The casting of Vendetta 19 was never going to be easy. Critical to the production was the casting of the role of none other than Squizzy Taylor. It was also a difficult casting project for the sake that the role was casting a young Squizzy Taylor. However, as fate would have it, we were lucky enough to land an actor who we think is the absolutely ideal candidate for the role.
Tom Levi was born and raised in the countryside of Ballarat, Victoria and has resided there ever since. Tom first came into the acting scene at the age of 15 when he began studying with an international acting coach.
Two years later came Tom’s first acting role in a bit part for the feature film ‘The Dealer’. Ever since then Tom has acted in many short films, small parts in multiple indie feature films, commercials and many other projects. In the last year and a half however, things have started to go on the rise for Tom as he’s been cast in two feature films in major roles. One being the role of Harry Osborn in ‘Spider-Man: Seasons of Fate’ which is currently in production, the other being a horror slasher film currently in pre production. And to add to that list, Tom is now playing one of the most infamous gangsters of all time, as Squizzy Taylor.
Besides acting, Tom has co-created a small indie production company with two friends called Melbourne Underground Cinema Kollective (MUCK) where they are currently working on multiple short films and will eventually branch into feature films.
Production began a week ago, and we can now say that Tom’s acting skills are far above and beyond those we were expecting, and we are blown away by how well suited to this role he is.
The cast of Vendetta 19 has got some truly big shoes to fill as we try and depict some of the most unusual true crime figures from history. In the case of Indian Dick, no truer word could be said.
As far as criminals go, Indian Dick wasn’t a high achiever. He was a low-level crook from the Melbourne area who occasionally branched out to the odd safe heist. Yet it was his fighting technique that separated him out from the pack. As a street brawler, Indian Dick, whose real name was John George Woolpert, had a signature move that resulted in him obtaining the infamous nickname while inflicting a particular gruesome fate on his victims. Where Hulk Hogan used the “Big Leg”, and Mario Milano relied on the abdominal stretch to finish their fights, Indian Dick’s finishing move involved a swift and powerful kick to the groin of whoever he was fighting. His talent for this move resulted in at least one man losing one of his family jewels, and another being hospitalised.
So when we were casting the role, we needed an artist who could act incredibly well, but who could also manage the heavy fight sequence in the pilot episode. Despite some false starts, we couldn’t be happier with our selection, and can now announce that we have secured the incredibly talented Jackson Howe!
Originally from Queensland, Jackson brought the sunshine to the Sunshine State. He is no stranger to stage lights and cameras, and having discovered a love for singing, dancing and acting early, he made his stage debut at the age of 8 as Oliver. And the people said, ‘please sir, can we have some more?’
Then began a relentless passion for musical theatre that would see him play eleventy-million roles before he’d even finished high school. Serious about pursuing a career in musical theatre, he trained at the Australian Dancing Performance Institute where he completed an Advanced Diploma in Musical Theatre and Dance. Developing his acting skills, he worked on a range of projects including feature film pilots, short films, commercials and music videos.
In 2018, he made the move to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Whilst at the VCA, Jackson performed in ‘On The Town – The Musical Comedy Classic’ (directed by Adam Mitchell) and ‘Morning Melodies 2019’ at Hamer Hall (directed by Jayde Kirchert). In 2020 Jackson featured in the ensemble of ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ (directed by Jason Langley) and played a leading role, Joe’s Dad, in the musical ‘Our House’ (directed by Tyran Parke).
In 2023, Jackson played a leading role Linus, in the musical ‘You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown’ (directed by Cameron O’Reilly) and played ensemble in ‘Kinky Boots the Musical’ (directed by Martin Croft), receiving a Green Room Award for Best Professional Independent Musical in 2023.
After delving into the world of Music Theatre, Jackson now is keen to pursue acting in film. In 2024, he has played leading roles in ‘Building Houses’ (directed by Alekh Chapman), ‘Elise and George’ (directed by Stephanie Bosshard) and Let’s be Frank’ (directed by Lily & Quynh Dinh and playing a supporting role in ‘Just Kids’ (directed by Helen Turton).
Jackson often swaps his tap shoes for running boots and when the camera’s off, you’ll find him teaching Drama in the classroom or cheering on his ultimate frisbee team. With a personal passion for filmmaking and cinematography, Jackson is incredibly eager to bring his skills to Vendetta 19 playing the role of Indian Dick.
In the pilot of Vendetta 19, the much anticipated presentation of Valentine Keating is coupled by that of his best mate, John Collins.
Played by actor Nicholas Zervas, he is a well-rounded and accomplished actor who brings a huge amount of gangster to the role. Nicholas started his acting journey at the age of 12 after watching the 3 stooges he would often reenact scenes that he liked where his family noticed he had a natural talent for acting and that he should try and pursue it. At the age of 13 he presented the lead role in a number of short films while in high school and attending the Australian College of Dramatic Arts. Nicholas has been a stand-out feature in several Indi short Films and a feature Films including the acclaimed “Evil Orders”.
Nicholas is trained in firearms with digger tactical while also being a talented and trained in Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai and Jujitsu.
Nick will be playing the part of jewellery thief, standover man, police extortionist and thug, John Collins of North Melbourne’s Crutchie Push.
With all the fine details tuned just right, Vendetta 19 is shaping up to be one of Australia’s most exciting upcoming projects.
We are thrilled to introduce Daniel Sultana as William Edwards, Squizzy Taylor’s right hand man.
Daniel began his career with a plethora of Featured Extra roles in film & television productions, including the iconic soap opera, ‘Neighbours’ and the mysterious drama, ’Ms Fishers Modern Murder Mysteries’. Professionally trained with The Australian College of Dramatic Arts and Screen Actors Australia. His first job in the industry, A Kelly Gang member, working alongside George MacKay on the Australian feature film, True History of the Kelly Gang. Daniel has worked on a range of different projects including: commercials, plays, music videos and short films, such as Bitten Tongue, working with notable actor Travis Jeffery (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)
He’s not shy from showing off his dancing skills either. A live gig at south east Melbourne Phoenix basketball game where he had to dance around in underwear to promote the infamous Australian menswear brand, ‘TRADIE’. Sorry Melbourne United but you’re not scoring any goals whilst Daniel is pumping out the moves.
If you’re lucky enough to attend one of Daniel’s Trivia Nights, you’ll be glad you did. Daniel hosts a wide range of events across Victoria. Most predominantly on the Bellarine Peninusla, Geelong and Surf Coast Region, or perhaps you’ll catch his Summer Trivia Session aboard the Spirit of Tasmania. And…It’s not just Trivia, his event promotion is something to marvel, having being hired by one of Victoria’s highest educational precinct schools, ‘Kardinia International College’ to facilitate fundraisers, promoted BYD Automotive for their launch to the Australian automobile market and an Entertainer for Online Accounting software company Xero on their corporate retreat. With sponsored events by noteworthy brands such as SportsGirl, MECCA, and The Body Shop, Daniel has solidified his place as the go to spruiker for many businesses.
Now undertaking the role of William Edwards with award winning author, Roy Maloy’s directorial debut, Vendetta 19, Daniel brings a range of fascinating skills to the role.
Without question, the cast of Vendetta 19 have been drawn from some of the most extraordinary places in order to meet the incredibly diverse nature of the script. In particular, the three-time prison escapee, bomb maker, pistols shooting, jewelry shop robbing, standover man named John Clark who was a Crutchie Push member. Better known as the husband of notorious sly grog and bordello madam, Minnie Clark, they formed an underworld power couple from 1907 up until her death in the early 1930’s. Playing John Clark is a man of many talents, with Tyson Popplestone bringing the role to life.
A professional Stand-Up comedian, Tyson has graced numerous venues across Melbourne for close to a decade, honing his impeccable timing. These skills made him an excellent choice for the role, along with the athletic requirements he will face as he represents one of the most notorious and interesting True Crime Organized Crime Gangsters of all time. The role of John Clark is one of the principal roles that is heavily involved in a complex, choreographed fight sequence that will require Tyson to be able to keep up with professionally trained fighters. Backing up his comedy skills, Tyson’s athletic prowess played a significant part in securing the role as he also boasts an inspiring career as a professional runner. Having won the Melbourne Marathon 10km, the Victorian State Mile, and representing Australia at the QS World University Cross Country Championships in 2010, he brings a huge amount of prowess to the table as an actor and athlete. We are thrilled to have him on board!!
As filming gets underway for Vendetta 19, we are thrilled to announce another of our amazing cast with Sam Warren, playing the role of Claude Taylor.
Sam grew up in the outer suburb of Mount Evelyn, nestled in the Yarra Ranges. Vendetta 19 is his breakthrough into film, as a steep departure from his budding boxing career. Sam has been training at MVC Boxing for over 5 years, and has competed in 15+ amateur Boxing bouts. Australian Olympic Boxing icon, Steve Marks described Sam as a “brilliant fighter”, and he has since gone on to inspire us with his diverse skills as an actor too.
Sam has travelled extensively across Australia in his boxing career, and has been seen training with professional and olympic boxers. His move to film was as a result of a chance meeting, with a friend of a friend recommending him for the role. Writer of Vendetta 19, Roy Maloy, explains that “we had already cast an incredible actor for the role, however, he got injured while training and had to withdraw. So I began asking around, looking for a replacement actor. The difficulty with this role is that the artist needs to be good looking, be able to fight, be under 25 years old and have the kind of temperament we need from the actors who will be working on this project. One of my contacts rang back and told me about a young man he’d seen boxing who fitted all of those things. So we met, and he was a perfect fit. The only catching point was when I had to deliver the hard news to him that we are working on a period piece and the character he will be playing didn’t have a moustache or a mullet. Sam took a deep breath and agreed to have a shave and a haircut and the rest was history”.
We believe that Sam’s years of experience in boxing will be an asset to him in his portrayal of the volatile and unpredictable criminal Claude Taylor as he works to replicate his savagely unpredictable fighting style.
Vendett 19 begins filming on 15 June and will drop in October 2024.
As we are now on the countdown, we’ve only six days to go until filming commences on the set of Vendetta 19, we are thrilled to announce the last person to be cast in the screenplay. Although we’ve had a lot of trouble finding the perfect fit for the role of the toughest prison officer in the screenplay, we are now thrilled to announce that AFL legend Anthony Koutoufides will be joining the production, as the lead prison officer.
As we count down the days until the shooting of Vendetta 19, we took a minute out of our busy schedules to meet up as a whole cast and enjoy a VIP tour of D Division Pentridge. It was an amazing experience to see the actual cells where these stories truly took place, and it was a wonderful moment for the actors to be inspired by lived experiences of these incredible locations. Thank you to Bluestone College of Knowledge for the tour (which is an amazing experience for any corporate group event). And thank you to Tim Henshall Photography for these amazing photos.
