repertory Group along with Studs Terkel and Haskell Wexler, where he met Metta, his wife of 60 years. Nate and Metta have 3 children, 7 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Nate's stage career spans an arc from the Steppenwolf Theatre's production of the Tony-awardwinning "Grapes of Wrath" to the original cast of Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," as well as in countless productions at the Goodman, Northlight, and Wisdom Bridge Theatres. He has been nominated for a Jefferson Award (the Chicago version of a Tony) and recently received a Jeff Committee Lifetime Achievement Award. His film credits include Michael Mann's "Thief," "Risky Business" with Tom Cruise, "Tough Guys," "Burglar," and roles in many films with his son, director Andrew Davis, including "Code of Silence," "The Package," and "Steal Big, Steal Little." His television credits include guest appearances on "LR," "Becker," "Frasier," "Wiseguy," "The Untouchables," "Crime Story," and "Hill Street Blues." RICK FOX (Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston) was born in Canada and raised in the Bahamas. He plays small forward for the three-time world champion Los Angeles Lakers.As an actor, Fox has appeared in such films as "Blue Chips," "Lddie," and "He Got Game." Rick has also appeared in several episodes of the acclaimed HBO television series, "Oz." Known throughout the world for her versatility and style, EARTHA KITT (Madame Zerom) has been nominated for three Tony Awards, an Lmmy Award, and two Grammy Awards. Lartha was nominated for a Tony for her role in "The Wild Party" and she also received critical acclaim nationwide starring as the Wicked Witch in the national tour of "The Wizard of Oz" as well as the Fairy Godmother in the national tour of "Cinderella." Other stage credits include "Dr. Faust," "New Faces of 1952," "Monotonous," "Mrs. Patterson" (Tony nomination), "Shinbone Alley," "The Skin of Our Teeth," "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Timbuktu" (Tony nomination), "Bunny" "The High Bid," and "Follies." Lartha revisited her signature song last holiday season in the Fox Network's animated special, "Santa Baby!" She also voiced a starring role in Disney's animated hit "The Emperor's New Groove," which featured songs by Sting. She was recently seen in "Feast of All Saints" for Showtime and the independent feature film "Standard Time." Other films include "Monotonous," "The Mark of the Hawk" (with Sidney Poitier), "St. Louis Blues" (with Nat King Cole), "Anna Lucasta" (with Sammy Davis, Jr.), Monty Python's "Erik the Viking" (with Tim Robbins), "Lrnest Scared Stupid," "Boomerang" (with Lddie Murphy), "Fatal Instinct" (with Armand Assante), and was featured in the Isaac Mizrahi documentary, "Unzipped." She has also guest-starred in a number of episodes of the television series "Welcome to NewYork." Her portrayal of Catwoman on the television series "Batman" continues to be seen worldwide and her concert cabaret career has taken her to over 100 countries, where she has sung in 10 different languages. SIOBHAN FALLON HOGAN's (Stanley's mother) many film credits include "Daddy Day Care," "Hearts in Atlantis," "What's the Worst that Could Happen," "Big Trouble," "Dancer in the Dark," "Boiler Room," "The Negotiator," "Krippendorf's Tribe," "A Cool, Dry Place," "Men in Black," "Forrest Gump," and "The Paper." On television, she has appeared on "Third Watch," "Law & Order: SVU," "Cosby," "Seinfeld," and "Saturday Night Live." Her stage credits include "Luck, Pluck, & Virtue," "As You Like It," "American Splendor," "Momma," and "What Can I Tell You," the latter two as writer and performer. Whether it be in commercials, television, theatre, or his upcoming feature film release, KHLEO THOMAS (Zero) can be seen just about everywhere. And what sets him apart from the rest of young Hollywood is the praise he is getting from his veteran co-stars. "Holes" co-star Jon Voight says, "You are a great one. I'll be watching you all the way" In addition to "Holes," Thomas' big screen accomplishments also include "Reverend Do Wrong Ain't Right," "A Moment on Dorothy Dandridge," and playing a bad boy in the recent holiday hit "Friday After Next." At the age of three, Khleo was already showing signs of talent with his uncanny impersonations of celebrities like Pat Sajak and Arsenio Hall. This led to his first commercial for McDonald's and the beginning of along career in the medium ...and he's only 14. Today, look for Khleo in commercials for Toaster Strudel, PlayStation 2: Backyard Games, and Addidas. He has also starred in Reebok, Pert Plus Shampoo, Disney's Playskool Sweepstakes, United States Teachers Association, and Nuveen commercials. Khleo is also proud to say he's perfected many of his impersonations and adds Chris Tucker, John Leguizamo, and Bill Cosby to his repertoire. On the small screen, Khleo has appeared on shows such as NBC's "City Guys," CBS' "Family Law," "Kids Say the Darndest Things" with Bill Cosby (which led to an "Oprah Winfrey Show" appearance at the age of 7), and "Wait Till You Have Kids." He has also shined on the live stage in theatrical productions as Victor in "Danny & The Golden Millennium Seed," as Ralphy in "The Desperate Hours," and as Little Jimmy in "Call for Peace." Khleo often does his own stunts on set and is mean competition in any skateboarding park, flips, dips, and all. He can watch a music video or listen to a rap song, and mimic the talent just a few minutes later. He's a fond collector ofJapanese animation figures, building them from unassembled models, and can do something more impressive than all of the above ...wiggle his ears. He lives in Los Angeles with what he calls "the perfect parents." BRENDEN JEFFERSON (X-Ray) is 16 years old. A series regular on the ABC television series "Thea," Jefferson has also starred in the motion pictures "Sugar Hill," "Crimson Tide," Spike Lee's "Tales from the Hood," and "Senseless." Jefferson had a recurring role on the CBS series "Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman," and starred in two television films for the Disney Channel: "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century" and "The Other Me." He has also gueststarred in over 15 television series, including "Even Stevens," "Judging Amy," "JAG,""The Hughleys,""Savedby the Bell," and "Full House." He has also appeared in several commercials. JAKE M. SMITH (Squid) has appeared in the films "Sleepy Hollow," "Model Sinner," "Solos," and "Disposal." On television, he has guest-starred on "Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU," and "ThirdWatch." On the stage, his credits include "Oedipus," "Into the Woods," "The Trojan Women," "Caucasian Chalk Circle," and "Cybeline." Smith also excels at puppetry and clown work. BYRON COTTON (Armpit) makes his feature film debut with "Holes." His previous theater experience is in his high school plays: "Dracula," "911," "Tom Sawyer," and "The World's Greatest." A trained dancer, actor, and improviser, Cotton is also an accomplished rapper. MIGUEL CASTRO (Magnet) previously starred in "crazy/beautiful." His television appearances include the series Robbery Homicide Division," a Meld," "LR," and "So Little Time." MAX KASCH (Zigzag) has spent his life consumed with the performing arts. Growing up in a large theater family with five siblings, he watched (and was often called upon to serve refreshments) as his mother and father rehearsed plays on their 2,500-acre ranch, where he spent many years of his youth.This instilled a love for the theater, and at an early age, he dedicated himself to becoming an actor. He performed in many main stage productions, most notably Spanky in "The Slab Boys" and Pony Boy in "The Outsiders." His first movie role came at the age of two in "Behind God's Back." Other credits include Brad in "Falling Like This." He has also guest-starred on such shows as "The X-Files," "Kate Brasher," and a recurring role on "LR." Aside from his acting talents, Max is an accomplished blues guitarist. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS ANDREW DAVIS (Producer/Director) is a filmmaker with a reputation for directing intelligent action thrillers, most notably the Academy Award®-nominated box-office hit, "The Fugitive," starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film received seven Academy Award' nominations including Best Picture and earned Jones a Best Supporting Actor award. Davis garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and a Directors Guild of America nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Direction. In reviewing "The Fugitive," film critic Roger Lbert commended Davis, noting that he "transcends genre and shows an ability to marry action and artistry that deserves comparison with Hitchcock, David Lean, and Carol Reed. He paints with bold, visual strokes." Davis is the son of parents who met in a repertory theater company in Chicago, where he was raised. (His father, Nathan, plays Stanley's Grandfather in "Holes.") He received his degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and began his work in motion pictures as an assistant cameraman to renowned cinematographer and director Haskell Wexler on the 1969 classic "Medium Cool."Wexler's ultra-realistic approach was to have a great influence on Davis, who then became a director of photography on numerous award-winning television commercials and documentaries, as well as on 15 studio and independent features. In 1976, joined by many of his fellow cinematographers, Davis challenged the IATSE union's restrictive studio roster system in a landmark classaction suit that forced the industry to open its doors to young technicians in all crafts. Davis made his directorial debut in 1978 with the critically acclaimed independent musical, "Stony Island," which he also co-wrote and produced. It was followed by the thriller "The Final Terror" for producer Joe Roth, which starred then-newcomers Darryl Hannah, Joe Pantoliano, Rachel Ward and Adrian Zmed. Davis then cowrote the screenplay for Harry Belafonte's rap musical "Beat Street" before moving into the director's chair fulltime for Mike Medavoy with "Code of Silence." Davis directed, co-produced and co-wrote "Above the Law," Steven Seagal's feature debut. Davis then directed "The Package," starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. In "Under Siege," Davis teamed Steven Seagal with Tommy Lee Jones, resulting in Fall 1992's top-grossing picture. Davis' other directorial credits include "Collateral Damage," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; "A Perfect Murder," starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen; "Chain Reaction," starring Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman; and "Steal Big, Steal Little," starring Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin. Davis' production company, Chicago Pacific Entertainment, is based out of Santa Barbara. LOUIS SACHAR (Screenplay by/Based on the novel by) is the author of more than twenty books for children, including There's a Bov in the Girls' Bathroom, Dogs Don't Tell -jokes, the Wayside School series and the Marvin Redpost series. His novel Holes has won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award and the Pacific NorthwestYoung Readers Choice Awards. Holes was also named a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year and a School Library journal Best Book of the Year. Holes is Sachar's first feature film adaptation. In February 2002, the Seattle Children's Theatre premiered the stage adaptation of Holes as part of the city's literacy initiative program, "What if All Kids Read the Same Book?" Sachar's stage adaptation garnered him the Roger L. Stevens award from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays and received the AT&T: On Stage Award from Theatre Communications Group. Sachar received his education from the University of California at Berkeley and University of California's Hastings School of Law. Sample some of the best American films over the past twenty-five years and there's a good chance MIKE MEDAVOY (producer) played a role in the success of many of them. From agenting to studio chief, he has been involved with over 300 feature films. Medavoy began his career at Universal Studios in 1964. He rose from the mailroom to become a casting director. In 1965, he became an agent, working at General Artist Corporation and later as vice president at Creative Management Agency. Joining International Famous Agency as vice president in charge of the motion picture department in 1971, he worked with such prestigious clients as Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and Gene Wilder among others. United Artists brought him in as senior vice president of production in 1974 where he was part of the team responsible for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Rocky," and "Annie Hall," which won the Best Picture Oscars' over three successive years. In 1978, Medavoy co-founded Orion Pictures. During his tenure, "Platoon," "Amadeus," "Robocop," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "The Terminator," "Dances with Wolves," and "Silence of the Lambs" were released. In 1990, after twelve fruitful years at Orion, Medavoy became Chairman of TriStar Pictures. Under his aegis, critically acclaimed, box-office successes, "Philadelphia," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (with Carolco), "Sleepless in Seattle," "Cliffhanger" (with Carolco), "The Fisher King," "Legends of the Fall," and Steven Spielberg's "Hook" debuted. Of all the films Medavoy has been involved with, sixteen have been nominated for Best Picture Oscars' and seven have won. Medavoy has made a mark not only within his industry, but in his community as well. He has received numerous awards including the 1992 Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year Award, Career Achievement Awards from both UCLA (1997) and the University of Central Florida (2002) and the 1999 UCLA Neil H. JacobyAward, which honors individuals who have made exceptional contributions to humanity. In 2001, he received the inaugural Fred Zinnemann Award presented by the AntiDefamation League and in 2002 received the Israel Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award. Extending his involvement in the community, Mike was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles by former Governor Jerry Brown and was appointed by Mayor Richard Riordan as Commissioner on the Los Angeles Board of Parks and Recreations. He's a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Tel Aviv. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the UCLA Foundation and is a member of the Chancellor's Associates, the Dean's Advisory Board at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, the Alumni Association's Student Relations Committee, and is Chairman of the Leadership Circle for UCLA's Center for International Relations. In 2002, Governor Gray Davis appointed Mike to the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center's Executive Advisory Board. In addition, he is Chairman of the Group Theatre Society, as well as one of the original founding members of the Board of Governors of the Sundance Institute and is currently serving as co-chairman of the American Cinematheque. Today, as chairman and co-founder of Phoenix Pictures, Mike Medavoy has amongst others brought to the screen "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "The Mirror Has Two Faces," "U-Turn," "Apt Pupil," "The Thin Red Line," "Dick," "Urban Legend (I&II)," and "The Sixth Day" "The Thin Red Line" was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, received five nominations from the Chicago Film Critics, won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and five Golden Satellite Awards, a cinematography award for John Toll from the ASC and nominations from the DGA and WGA for Terrence Malick. Phoenix Pictures' most recent release is "Basic" (starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by John McTiernan). In 2002, Simon & Schuster published Mr. Medavoy's best-selling book,You're On1V As GoodAsYour Next One: 100 Great Films, 100 Good Films and 100 For Which I Should Be Shot. Mike Medavoy has also been active in politics. Among others, he actively participated in President Clinton's election campaigns in 1992 and 1996. Medavoy was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 and lived in Chile from 1947 to 1957. He graduated with honors in History from UCLA in 1963. He is married to Irena Medavoy the Executive Vice Chairman of the charity Coach for Kids, who provide free medical care for inner city kids via a mobile medical unit. Mike Medavoy has two sons, Brian and Nicholas, and resides in Beverly Hills, California. LOWELL BLANK (Producer) has over 18 years experience in feature film production as a line producer, production manager, post-production supervisor and executive. He began his career in San Diego, California as a location manager for film and television commercials and served as a line producer on the infamous feature film, "Return of the Killer Tomatoes," starring a relatively unknown actor named George Clooney. Other line producer credits include "South Central" and "Benefit of the Doubt." In 1994, Blank joined Chicago Pacific Entertainment, producer/director Andrew Davis' production company, as its President. Blank negotiated the purchase of the "Holes" film rights on behalf of Davis, and worked closely on the adaptation with Davis, Sachar and fellow Chicago Pacific Entertainment executive and producer Teresa TuckerDavies. Early on, he identified the critical locations for the movie that contributed to the film's unique look, introduced Davis to several new key collaborators, and served as an Executive Producer on the "Holes" soundtrack. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the company, he is actively developing projects both for Davis to direct and Chicago Pacific Entertainment to produce. Blank served as associate producer on "Collateral Damage," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and "A Perfect Murder," starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. He co-produced "Steal Big, Steal Little," starring Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin. Blank holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television from San Diego State University. He resides in Santa Barbara, California with his wife and two daughters. TERESA TUCKER-DAVIES (Producer) has a longtime creative collaboration with producer/director Andrew Davis that dates back to the Warner Bros. feature, "Above the Law." Tucker-Davies is Director of Creative Affairs for Davis' production company, Chicago Pacific Entertainment. Having searched for years for a project that would allow her and Davis to work together in the arena of family films, she knew she'd found the perfect novel to adapt as soon as she read "Holes." Beginning her career in Minneapolis, Tucker-Davies served as an intern in design at the acclaimed Children's Theater Company before working for both The Guthrie Theater and The Minnesota Opera. Heading west, TuckerDavies worked summer stock at the Santa Fe Festival Theatre before beginning her film studies at that city's Anthropology Film Center. With her mentor, Willard Van Dyke, who founded the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art, she would create the Santa Fe Winter Film Expo, a showcase of independent film. Moving to Chicago after graduation, she worked as a production designer and producer of television commercials and short films until she met and began her association with Davis. Tucker-Davies has served as an associate producer on most of Davis' feature film productions, including the Academy Award' nominee "The Fugitive"; "Steal Big, Steal Little," starring Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin; "Chain Reaction"; "A Perfect Murder," starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow; and, most recently, "Collateral Damage," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. She is currently developing "The Chess Records Story" for Chicago Pacific, Quincy Jones Entertainment, and Showtime, as well as several properties that will continue her company's foray into family films. MARTY EWING (executive producer) has served as production manager or producer on a dozen films, including "Almost Famous," "Stealing Harvard," "Sweet November," "My Dog Skip," "The Haunting," "The XFiles," "Switchback," "Face/Off," "2 Days in the Valley," "Jumanji," and "A Simple Twist of Fate." His most recent project reunites him with "My Dog Skip" director Jay Russell for Touchstone Pictures' action-drama, "Ladder 49." LOUIS PHILLIPS (executive producer) is Phoenix Pictures' senior vice president of physical production, postproduction, and music. Before joining Phoenix Pictures, Louis served as vice-president of production administration at Jim Henson Pictures on "Rat" and "Muppets in Space," and Paramount Pictures' production executive on "The Saint," "Jade," and "Goodburger." He is also the co-producer on Phoenix Pictures' film "Basic," directed by John McTiernan. STEPHEN ST. JOHN (Director of Photography) is one of the industry's most sought after camera operators who has worked with some of its top directors. He makes his debut as director of photography with "Holes." St. John has worked many times with director Andrew Davis, most recently on "Collateral Damage" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their other mutual film credits include "A Perfect Murder," "Chain Reaction," "Steal Big, Steal Little," the Academy Award®-nominated "The Fugitive," and "Under Siege." St. John also has repeat collaborations with noted directors Barry Sonnenfeld and Clint Lastwood. St. John and Sonnenfeld first worked together on the Coen Brothers' "Raising Arizona," in which Sonnenfeld served as cinematographer. Once Sonnenfeld began directing, he brought St. John in on such films as "Men In Black," "Wild Wild West," and "Get Shorty" Eastwood and director of photography Jack Green chose St. John to be their operator o"A Perf nect World," "Unforgiven," "The Rookie," "Heartbreak Ridge," and "Pale Rider." His other select motion picture credits as a camera operator include "Coyote Ugly," "Godzilla," "Starship Troopers," "Species," "Blown Away," "For The Boys," "The Bodyguard," "Die Hard 2," "Lethal Weapon," "Lethal Weapon 2," "Out of Africa," and "The Karate Kid," among others. MAHER AHMAD (Production Designer) has a longstanding partnership with director Andrew Davis that dates back to the 1983 film, "Code of Silence." "Holes" is the ninth film that Ahmad and Davis have collaborated on. Maher's feature film credits include a broad range of styles and genres on such films as "US Marshals," "Gun Shy," "The Cemetery Club," "Miami Blues," and "Above The Law" In addition to his design duties on "Steal Big, Steal Little" and "Chain Reaction," Ahmad also served as associate producer. As an art director, Ahmad's film credits include Andy Davis' "The Fugitive," Ron Howard's "The Paper," Martin Scorcese's "Goodfellas," "Miss Firecracker," "Married to the Mob," and "Angel Heart." Ahmad graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University with a degree in Theatre and went on to receive his Master of Fine Arts in Stage and Lighting there as well. Ahmad began his career in Chicago working as a theatrical set and lighting designer on over 100 local theatre productions. He also taught theatre design at the college level for two years before working as an art director for feature films. AGGIE GUERARD RODGERS (Costume Designer) is a respected and talented costumer designer who has worked with some of the industry's top filmmakers. Rodgers' most recent work includes "Life, Or Something Like It," starring Angelina Jolie; Ivan Reitman's "Evolution"; and Norman Jewison's critically acclaimed "The Hurricane," starring Denzel Washington. "Holes" marks Rodgers' second collaboration with director Andy Davis, having previously worked together on "The Fugitive." Rodgers has designed costumes for such feature films as "Rock Star," starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston;"Holy Man"; Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker" and "Jack"; "Mr. Holland's Opus"; Lasse Hallstrom's "Something to Talk About," starring Julia Roberts; "Benny and joon"; Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon" and "I Love You to Death"; Norman Jewison's "In Country"; Ron Howard's "Cocoon"; and Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple," which earned her an Academy Award' nomination. Among her considerable list of motion picture credits are such classics as "The Return of the Jedi," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," Milos Foreman's "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," and George Lucas' "American Graffiti." WILLIAM MESA (Visual Effects Supervisor) has long been considered one of the most innovative visual effect directors in the industry. As a Vice-President at Introvision, a top effects house, he supervised the visual effects for such diverse films as Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me"; Sam Raimi's "Darkman" and "Army of Darkness"; Bruce Beresford's "Driving Miss Daisy"; Peter Weir's "Fearless"; and Andy Davis' "Under Siege" and "The Fugitive," in which he was instrumental in the now-legendary train crash sequence. In 1993, Mesa founded Flash Film Works Inc. continuing to create eye-popping effects for such films as Andy Davis"' Collateral Damage"; Danny DeVito's "Death to Smoochy"; "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"; "Deep Lndofthe Ocean," "The Waterboy""Deep Blue Sea," "Red Planet," and "Pluto Nash." Mesa's work has garnered many awards over the years including the Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 1998 and a British Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Lffects for "The Fugitive." He is a two-time Lmmy Award winner for the visual effects on the CBS telefilm, "Miracle Landing," and the Hallmark Hall of Fame special, "The Hugga Bunch." In 2001, he won seven major industry awards for Best Commercial Visual Lffects for the Batman/Onstar commercials. Mesa is also making a name for himself as a director helming the HBO telepics "Terminal Force" and "DNA" and the CD-ROM game "Maximum Surge." THOMAS J. NORDBERG's (Editor) most recent film credits include Keenen Ivory Wayans' comedy "Scary Movie 2" and "What Women Want" starring Mel Gibson. Nordberg graduated with honors from New York University Film School in 1985 and then began working in film and television production eventually becoming an assistant director. In 1990, Nordberg segued into editing where he worked with such notable editors as Duwayne Dunham, David Brenner and Sally Menke among others. Nordberg then began a longtime collaboration with director Oliver Stone working as an assistant editor on "Heaven & Larth," "Nixon," and "Natural Born Killers," and then chief editor on "U-Turn" starring Sean Penn and "Any Given Sunday" starring Al Pacino and Cameron Diaz. JEFFREY WOLF, A.C.E. (Editor) recently edited "Out Cold" and John Waters' "Cecil B. Demented." He has collaborated with director Ted Demme on the hit comedy "Life," "Monument Ave.," "Beautiful Girls," "The Ref," "Who's the Man," and on one of three episodes Wolf edited for the HBO anthology "Subway Stories" one of the others for director Alison Maclean ("Jesus' Son"). His other features include Daisy von Scherler Mayer's "Madeline," Tamra Davis' "Billy Madison," Don Scardino's "Me & Veronica," Arthur Penn's "Penn & Teller Get Killed," Mark Rosenthal's and Larry Konners' "The In Crowd," and Burt Reynolds"' Heat." Wolf earned a degree in speech communications from Ohio State University. While taking graduate classes at New York's The New School, Wolf began organizing film festivals featuring first-time efforts by such filmmakers as Robert Duvall and Martha Coolidge. Shortly thereafter, he worked as an apprentice film editor on Elaine May's "Mikey and Nicky" and Sidney Lumet's "Network." He subsequently served as assistant editor on "The Wiz," Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" saga, "Honeysuckle Rose" and "The Goodbye People." He was also associate editor on "Four Friends" and sound editor on "Baby It's You." Wolf's television editing credits include "The Equalizer," the award-winning "Andre's Mother," and various "Saturday Night Live" sketches A~WAS,E d~e Murphy's "Mr. White" skits. Long-form specials like VH-1's "Duets," Comedy Central's "Tompkins Square," videos for Dave Stewart's "Jealousy," "Come On" by the Lordz of Brooklyn, and "Going To Town" by the Afghan Whigs, also number among his editing credits. As a director, he helmed numerous episodes of "Tales From The Darkside," "Monsters," and several off-Broadway productions.Wolflives in NewYork with his wife, Jeany, and their two children. A graduate in composition from the distinguished Eastman School of Music, JOEL McNEELY (music by) has composed the scores for nearly 40 films and television series, including Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature films "The Jungle Book 2" and "Return to Never Land," live-action movies "Soldier" and "Vegas Vacation," the animated series "Tiny Toon Adventures," and Jim Cameron's series "Dark Angel" as well as Cameron's recent release in 3-D IMAX® theaters and 35mm 3-D theaters, "Ghosts of the Abyss." He has conducted more than 30 albums of classic film music, including an entire collection of works by noted Hitchcock film composer Bernard Herrmann, for Varese Records. Those works include the first-ever Gramophone Award for his work on an album of the score to "Vertigo." KARYN RACHTMAN's (music supervisor) many credits as music supervisor include "Pulp Fiction," "Boogie Nights," "Mystery Men," "What Planet Are You From?," "Get Shorty ue ess, "The Last Seduction," "Reality Bites," "Reservoir Dogs," and, most recently, "Laurel Canyon" and "29 Palms." Founded by Cary Granat, former president of Miramax Films' Dimension label, and education entrepreneur Micheal Flaherty, WALDEN MEDIA produces films, television shows, live theatre, books and interactive media that strive to inspire, engage, enlighten and entertain. Walden believes that quality entertainment is inherently educational and can capture the audience's imagination, rekindle curiosity and demonstrate the rewards of learning. Walden selects each production for its entertainment value and educational merit. Walden's learning and production groups work closely throughout the development, production, and post-production process to ensure that all projects have maximum learning value. Walden partners with educational experts, world-class museums, and schools to create a comprehensive learning outreach program to support each project. Lvery production is enhanced and extended by companion lessons, books, and Web sites. The company is also creating stand-alone projects to support their mission, such as Reel Thinking, a book series and premiere Web destination that helps teachers and parents use films to open new avenues to lifelong learning. Walden Media will release "Ghosts of the Abyss" on April 11th, 2003, with The Walt Disney Company. In this groundbreaking 3D large format film, Academy Award®winning director James Cameron uses state-of-the-art technology, including revolutionary 3D photography, to journey back to Titanic. Currently in production is a film adaptation of Jules Verne's "Around The World In Lighty Days," with Jackie Chan attached to star. The company is making the first live-action film adaptations of C.S. Lewis's book series The Chronicles of Narnia, beginning with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to be directed by Andrew Adamson ("Shrek"). Walden Media has also teamed with renowned television and stage producer Douglas Love to establish the first ever Walden Family Playhouse, a live children's theatre in Denver, CO. Walden Media is a subsidiary of The Anschutz Company. The Denver-based company is one of the largest privately owned and operated ventures in the U.S. Its affiliated companies are principally engaged in telecommunications and media, natural resources, transportation, real estate, sports and entertainment. its thought-provoking themes and humor." I think it's a fun and uplifting story," he comments. "It's an exciting adventure where the main character rises above his miserable situation, and not only survives, but thrives. I never set out to teach a lesson. My goal is always to write a fun, entertaining, and thought provoking story. Any messages, and I think there are many in this book, come naturally out of the story" Sachar's other popular books include There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, Dogs Don't Tell jokes, jokes, the Wayside School series, and the Marvin Redpost series. In February 2002, The Seattle Children's Theatre premiered Sachar's stage adaptation of Holes as part of the city's literacy initiative program. To Sachar's surprise, he was offered the opportunity to adapt his novel into the screenplay for the film. "This was the only way we could make the movie," says Andrew Davis, who would direct the film adaptation. "I didn't want to make a movie from this amazing book that didn't reflect the book." Sachar was delighted that Davis wanted to make a movie based on his work, but was a little hesitant about taking on the gargantuan task of writing the screenplay. "Louis was really nervous," laughs Davis. "He said things like, `Oh, I don't know anything about Hollywood, I'm afraid, I've heard horror stories about what's happened to writers who sell their books to Hollywood filmmakers and producers.' But I made a commitment to him and to my partners on this film - Louis was going to be a part of the making of the movie." "I had never written a screenplay before, but I read a few that Andy sent me, so I had a general idea of what a screenplay looked like," says Sachar. "But writing a screenplay was a very different experience for me. When I write a novel, it's just me, alone in my office; I worked on Holes for a year and half without showing it to anyone. The screenplay, on the other hand, was really a collaborative effort. I'd try something, send it to Andy Davis and his staff, they'd make changes, and send it back. I learned a lot from them." Though it may seem a departure from the type of film upon which Davis has built his reputation - such as "The Fugitive" and "A Perfect Murder" - in fact, Davis has illustrated his strength as a filmmaker in many genres, from the magical realism of "Steal Big, Steal Little" to the powerful human story of friendship between a group of interracial kids who dream about their big break in Davis' first film, "Stony Island." "Holes" is an extension of that WALT DISNEY PICTURES' HOLES PRODUCTION NOTES Based on the award-winning book by Louis Sachar, "Holes" is a fun and poignant adventure that tells the story of Stanley Yelnats (SHIA LaBEOUF), an unusual young hero. Dogged by bad luck stemming from an ancient family curse, Stanley has little clue that he's in for the adventure of his life when sent to Camp Green Lake, where he and his campmates - Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, X-Ray, and Zero - are mysteriously forced by the camp's director, known only as "The Warden" (SIGOURNEY WEAVER), and her right-hand men Mr. Sir OON VOIGHT) and Dr. Pendanski (TIM BLAKL NELSON), to dig holes in order "to build character." Nobody knows the real reason they're digging all these holes, but Stanley soon begins to question why the head of the camp is so interested in anything "special" the boys find. Through it all, Stanley and his campmates must stick together as they attempt to discover what's really hidden, solve the mystery, and break the Yelnats family curse forever. Walt Disney Pictures presents "Holes" in association with Walden Media, a Chicago Pacific Entertainment/ Phoenix Pictures production. The film was directed by Andrew Davis, from a screenplay by Louis Sachar, based on his novel. Mike Medavoy Davis, Teresa Tucker-Davies and Lowell Blank are producers with Marty Lwing and Louis Phillips executive producing. Buena Vista Pictures distributes. ABOUT THE FILM Already hailed as a classic, Louis Sachar's novel, Holes, has been published in nearly 30 countries spanning North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and has received over 25 accolades, most notably the 1999 Newbery Medal for Best Children's andYoung Adult Fiction, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, and the 1998 National Book Award forYoung People's Literature. In a recent poll by Read magazine of the most popular books among children, Holes ranked #1 - beating even Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Sachar, the author of more than twenty books for children, attributes the phenomenal success of his book to work. "I had been looking for something to direct that was different from the traditional political-action thrillers that I've made over the past few years," says Davis. "But maybe `Holes' isn't that different for me. As in `The Fugitive,' it's about an unjustly accused man who proves his innocence." Part of what makes the book so compelling is the story's three distinct but interwoven tales, spanning from modern day Texas to 18th-century Latvia to the OldWest. For Tim Blake Nelson (who plays Dr. Pendanski, one of the "counselors" at the camp), like Davis and the rest of the cast and crew, Sachar's complex story and screenplay was one of the major reasons why the project was so appealing. "`Holes' is a story for a young audience, but its structure is incredibly sophisticated," Nelson says. "It's telling three stories at once in two different centuries and two different continents and it intertwines these stories in some very inventive ways ...it's not your run-of-the-mill story. It really challenges your sense of narrative, no matter how old you are." "Andy Davis has a tremendous visual sense," says producer Mike Medavoy. "He's got great enthusiasm for this project, and that's a great way of putting a picture together. When Andy sent me the book, it struck me as completely different than anything I had ever done before - and I've done over 330 movies. Louis Sachar really struck a nerve with a lot of kids." "Teresa Tucker-Davies became aware of the book through early reviews and began to pursue it," Davis continues. "I read the book right away and immediately fell in love with it. Everybody dreams of finding that great book to make into a movie; I think I was lucky enough to find it. Louis Sachar has written a classic." CASTING THE FILM THE ADULTS The filmmakers say that from the very beginning they had pictured Sigourney Weaver as the Warden for her ability to combine femininity and toughness that would give the character her edge. "I was searching for a woman who could be both sweet and tough enough to paint her nails with rattlesnake venom," says director Andrew Davis. "Who could possibly fit the bill? Well, how about Ripley from `Alien?"' "My daughter read Holes when she was eight and she loved it," says Weaver. "It was the first book she really fell in love with. She said, `There's this awful woman in it named The Warden and you should play her,"' she laughs. "What I love about Louis Sachar's story is how he weaves together the three stories into one," says Weaver. "There's the story of the curse, and how that came to be; and then, there's the story of how the curse is broken, 100 years later; and then, there's the middle story of Sam and Kate. All of these are situations in which love and decency win out over cruelty and greed." "The thing I found interesting about the Warden is that she hides her power," Weaver continues. "She's very soft-spoken. If one of the boys questions her orders, she doesn't get angry - it's just, `Excuse me?' She has a tremendous presence among these kids. "There's no one like Andy Davis," says Weaver of her director. "He took so much responsibility for every single person's welfare. He kept everything in his mind - from the camera shots to the performances right down to the sunblock, hats, and water for the cast and crew. He was simultaneously open to your ideas and at the same time completely in charge. He was an ideal director." Mr. Sir, the ornery overseer of the camp, is played by Jon Voight. Voight's transformation into Mr. Sir not only involved a physical transformation - he added a ten-pound body pad (for that extra girth around the waist) and several hours in the hair and make-up chair to affix a pompadourstyle wig and pencil-thin moustache - but in personality as well, creating a caricature of a villain that also manages to be a three-dimensional character. Voight comments, "Mr. Sir is described pretty well in the book; he looks like he would be an inmate in another circumstance. It's always fun to do something people have an expectation for and then to see if you can match it with your imagination and portray it properly" Sachar, who was on hand to watch the filming, found a special joy in watchingVoight portray the largerthan-life Mr. Sir. "I couldn't have asked for anyone better than Jon Voight to play Mr. Sir. He takes a character that could have easily been just a caricature on screen and rounds him out until he's just like you picture him in your head. Lach of the actors added a lot, but Jon Voight's impromptu dialogue had me in stitches... it was often funnier than anything I thought of." "The kids got very inspired by having Jon around -and vice versa," says Davis. "I think the kids really learned something, watching him create his character, which was really quite remarkable - he's created this ornery Texan who's both very funny and very scary at the same time. Jon Voight is not only a genius, but also a prince." "That guy has presence," says Shia LaBeouf, who plays Stanley. "You know what I'm saying?You walk on the set, and it's his set. The first time I saw him, I just zoned out - I was just staring at him and watching him work. He's a master." For the ersatz psychiatrist Dr. Pendanski, the filmmakers cast Tim Blake Nelson, who was attracted to the project by the hopeful elements within the story. He comments, "This film is affirming in the best possible way. It's a story about an innocent boy who through no fault of his own is put into a horrible predicament ...and, simply by behaving time and time again in a manner which he feels is right, regardless of the situation, purges a curse which has been afflicting his family for over a century" "Pendanski is really there at Camp Green Lake to get the treasure - just like Sigourney Weaver's character and Jon Voight's character," Nelson notes, "but he does that under the guise of being a youth counselor." "Pendanski is a fairly uptight, high-strung, and neurotic gentleman," Nelson continues. "He's very afraid of the sun and the ramifications of the sun on his skin - he's always wearing zinc oxide on his nose." For the OldWest tale of Kissin' Kate Barlow and her heartfelt story with Sam the onion seller, the filmmakers cast Patricia Arquette and Lmmy nominee Dulé Hill (best known for his role of Charlie on the Lmmy Awardwinning NBC hit drama, "The West Wing") as the starcrossed lovers. The filmmakers felt that Arquette would be the perfect fit for the schoolteacher-turned-outlaw -Arquette was instantly drawn to the role for that reason. She explains, "Kate's story has a magical quality to it ...it is a very true love story which is ahead of its time, and it changes her forever. She starts as one person and then something so devastating happens to her that she becomes someone else to adapt to that pain." Arquette admits she was also able to fulfill her tomboy fantasies preparing for her role as the horse-riding, gun toting outlaw. She underwent weeks of training learning to ride a horse, to throw a bowie knife, and to handle firearms for the role. That said, Arquette was not as thrilled by the idea of working with the foot-long Bearded Dragons used as the deadly Texas yellow-spotted lizards. "I've worked with reptiles before, but I don't care to touch them," she says. "I had some real crybaby moments. There was one lizard right on top of me growling. I was supposed to be dead but I was scared and breathing hard." "`Holes' is a story about redemption," says Hill. "It's about righting wrongs. It's never too late to correct past mistakes - we don't have to fall victims to the curses of our ancestors." Rounding out the cast are two well-known faces: Henry Winkler as Stanley Yelnats III (obviously, Stanley IV's father), and Lartha Kitt as the mysterious Madame Zerom, who curses four generations ofYelnatses. THE KIDS To play Stanley Yelnats IV, the latest male in the Yelnats family to suffer the curse of his no-good-dirtyrotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather, the filmmakers turned to Shia LaBeouf, the star of the Disney Channel series, "Even Stevens." "I needed an actor who could combine the best qualities ofTom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Wilder in the body of a sixteen-year-old, and I think I found him in Shia LaBeouf," says Davis. "He's tremendously talented, and that's unqualified. He's not a talented actor for his age - he's talented for an actor of any age." "When Stanley gets to Camp Green Lake, he can't even solve his own problems, much less anybody else's," says LaBeouf. "He's a caterpillar when he arrives, and when he leaves he's a butterfly. He can control things like never before - he's not going to be the same guy, and because he's got his life figured out a little more, he can help the other kids in the camp, especially Zero." LaBeouf credits Andy Davis and Louis Sachar with helping him find the character of Stanley Yelnats. "Andy doesn't force anything on you, but everything he's thinking, he gets out there. He's great at explaining how he sees the character and what he wants. He really cares about every detail and will do everything to make sure that every detail is right - from how you read your lines to the way your shoelaces are tied. He's a genius. "Having Louis Sachar on set was amazing," LaBeouf continues. "It kind of struck me - he was the whole reason we were here. He had a great idea, and he wrote it down. At first, I was gobbling down Twinkles, because Stanley is chubby in the book. But Louis said that it's more about the attitude - at the beginning of the book, Stanley's unsure of himself and quiet; it was more important for that to come through. Louis helped me find that." The one kid at Camp Green Lake who everybody feels free to pick on is Zero, who never says anything until Stanley shows up. Khleo Thomas takes the part of a kid who keeps all of his natural talents hidden. Thomas describes Zero as a kid who "doesn't like to talk much, but you can tell what he's saying by the way he looks at you. He's very quiet, but he has a warm heart. "Before we started the movie, I only knew Sigourney Weaver from the movies - especially `Alien,' because I've seen every trilogy ever made," says Thomas. "When I saw her, I freaked out, because she looks exactly like she does in the movies. But it was cool working with her - she gave me some good hints about how to stay focused. Jon Voight, too, was great. These guys are legends, but they don't have a big head or anything. You can just talk to them straight." As great as that experience was, though, it couldn't rate with Thomas' favorite scene. "When Shia and I are trapped in the hole, with lizards crawling all over us - that was the best," he says. "I had one lizard, named Mocha, just staring at me. He was great. Another one was on my shoulder, and he kept licking my ear." For the rest of D Tent, the filmmakers turned to a talented young cast. Brenden Jefferson was cast as X-Ray, the leader of D Tent, who has terrible eyesight but tremendous force of personality. Newcomer Byron Cotton plays Armpit, an enormous kid with a tremendous stench coming from one particular part of his body Jake M. Smith plays Squid, a tough kid who's at odds with Stanley from the start. Max Kasch plays ZigZag, a kid who's all over the place. Miguel Castro rounds out the cast as Magnet, an aptly-named kleptomaniac who can't help but steal stuff -his fingers attract hot goods like... well, you know. "We all got along, like a brotherhood," says LaBeouf. "Khleo was the mascot, sort of, because he's smaller than the rest of us - everybody wanted to treat him like their little brother. Miguel is the energy of the group - he's got this weird laugh that would crack us up every time we heard it. Jake has a lot of the same taste in music that I do - we got along very well. Brenden is an amazing actor - he listens so well.You can ad lib with him for days and he'll respond to anything you say. Max is the Bob Dylan of our group - he'd come on set and play guitar. Byron is the lyricist - he thinks he's Biggie, and I think he's Biggie, too.You have to hear him rap to believe how good he is." ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Davis' commitment to bringing Sachar's book to life extended to the set once production began. "Because the book is so beloved, the atmosphere on the set became infused with a joyous loyalty to the story and to its honest portrayal in the film," says the director. "In spite of some very difficult conditions on the dry lakebed- extreme heat and wind especially - the cast and crew cared for and inspired each other. Everybody felt that something special was going on." The group spent close to four weeks filming on the Cuddeback Dry Lake and Red Rock Canyon in the desert just west of Death Valley before returning to the San Fernando Valley just north of Los Angeles. Other locations included the towering rock formations ofVasquez Rocks, Lake Casitas and a soundstage that housed the interior sets for the sneaker-ladenYelnats apartment and the courtroom scenes. Of all the locales, Cuddeback proved to be the biggest challenge for the filmmakers, cast, and crew who faced daily 110-degree-plus temperatures, high winds and fierce dust funnels, aptly nicknamed "dust devils" during their stay there. LaBeouf remarks on some of the difficulties, "You can't explain those dust tornadoes. It's sand and gravel just spitting at you. The audience is going to think its CGI. No, my friends, that stuff is real! At times we couldn't even drive through the desert because of white-outs of sand." During the course of filming on the dry lakebed, the grueling conditions were compounded by the daily training maneuvers of fighter jets, stationed at three nearby military bases, buzzing overhead as part of the U.S. Army's preparations for Afghanistan. Weaver was a bit more circumspect about the shooting in the desert. "In spite of the difficulties of filming in the desert - the wind, dirt and heat - I love the reality of it," she says. "I think these scenes are turbulent and it's good when the weather reflects that. It's actually very beautiful here... it has a profound silence." In an effort to acclimate the boys to some of the physical necessities of their roles, stunt coordinator Alex Daniels developed a two-week boot camp that consisted of daily hikes, calisthenics with their shovels, and contests to test their agility. LaBeouf admits he and the boys scoffed at the idea of boot camp, but it proved essential in the end. LaBeouf explains, "When we first heard about boot camp I thought, `It can't be that hard to dig a hole.' But if it hadn't been for that boot camp I wouldn't have made it through what we had to go through. He really worked us." As Daniels handled getting the human cast in shape, animal trainer Larry Madrid ofAmmals Unlimited oversaw all aspects of beastly care and performances, including the transformation of the Bearded Dragons into the YellowSpotted Lizards.As the deadly Texas Yellow-Spotted Lizards were the product of Sachar's fertile imagination, it was up to Madrid and his staff to create their distinctive spots with a relatively easy and harmless spray painting process which took about an hour. The reptiles, who are less active when housed in a cool environment, were kept cool during the painting sessions. Members of the art department, led by production designer Maher Ahmad, who has crafted the looks for such films as "U.S. Marshals" and "Chain Reaction," preceded the arrival of the film crew preparing the seven-mile long lake bed for filming by designing an elaborate layout of hundreds of holes. It was a process that initially began with detailed environmental impact studies and an archeological survey of the area followed by mapping out the enormous dry lakebed with a global positioning system. What followed were four weeks of labor intensive digging by both hand and a bucket rig, a specially modified digging machine. Lach hole was then numbered for the many, intricate camera shots the filmmakers had in mind for the scenes being filmed. Once filming concluded, it was up to Ahmad and his crew to return the lakebed to its original condition, which included the painstaking process of refilling and repacking each of the holes with a layered combination of dirt and water over the next two weeks. Ahmad was very pleased with the outcome of his work on "Holes." What began with extensive research culminated in what Ahmad describes as the quintessential designer's film. "The film had a lot of great opportunities for good design - the ability to tell a story and reveal characters through the environment, including the horrible dry lakebed, but especially through the flashbacks to Latvia (one of my favorites sets) and the Old West." Ahmad's dedication to the project is reflected by the work of every member of the crew. "Ultimately, our goal is to have everybody - children and adults - walk out of this movie saying it was just how they pictured it in their heads while they were reading the novel," says Davis. "If that happens, it's a testament to Louis's powerful story, and it means that we were successful in bringing that story to life." Official Web Site: http://www.holes.com Back to main movie page Showing Today at: Click here for other showings