Did we mention that shooting for Vendetta 19 starts each day at 4am? And while you would be right to assume that this would be enough to make anyone grumpy, we have been blessed with some amazingly generous, upbeat and talented actors, and the smiles on their faces tell it all!! Unlike the actual misery that went down in Edwardian prisons, our cast are a jolly bunch and we are thrilled by what they each bring!
We have been so incredibly lucky to have landed. The cast of actors we have landed who will play the prison offices in Vendetta 19. In the group photo below, from left is an inspirational young man named Tom Kay, next to an incredibly generous historian of the race track named Steve Caroll. Next to Steve is our head officer, and the man who inspired us to write prison offices into the script, Matt Jackson. Adding a final compliment to the crew is none other than AFL and Carlton Football Club legend, Anthony Koutoufides.
Initial script of Vendetta 19 certainly had a Pentridge prison officer present in it, however, they were restricted to visible roles that had no speaking dialogue. During the interview process though, when we auditioned Matt Jackson, his performance was so impressive that we realised the strength and potency he could bring if given the opportunity to shine properly. Once Matt was secured and he had signed his papers, we were easily able to convince Roy Maloy to embellish the importance of the Pentridge officers in the narrative.
A late arrival in the casting process was Tom Kay. As the youngest member of the Prison officers, he is an amazing candidate. Outside of his stunning looks, piercing eyes and chiselled features, he is a real life FitnessGuru and Mental Health advocate. His stoic and strong disposition in real life adds to an incredible depth of character as a prison officer in the screenplay.
As typical in real life prisons, the role of prison officers is one of the longest lasting job types in the country today. The average duration of an officer in a Gaol is between 20 to 30 years in the job. As a favour to the author, Steve Carroll agreed to play the role of a longtime prison officer with a short temper. As an expert in Australian harness racing and horse racing history, Steve and Roy have been good friends for quite some time. Steve brings to the role the typical look of a prison officer who had returned from any number of 20th Century wars and found their way into a similar role in a prison.
Bringing in the last part of our team is none other than Carlton Football Club legend, Anthony Koutoufides. Anthony’s willingness and generosity to participate in this role as a favour to longtime supporter and patron of the arts, Ricky Nixon, has gone on to create what we will become some of the most memorable scenes in Vendetta 19. During the fight choreography in the screenplay, they could be no question that the Italian superman is still every bit as powerful as he ever was.
With the first day of filming complete, what an amazing epic journey. All the actors were on at 5am and they put in an enormous effort. Thank you to the Geelong Gaol Museum for your amazing support yet again, and all of our amazing cast, crew, and all of your beautiful supporters. As we grow head towards the date when Vendetta 19 drops: please remember to share these posts and help us meet new people who can get excited about this incredible project.
