DEUCE OF SPADES - THE FULL FEATURE HOTROD FILM EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT

A Hotrod Full Feature Film By Faith Granger

THE AMAZING CAST OF DEUCE OF SPADES: Part One - Tim McReynolds is JOHNNY CALLAWAY

 With a cast comprising of well over 90 talented up and coming actors as well as over 200 extras, DEUCE OF SPADES is not exactly your average “no budget” indie flick. The 50’s period film seemed to be a big hit with the Hollywood talent and I was amazed at how many actors submitted to be in my film, despite the fact that there was no pay involved. Some went as far as flying in to LA just to audition for me. And although they were not hotrodders and had never owned a hotrod, they all were in love with the cars, the fifties era and the idea of DEUCE OF SPADES.

below: Young actors between the age of 19 and 24 audition for a hotrodder part in my film.

I am a very picky director so I was blessed to have such a large number of actors to pick from. And so I hand picked the best of the best and had the amazing opportunity to discover new faces, “diamonds in the rough”, young actors who are going to rock the silver screen, no doubt.

 The hardest part to cast was by far the lead role, JOHNNY CALLAWAY. This is a character with so much dynamics, so multi dimensional, a very challenging role that would necessitate incredible range from a young actor. Tim McReynolds stepped up to the plate and gave JOHNNY CALLAWAY a face that ladies out there are not about to forget any time soon!

below: A face that the ladies aren't about to forget.

below: Hard headed Johnny gives his rival a look that spells "get ready to get your ass whipped"

Freshly arrived from a small town in Oregon, a carpenter by trade, Tim was one of many struggling young actors to fall in love with the film and try out of the part. To lend the lead role would mean he would have to film every week-end for an entire year, and work harder than anyone else on the cast, both in front and behind the camera. And to do it all for no pay. Tim rose up to the challenge beautifully and became, as I like to call him, my "Number One". There were many many shoots where, short on crew, Tim had to roll up his sleeves and help load or unload gear, do serious grip work and even boom. He also helped with construction work when time came to built our jail set. No Prima Donna attitude here.

below: Helping place gel on our lights during the infamous night dragrace scene.

below: Tim booms his "rival" FRESNO (played by Frank O'Leary) - Ironic, but true.

During our on location shoots, Tim slept on a little folding bed under the stars, keeping an eye on the gear. Now, that's what I call gong the extra yard to help! I remember this one shoot: Tim had to run across train tracks and make a big jump down a flight of stairs. He landed hard and sprained his ankle badly but didn't tell a soul and continued to run for another 3 hours after that, until he finally no longer could even stand. When I found out what had happened I scolded him of course but at the same time I thought to myself: "Wow! Now, that's dedication!"... He was pretty much out of commission for the next few days but his tenacity and determination saved the scene.

below: Tim's jump results in injury

below: But he keeps running anyway, determined to finish the scene, no matter the cost...

Tim was no stranger to fast cars, having restored a Mustang himself. On and off camera, Tim and the deuce were bonding and he was, shoot after shoot, becoming more and more JOHNNY CALLAWAY like. I had to trust him with my beloved roadster and I remember this one shoot where I literally put my life in his hands: I asked him to drive the deuce 50 mph straight at the camera (and me behind it) and hit the brakes at the last moment, skidding to a halt on the sandy black top. He came to a halt a mere 3 feet away from me. I never doubted he could do it... But had he failed... I would not be here to tell the tale.

below: Tim is heading straight at me at 50 mph on a sandy black top road...

below: Here coming to a screeching halt a mere three feet from me.

below: Tim and the Deuce bond on and off camera...

Being Johnny Callaway meant that Tim would be expending his range as an actor in all directions and go from one lighthearted, cocky teenager to a struggling young man facing some very serious, hardcore, hardship. One of the most challenging scene, acting wise was the jail sequence. It required not only serious acting chops but also some difficult stunts, which could have resulted in serious injuries. Tim worked with my stunt coordinator for several hours, rehearsing the beating choreography, which involved real batons, so there was no margin for error.

below: Johnny will face many hardships because of his love for speed.

Another noteworthy stunt scene was the famous knife and fist fight between JOHNNY and his rival FRESNO. Once again, the boys did all their own stunts and really suffered during the fight. The ground was rock hard and studded with small, sharp shaped gravel and the boys had to fall and roll many times and Tim got his share of cuts, and more than likely cracked one of his ribs, but kept fighting anyway.

Yes, some of our shoots were really challenging, notably the famous "Crash scene" where Tim had to lay down on hard dirt all night long, in freezing temperature, with a short sleeve T-shirt on, which was, to make matter worse, soaked in wet blood. The night shoot was very taxing on Tim and we were very concerned he was going to have hypothermia. We tried to keep him warm best we could between takes but he was literally blue and his teeth were shattering. Other shoots were not much better, especially the famous May 2008 week-end when he had two bare chest 10 hour scenes back to back and the weather decided to take a plunge on us, resulting in rain, wind and COLD. But Tim refused to cancel the shoot and dealt with the cold.

below: Johnny looks relaxed as he takes his cigaret break in this scene, but Tim was literally freezing to death that day.

One of the biggest fear small indie filmmakers who work on a no budget face, is to have their lead person quit on them halfway through the film. Filming for an entire year, every week end without fail, meant taking an incredible chance on Tim. But he didn't let us down, even when it got rough. I hope that when you see the film, you remember just how hard this young man worked to bring us JOHNNY CALLAWAY. And that you appreciate his dedication as much as I did. And remember: He did it all for the Love of the film, the era and the cars... And never got paid a penny.

below: Tim McReynolds, a lot more than just a pretty face.

below: the shot may look glorious, but it was hard work in very rough conditions on the set! And we all suffered to make shots like this one happen.

below: Tim would have to stretch his acting range to fill JOHNNY CALLAWAYS shoes

PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR CAR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS FILM. This no budget film is promoted solely on word of mouth, so every person can make a huge difference! If you can, email your buddies a link to the film's official website at www.deuceofspadesmovie.com the film teasers: http://www.vimeo.com/user326991 and the filmmaker's blog: http://deuceofspades.bravejournal.com/

Check out all our Updates on the Deuce of Spades

Deuce Of Spades Feb. 13
Deuce of Spades Feb. 18, 2009
Deuce of Spades Feb. 25, 2009
Deuce of Spades March 11, 2009
Deuce of Spades March 18, 2009
Deuce of Spades April 1, 2009
Deuce of Spades April 16, 2009
Deuce of Spades April 30, 2009
Deuce of Spades June 16, 2009

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