Identity
Production Notes
One night in the middle of the desert a violent rainstorm has isolated a lone motel when all roads and phone communication are washed out. Eventually a group of 10 stranded strangers will congregate at the ramshackle motel and discover to their horror that they are being murdered one-by-one.
Or they think they are. What is real might not be and as their unseen assailant methodically eliminates them, they frantically look for connections to a jigsaw puzzle that is making a mockery of everything they know to be logical and sane.
Ed (John Cusack) a former cop turned limo driver for an actress (Rebecca DeMornay); Rhodes (Ray Liotta) a corrections officer transporting a convict (Jake Busey); Paris (Amanda Peet) a hooker leaving her past; Larry (John Hawkes) the motel owner with something to hide; Ginny (Clea DuVall) and Lou (Will Lee Scott) a troubled couple and the York family (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzle and Bret Loehr) who come to the motel in need of medical attention after an accident on the highway are those marooned in “I.D.” a psychological-thriller directed by James Mangold, produced by Cathy Konrad and written by Michael Cooney.
Partners professionally (“Girl Interrupted,” “Kate and Leopold,” “Cop Land”) and personally (they are married), Mangold and Konrad almost didn’t pair up on “I.D.” Konrad (who also produced the “Scream” series of movies) read the script and loved the mystery and the film noir aspect to it but envisioned making a “small, down and dirty independent movie instead of a studio picture.”
She told Mangold about the script and he was intrigued enough to read it and promptly told her that he would “be pretty upset if someone else but him directed it.”
What attracted Mangold to the story was that it played out like an old-time movie like “The Maltese Falcon,” “Life Boat” or “The Big Sleep” and “that the movie played with time, memory, reality and nightmares in a fascinating way,” says Mangold. “In addition we both have been interested in a genre piece where the lighting can be somewhat heightened, more dramatic and that it takes place in essential one location, so in this case the motel itself becomes a character in the movie.”
In addition, Mangold and Konrad loved the concept of ensemble movies. “I love the idea of throwing characters into a pot (motel in this case) and just see what happens,” says Konrad. “The proximity of the characters to one another and the pressure and violence, force the secrets out of the characters as the movie progresses,” notes Mangold.Cusack’s pivotal character, Ed, stuck in a dead-end job as a limo driver, at night during a rainstorm in the desert, gives the movie a sense of a Raymond Chandler novel. “People like Ed, whose life has turned sour are intriguing because they have given up on dreams and are accepting of life’s grimmer realities,” says Mangold.
Cusack was intrigued with the genre and working in an ensemble but was hooked by the writing. “It’s a sophisticated, adult thriller which when I first read it, had me guessing and the tension was heightened by misdirection and I kept getting surprised.
“From an acting point of view, what’s unusual about this movie is the actors are serving an intricate plot. Most films you have do things where character motivates plot but this is where we are basically elegant chess pieces and it’s a nice change of pace to be in service of that,” says Cusack.
Liotta had worked with Mangold before on “Cop Land,” and each was eager to find another project to hook up on. “Ray has an explosive, no-bull intensity on screen and it compliments John’s more philosophical and thoughtful persona,” notes Mangold.
Liotta took on the role in equal parts due to Mangold, the script and working in a genre he had never tried. “When I started acting, I always wanted to do as many different parts as possible and as many different genres,” says Liotta. “And to my surprise, everyone else in the cast really loves playing ‘the game’ that this script is. This is truly the kind of stuff that you play when you’re a kid: pretending who’s around the corner; what’s going on; pretending you’re acting. It’s real moody and a great exercise in make-believe.”
Amanda Peet was someone Mangold and Konrad had loved in “The Whole Nine Yards,” and the independent feature “Whipped.” She’s bright, beautiful with a raw energy and sort of sassy,” says Konrad.
For someone who Mangold says “got” the concept of what he wanted to do quicker than anyone else during the audition process, Peet was petrified when she first read the script. “I was half reading it and half wandering around my apartment, making sure all the doors and windows were locked,” says Peet. “I could barely read it, I was so scared.”
The most dominating character in the movie turned out to be the motel itself since nearly the entire movie takes place within its confines. “The motel had to have enough character so that it remained alive throughout the movie,” notes Mangold. “The color pallet, the shapes of the rooms all have to work dramatically to emphasize the psychological and real horror that the characters are going through.”
Says Cusack: “It’s basically a haunted house that gave you the feeling of ghosts.”
Most movies have about 50 separate sets and or locations, so production designer Mark Friedberg had his work cut out for him to make the one set look dynamic and simple so that it holds the viewer for the run of the movie. The motel was built in its entirety on stage 27 (the second largest stage) on the Sony Pictures lot and was based on an existing set located 20 miles east of Palmdale, Calif. in the desert. The practical location was used for the drive-ups to the motel and to establish that the motel truly was in the desert, though, given that the movie takes place at night during a rainstorm, it made more sense to control the environment by shooting inside.
Beginning the day after New Year’s 2002, Friedberg’s crew took eight weeks to construct the motel which filled the cavernous stage. Engineering was of paramount importance because the water had to drain of the stage without damaging the stage floor and walls and the motel had to be built to drain off the water as well as not leak. A giant rubber sub floor was built to protect the floor and then the motel set was framed and built on top of that. The floor for the set was made out of gunite (used in the construction of swimming pools).
“For practical reasons, the water had to be kept off the motel windows and walls,” says Friedberg, “but at the same time I wanted the water to completely envelop the actors and the camera frame.”
And the rain was so pervasive that it eventually took on mythic proportions—in fact it rained for more than 40 days and 40 nights. The No. 1 topic of conversation rotated between how humid it was on stage 27; the amount of mold (in any) in the air and what part of the stage smelled worse than any other.
“The rain had to be sold as a barrier to escape but it’s always hard to make rain look real,” says Konrad. A system was devised where rain bars were installed above the set and so that the volume and location of the water (heated for the actors comfort) could be controlled.
Since production began in Palmdale in early March where temperatures were around freezing and rain was being used, the cast felt like they were on a playground by comparison when they were getting rained on inside of a climate-controlled stage. Still, it was not exactly comfortable working conditions.
“The rain created a pretty consistent mood which worked for the material,” says Cusack. “We show up early in the morning, looking for coffee to wake up before shooting starts and then you get doused by cold water all day long, so waking up and getting alert was never a problem.”
Of course, Cusack’s character of Ed is the only one with a raincoat, much to the chagrin of Ray Liotta. “How the hell did Ed know it was going to rain and no one else? It was a pain in the butt to be sure, though it really help set the mood,” says Liotta. “It sure got me going early in the morning. It was liking taking a cold shower all day long—you would get exhilarated.”
About the cast… | (back to top)
John Cusack (Ed) is one of Hollywood's most versatile young 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 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.
Cusack recently completed production on “Max” for director Menno Meyjes. Cusack portrays Max Rothman, a celebrated gallery owner who meets a fellow war veteran and aspiring artist, Adolf Hitler and encourages him to paint. The film will be released in Summer 2002 by Lions Gate.
Cusack was most recently seen in Miramax’s romantic comedy, “Serendipity.” Directed by Peter Chelsom from a script by Marc Klein, Cusack starred as half a couple that reunite a decade after the fateful night that they fell in love and then separated. Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven also starred.
Recently, Cusack starred opposite Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal in “America’s Sweethearts” for Sony Pictures. Produced and directed by Joe Roth, “America’s Sweethearts” focused on a Hollywood couple in the middle of a divorce while promoting a movie together.
Cusack also starred in the critically acclaimed feature version of Nick Hornby's English novel, "High Fidelity," for Touchstone Pictures. The film focuses on a Chicago slacker record storeowner who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend. As well as starring as the slacker, Cusack co-produced and co-wrote “High Fidelity” with his New Crime partners Steve Pink and D.V. DeVicentis. The film starred Jack Black, Iben Hjejle, and Lisa Bonet.
In 1999, Cusack starred in the critically praised dark comedy "Being John Malkovich" for USA Films. Cusack portrayed Craig, a puppeteer who finds a door in his office that allows him to enter the mind of and literally become the actor John Malkovich for 15 minutes. He then exploits the findings to gain love, fame and power. Malkovich portrayed himself alongside Catherine Keener and Cameron Diaz in the film directed by Spike Jonze. Cusack’s performance garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category of Best Actor. Cusack also co-starred in "Cradle Will Rock," an ensemble drama written and directed by Tim Robbins for Touchstone Pictures. The story revolves around a stage musical banned by the government in the 1930's and the group of eccentric artists determined to mount the musical despite overwhelming odds. Cusack portrayed Nelson Rockefeller opposite an ensemble cast that included Emily Watson, Cary Elwes, Angus McFadden, Susan Sarandon, Hank Azaria, John Turturro, Ruben Blades and Vanessa Redgrave.
Also that year, Cusack starred in “The Jack Bull,” a traditional Western written by his father Dick Cusack, for HBO. In addition to starring in the film, John served as executive producer along with Steve Pink and D.V. DeVicentis under their New Crime Productions banner. John portrayed a Wyoming horse trader who took on a fellow rancher after he abused two of his horses and the Crow Indian man who cared for them.
In early 1999, he was also seen starring with Billy Bob Thornton in Fox 2000's "Pushing Tin," a comedy about the angst of air traffic controllers. The film was directed by Mike Newell and also starred Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie.
In December 1998, Cusack appeared in the World War II combat epic "The Thin Red Line," based on the James Jones novel about the battle of Guadalcanal. Directed by Terrence Malick for 20th Century Fox, the ensemble cast included George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Bill Pullman and John Travolta.
In 1997, Cusack starred opposite Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Minnie Driver in Buena Vista Pictures "Grosse Pointe Blank." He received rave reviews for the comedy that he also produced and co-wrote about a hit man who goes through a spiritual crisis during his high school reunion. Cusack produced the film under the aegis of his New Crime Productions. This was the first of many projects which New Crime intends to develop and produce under their banner.
Also in 1997, Cusack starred with Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi in Buena Vista's blockbuster "Con Air." Directed by Simon West, Cusack portrayed U.S. Marshal, Agent Vince Larkin. Later that year he starred with Kevin Spacey in the Warner Bros. feature, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on John Berendt's nonfiction best-seller of the same name, Cusack portrayed John Kelso, the movie version of the author/narrator. Additionally, Cusack lent his voice to FOX's full-length animated feature, "Anastasia." Cusack's voice brought life to the animated character Dimitri, opposite the voices of Meg Ryan as Anastasia, Christopher Lloyd as Rasputin and Kelsey Grammer as Vladimir. Based on a Russian Fairy Tale, the film is about a young Princess on a quest to discover her true identity.
In 1995, Cusack starred opposite Al Pacino in Castle Rock's political thriller "City Hall," directed by Harold Becker for Columbia Pictures. In 1994, he re-teamed with Woody Allen, who cast him in the 1991 film "Shadows and Fog," to portray playwright David Shayne in the acclaimed "Bullets Over Broadway" for Miramax. The ensemble cast included Chazz Palmintieri, Jennifer Tilly, Dianne Wiest and Tracey Ullman, among others. His other feature film credits include "Tapeheads," "Fat Man and Little Boy," "Map of the Human Heart," "Postcards from the Edge," "True Colors," "Money for Nothing," and "Road to Welville."
In addition to his film work, he founded New Crime Theater Company. The company, which is based in Chicago, is the foremost avant-garde theater company next to The Steppenwolf Company. He has directed four plays with this group, including Alagazam...After the Dog Years and Methusalem, which won him a Jeff 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 has also directed Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Currently, Cusack, along with his New Crime Productions partners, writers Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis, have a first-look deal with New Line Cinema to develop, write and produce films, in some of which Cusack will star.
Ray Liotta (Rhodes) has managed to burn indelible images into moviegoers’ minds since the beginning of his feature film career. These performances--from the demonic to the heroic--span the spectrum of human emotions and behavior. I.D. marks a reunion with director James Mangold with the pair first having worked together on “Copland” which also starred Sylvester Stalline, Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.
Known for his versatility, Liotta went from sensitive and vulnerable in Corrina, Corrina to ballistically vicious in his feature film debut Something Wild, for which he was chosen as Best Actor from the Boston Film Critics Awards and received a Golden Globe nomination.
In his next role, he starred with Tom Hulce in Dominick and Eugene,
followed by the soul-searching ghost 'Shoeless Joe Jackson' in the 1989
Academy Award-nominated Field of Dreams. When Robert DeNiro suggested
the actor for a starring role in Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese cast him as the half-Irish, half-Sicilian 'Henry Hill' opposite DeNiro and Joe Pesci. Liotta's "splendidly mercurial" 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, already notorious for his tremendous diligence in researching and developing his characters, went undercover with the LAPD to create the over-the-edge-cop, 'Officer Pete Davis,' in Largo's 1992 hit Unlawful Entry, opposite Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe.
In addition to his very busy film schedule, 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 appeared as himself on NBC’s “Just Shoot Me.”
In his diverse and extensive career, Liotta has developed a list of film credits that includes Hannibal, John Q., Blow, Rumor of Angels, Heartbreakers, Turbulence, Unforgettable, Operation Dumbo Drop, No Escape and Article 99.
Now Liotta is adding a new skill to his resume: that of producer. Tiara Blu Productions, that Liotta runs with his wife, actress Michelle Grace, and producing partner Diane Nabatoff, recently premiered “Narc” at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, “Narc” stars Liotta and Jason Patric as Detroit narcotics detectives. Liotta is on the trail of the killer of his slain detective and he isn’t scared to use any means necessary to find out. The New York Times characterized “Narc” as having “the velocity of a hot slug from the barrel of a gun.” Daily Variety adds that the film “shuns the studio slickness of comparable recent thrillers like ‘Training Day’ for an edgier, rougher and more viscerally violent style” and Liotta’s performance as “his most arresting in years.” Lions Gate Films will be releasing the film in the fall of 2002.
Amanda Peet (Paris) most recently starred in the comedy Whipped, written and directed by Peter Cohen.
She recently appeared opposite Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry in the box-office hit The Whole Nine Yards. 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, Take Down and Justin McCarthy's indie feature Jump.
Peet is well known to television audiences for her current role as Jack in the hit drama series "Jack & Jill," which focuses on a young couple in Gotham. Other television credits include arecurring role on "Central Park West," the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the week "Ellen Foster" and guest appearances on "Seinfeld," "The Single Guy," "Law & Order" and "Spin City."
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. Last summer he starred opposite Keanu Reeves in Hardball as Ticky, Reeves’ best friend/business partner/ticket scalper.
Due for release is the independent film, Don’t Try This at Home, in which Hawkes stars and co-produces. Other feature credits for this chameleon include, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Playing God, From Dusk ‘Till Dawn and Roadracers, the latter two directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Hawkes has also created memorable performances for television. He had a recurring role on the hit series The Practice and guest-starred on The X-Files, Millennium and Northern Exposure. Upcoming is a starring role in VH1’s new anthology series Strange Frequency.
Hawkes was born and raised in rural Minnesota and then moved to Austin, Texas where he began his career as an actor and musician. He co-founded 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, including engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
He later moved to Los Angeles and began working in film, making his debut in Percy Adlon’s Rosalie Goes Shopping. Hawkes also wrote and performed a critically acclaimed solo play, Nimrod Soul at the Theatre At The Improv and currently writes, records and plays music with his band Gangster Folk.
Rebecca DeMornay (Caroline) made her acting debut in 1983 as the seductive call girl to an impressionable Tom Cruise in the hit film Risky Business and is best known for her acclaimed portrayal of a chillingly twisted nanny in the box office smash The Hand That Rocks The Cradle.
Her diverse film roles include a tomboy train mechanic in Runaway Train, a gentle attorney stalked by her client in Guilty As Sin, a vulnerable fireman’s wife in Backdraft, the wicked Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers, a mother whose baby is poisoned in Testament and a conniving lounge singer in The Winner. Other movie work includes, The Slugger’s Wife, Beauty and The Beast, Dealers, And God Created Woman, Feds, Table For One and Never Talk To Strangers, which she also executive produced.
On television she played a socialite struggling with breast cancer in a multi-episode story on ER. Other television work includes Night Ride Home, An Inconvenient Woman, Blindside, By Dawn’s Early Light and a tour-de-force performance as Arlie, an uneducated prisoner looking to transform her life. De Mornay also starred in Stephen King’s The Shining in which she played the wife of a writer haunted by demons and in the comedy The Con, in which she played a con woman who ends up falling in love with her mark.
De Mornay made her directing debut with “The Conversion,” a segment for the anthology series The Outer Limits on Showtime.
Alfred Molina (Doctor) is an accomplished actor with appearances in over 50 film and television productions as well as an extensive theatrical career.
Born of a Spanish father and Italian mother in London, 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) and his Broadway debut in 1998 in the Tony Award winning okay Art with Victor Garber and Alan Alda. In addition to his own 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 Most Outstanding Debut Performance.
Molina made his movie debut with a small role in Raiders of The Lost Ark and had a notable role as a Soviet sailor in Letter To Brezhnev but had his breakthrough movie role came in 1987 when he played the role of Kenneth Halliwell, the tragic lover of Joe Orton is 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 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, as the mayor of a small 1950s French town who tries to shut down a chocolate store.
Molina will next be seen in the movie Frida, as real life master painter Diego Rivera married to artist Frida Kahol portrayed by Salma Hayek. On television he co-starred and produced the CBS sitcom Ladies Man.
John C. McGinley (George York) was first spotted on stage by famed director Oliver Stone while he was an understudy in a New York Circle in the Square production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Stone cast McGinley in his feature films Platoon, Wall Street, Talk Radio, Born on The Fourth of July and Nixon. His most recent work for stone was as the outrageous sportscaster Jack “The Ripper” Rose in Any Given Sunday.
Some of McGinley’s more than 50 feature film credits include Highway, Get Carter, Three To Tango, Nothing to Lose, Mother, The Rock, Seven, Set it Off, Wagons East, Point Break, On Deadly Ground, Surviving The Game and Fat Man and Little Boy.
His television credits include the four-hour miniseries Sole Survivor, based on the work of suspense novelist Dean Koontz. He previously worked with Koontz on the gripping suspense drama Intensity, which is the highest rated miniseries in Fox TV’s history.
On stage, McGinley has appeared on Broadway in Requiem For A Heavyweight, and off-Broadway in Breast Men, Florida Crackers, Talk Radio and The Ballad of Soapy Smith. Raised in Short Hills, N.J., McGinley began to pursue acting seriously at Ohio Wesleyan University. He transferred to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he earned both his Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees.
Clea DuVall (Ginny) first worked with James Mangold and Cathy Konrad when she portrayed Georgina Tuskin in Mangold’s 1999 film Girl, Interrupted, based on the best-selling memoirs of Susanna Kaysen and 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 and then her starring role in the comedy But I’m A Cheerleader made her one of the most sought after young actresses in Hollywood.
She recently was seen in the star-studded HBO production of The Laramie Project, based on the true story of Matthew Sheperd, the film focused on a gay college student who was murdered in Wyoming. Coming up for DuVall are the independent films The Slaughter Rule and Thirteen Conversations, a drama co-starring Matthew McConaughey, John Turturro and Alan Arkin. All three films premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
DuVall 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 TheArts. During her time there, she performed in the theater and also took acting classes outside of school.
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 will next be seen starring in the black comedy “The First 20 Million is Always The Hardest.” Recent movies include “Fast Sofa,” with Natasha Lyonne and Jennifer Tilly, “Taillights Fade,” the comedy “Tomcats” and with Jamie Foxx in “Held Up.”
Raised in Mailbu, Busey spent his childhood summers on film sets and touring with bands that his father, Gary Busey, played in. He began his career choices at age 5 when he took up the two hobbies that grew into professions: acting and playing the drums. His motion picture debut was in the film “Straight Time” with his father and Dustin Hoffman. On the guidance of his parents, he spend the rest of his childhood focusing on school and the drums (the latter which he learned from his father and legends Mick Fleetwood and Jim Keltner). 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 3-month workshop with acclaimed acting teacher James Best (who also taught his father in the 1960s).
Busey began his career with parts in films like 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 works on his first love: music. Currently he is playing bass guitar in a band and writing music. He is also a licensed pilot and spends several days a month flying.
William Lee Scott (Lou) most recently was seen in Pearl Harbor as Billy Thompson for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay. Before that he co-starred in another Bruckheimer production, Gone in 60 Seconds, where he played the youngest member of a gang of car thieves.
In 2000, Scott appeared in the James Toback film, Black and White, the story of privileged white Manhattan kids and their reckless fascination with black uptown hip hop culture. The movie also starred Robert Downey, Jr. and Ben Stiller. Other screen credits for Scott include October Sky the 1950s family drama of four West Virginia teens who build a rocket.
He is probably best remembered as Christina Ricci’s boyfriend in The Opposite of Sex. Both Scott’s performance, as well as the film, received strong critical accolades when it was released in 1998. Previously, he co-starred in Gattaca as a young Loren Dean and in 1995 won Colulmbia University’s Best Actor award in the student film Tis The Season.
Television credits for Scott include the Emmy-nominated Before Women Had Wings; Robert Altman’s Gun; Robert Pastorelli’s series Cracker and 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 theatre. He then moved to New York where he was discovered waiting tables at the Cub Room in SoHo.
Leila Kenzle (Alice York) is the granddaughter of a Ziegfield Follies girl and appearances in New York, most notably a starring role in Tony and Tina’sWedding, prepared her for a successful film and television career in Hollywood.
Kenzle will be seen in two other high profile films in the next year: White Oleander opposite Rene Zellweger and Michelle Pfeiffer and she stars opposite Rob Schneider in The Hot Chick.
Kenzle is perhaps best known for playing Helen Hunt’s best friend on the long running series Mad About You. After leaving that show, she spent a full season playing the wife of a New York transit cop in the series DeResta. She also guest starred on Friends and thirtysomething.
She recently shot a talk show pilot for Big Ticket Television called The How-to-Guide To Life. She is also studying to be a clinical psychologist and is due to receive her Masters in Psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles in 2002.
Kenzle lives in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles with her husband, Neil Monaco.
Behind the camera… | (back to top)
JAMES MANGOLD (director) made his feature film debut in 1996 with Heavy, a nearly wordless film about an overweight chef at a rust-belt tavern. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Direction, and was selected to represent the United States at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes.
Starring Liv Tyler, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Deborah Harry and two-time Oscar winner Shelley Winters, Heavy was described as "an acting decathlon" (Spin), "a near masterwork" (Toronto Globe), "Quietly earthshaking, eloquent and purposeful" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times) and "one of the best films of the year" (Roger Ebert).
While making Heavy, Mangold wrote Cop Land, a police drama inspired by the town in the Hudson Valley in which he grew up, one heavily populated by commuting New York City Policemen. Producer Cathy Konrad brought the script to Harvey and Bob Weinstein at Miramax who made a deal for Mangold to direct his second feature.
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta, Cop Land was accepted into the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival. Critically acclaimed, it premiered in the U.S. in August 1997 (No. 1 at the box office) and became Miramax's highest grossing opening weekend to date.
Mangold then wrote and directed the films Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie and Kate &Leopold starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman with both films produced by Konrad.
Now married to Konrad, his producing partner, Mangold, the son of two celebrated painters, earned his undergraduate degree from the California Institute of the Arts (in both the acting and the film schools) and a master's degree from Columbia University.
CATHY KONRAD (Producer) was producing two movies at once while she was shooting The Sweetest Thing. She was also in production on Kate & Leopold starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman that was written and directed by her husband James Mangold.
She also produced James Mangold's Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. For her role in the film, Angelina won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
Cathy produced Mangold's second film Cop Land starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro.
Cathy's other credits include producing the highly successful Scream trilogy. The films were created by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven and starred Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox. She also produced Kevin Williamson's Teaching Mrs. Tingle, starring Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, Marisa Coughlan, and Barry Watson; and Alexander Payne's Citizen Ruth starring Laura Dern.
Cathy also served as co-producer on the critically acclaimed independent film Kids, directed by Larry Clark, as well as Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. The latter film starred Andy Garcia and Treat Williams. Konrad was the executive producer on Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls, starring Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Mira Sorvino, Annabeth Gish, and Timothy Hutton.
MICHAEL COONEY (Screenwriter) was born and raised in London, England, but has found his home in Los Angeles.
Prior to the production of I.D., Cooney’s most celebrated film credit was directing and writing the cult phenomenon Jack Frost and Jack Frost 2. He has also 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 a comedy Cash On Delivery that had it’s world premier at the prestigious Theatre Royal Windsor and has gone on to break box office records throughout Europe. Cash on Delivery 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. 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 star 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.
STUART M. BESSER (Executive Producer) enjoyed a reunion with Cathy Konrad on I.D.. He also served as co-executive producer on her on The Sweetest Thing, Scream 3 and Scream for Wes Craven.
Stuart served as co-producer on director Nick Castle's Delivering Milo, starring Albert Finney and Bridget Fonda; on Wes Craven's Music of the Heart starring Meryl Streep; and on director David Winkler's Finding Graceland, starring Harvey Keitel, Johnathan Schaech, and Bridget Fonda.
On Canadian Bacon, starring John Candy, Stuart served as the line producer. He was the producer on Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs and on Dr. Giggles. Stuart was the executive producer on Vampire in Brooklyn and an associate producer on Made in Heaven.
Stuart was also the producer of Kevin Williamson's ABC show Wasteland, featuring Marisa Coughlan, Brad Rowe, Rebecca Gayheart, and Eddie Mills.
PHEDON PAPAMICHAEL (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 a the Film-Avignon Film Festival in 2000 for 27 Missing Kisses and won for Best Cinematography at the 1990 Cork (Ireland) Film Festival for Spud.
For television, he shot the pilots for White Dwarf and The Conversation and the mini-series Wild Palms.
MARK FRIEDBERG (Production designer) reunites with director James Mangold after their collaboration on Kate & Leopold. His disparate film design work includes, Todd Haynes’Far From Heaven, Ed Harris’ Pollack, Autumn in New York, 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 Poodle Springs for Bob Rafelson.
DAVID BRENNER (Editor) has had a long association with director Oliver Stone and won an Academy Award for Best Editing for Stone’s Born on The Fourth of July. Their collaboration also includes the films, Wall Street, Talk Radio, The Doors and Heaven and Earth.
ID is his second pairing with James Mangold, having cut Kate & Leopold. Brenner cut The Patriot and Independence Day for director Roland Emmerich and his other work includes, What Dreams May Come, Lolita (co-editor), Fear, The River Wild and Night in The City.
ARIANNE PHILLIPS (Costume designer) worked previously for director James Mangold when she created the costumes for Girl, Interrupted. He other film work includes, Swept Away, Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Mod Squad, The Replacement Killers, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Going All The Way, Tank Girl, The Crow and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Her entrée to the film world was via the short film The Duke of Groove which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Phillips designed the costumes for scores of music videos featuring artists such as Madonna, Sonic Youth, Courtney Love, Smashing Pumpkins, REM, Natalie Imbruglia, Lenny Kravitz, Lemonheads, Gwen Stefani , Lou Reed and Jennifer Lopez.