Nancy Drew
June 14
For generations of fans worldwide, the name Nancy Drew is synonymous with
adventure. This young amateur detective has a mind of her own, a passion for solving
mysteries and a reputation for getting into—and out of—some very tricky situations.
This summer, “Nancy Drew” brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is
faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet.
EMMA ROBERTS stars as the resourceful teen detective, who leaves her friendly
hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High School.
There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living
peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know
that everything about her is different—from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect
picnic lunches and penny loafers.
Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not
Nancy. She has more important things to think about—namely, a brand new mystery.
Even though she promised her worried Dad (TATE DONOVAN as Carson Drew) that
she’d quit the “sleuthing” business, it isn’t long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the
greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of
famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former Draycott
mansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have been
happening.
How could she resist?...
“Nancy Drew,” from producer Jerry Weintraub and director Andrew Fleming, also
stars JOSH FLITTER as the wisecracking Corky, Nancy’s unlikely new best friend at
Hollywood High, and MAX THIERIOT as her longtime confidant Ned Nickerson, who
learned long ago that there’s no getting Nancy’s attention away from a hot clue. DANIELLA
MONET and KELLY VITZ are Inga and Trish, and RACHAEL LEIGH COOK stars as Jane
Brighton, a woman whose life could be changed forever by the secrets Nancy uncovers in the
Draycott mansion.
Brighton, a woman whose life could be changed forever by the secrets Nancy uncovers in the
Draycott mansion.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, a Jerry Weintraub
Production, a Film by Andrew Fleming: the family mystery adventure “Nancy Drew,”
starring Emma Roberts (Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous”), Josh Flitter (“Big Momma’s House
2”), Max Thieriot (“The Astronaut Farmer”), Rachel Leigh Cook (“Las Vegas”) and Tate
Donovan (“The O.C.”) The film is directed by Andrew Fleming (“The In-Laws”) and
produced by Jerry Weintraub (the “Ocean’s” franchise). The “Nancy Drew” screenplay is by
Andrew Fleming and Tiffany Paulsen, from a story by Tiffany Paulsen, based on characters
created by Carolyn Keene. Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian and Benjamin Waisbren serve as
executive producers, with Cherylanne Martin as co-producer.
The creative production team includes director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
(“The In-Laws”) editor Jeff Freeman (“Just Friends”) and production designer Tony Fanning
(“Ocean’s Twelve”). Music is by Ralph Sall. Costumes are designed by Jeffrey Kurland
(“Ocean’s Eleven”).
“Nancy Drew” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner
Bros. Entertainment Company. It is rated PG for “mild violence, thematic elements and brief
language.”
www.nancydrewmovie.com
For downloadable general information about “Nancy Drew,” as well as photos,
please visit: press.warnerbros.com
WARNER BROS. PICTURES Presents
In Association with VIRTUAL STUDIOS
A JERRY WEINTRAUB Production
A Film by ANDREW FLEMING
CAST
Nancy Drew....................................................................................................................... EMMA ROBERTS
Thug ......................................................................................................................................CRAIG GELLIS
Charlie ....................................................................................................................................RICH COOPER
Ned Nickerson...................................................................................................................... MAX THIERIOT
Bess ..................................................................................................................................AMY BRUCKNER
Georgie ............................................................................................................................KAY PANABAKER
Chief McGinnis .........................................................................................................................CLIFF BEMIS
Carson Drew...................................................................................................................... TATE DONOVAN
Father Murray..........................................................................................................................DAVID DOTY
Dehlia Draycott ..................................................................................................LAURA ELENA HARRING
Hannah .............................................................................................................................MONICA PARKER
Barbara Barbara............................................................................................................. CAROLINE AARON
Leshing............................................................................................................................MARSHALL BELL
Inga............................................................................................................................... DANIELLA MONET
Trish ..........................................................................................................................................KELLY VITZ
Corky..................................................................................................................................... JOSH FLITTER
Principal ................................................................................................................................ PHIL ABRAMS
"New Century" Actor ......................................................................................................ROBERT MERRILL
Costume Lady..................................................................................................................... JOANNE BARON
Assistant Director.............................................................................................................. RYAN RADDATZ
Arrogant Director...........................................................................................................ADAM GOLDBERG
Twin Palms Manager......................................................................................................ELYSSA DAVALOS
File Lady .....................................................................................................................EMMY LAYBOURNE
"No" Women .......................................................... ROSEMARY MORGAN, AMANDA MARIA LORCA
AHNA O'REILLY, ASHLEY-NICOLE SHERMAN
SHAINA VORSPAN, KRYSTLE HERNANDEZ
Jane Brighton.........................................................................................................RACHAEL LEIGH COOK
Allie............................................................................................................................KAITLYN VAN ITEM
Biedermeyer .................................................................................................................. BARRY BOSTWICK
Waitress............................................................................................................................ LUCILLE SOONG
Louie.............................................................................................................................................DANA LEE
Landlady................................................................................................................................PAT CARROLL
Party Goer #1................................................................................................................DARNELL DICKENS
Party Goer #2....................................................................................................................... EDGAR BORJAS
Guy at Party.............................................................................................................ADAM HENDERSHOTT
Sgt. Billings........................................................................................................................... ADAM CLARK
Henchman #1..................................................................................................................VITO D'AMBROSIO
Henchman #2.................................................................................................................... THOM WILLIAMS
Henchman #3......................................................................................................................... JARED WEBER
Chinese Priest in Movie..................................................................................................JAMES WING WOO
Stunt Coordinator ............................................................................................................JOHN ROBOTHAM
Stunts................................................................................................KARINE MAUFFREY, MIKE AVERY
LLOYD BARACHINA, AL GOTO
KRISTOPHER MEDINA, CARYN MOWER
FILMMAKERS
Directed by ....................................................................................................................ANDREW FLEMING
Screenplay by .................................................................... ANDREW FLEMING and TIFFANY PAULSEN
Story by ......................................................................................................................... TIFFANY PAULSEN
Produced by..................................................................................................................JERRY WEINTRAUB
Executive Producer..................................................................................................................SUSAN EKINS
Executive Producers ................................................... MARK VAHRADIAN and BENJAMIN WAISBREN
Director of Photography.....................................................................ALEXANDER GRUSZYNSKI, A.S.C.
Production Designer ............................................................................................................TONY FANNING
Edited by ................................................................................................................. JEFF FREEMAN, A.C.E.
Co-Produced by.....................................................................................................CHERYLANNE MARTIN
Costumes Designed by .................................................................................................JEFFREY KURLAND
Casting by.................................................................................................................................. PAM DIXON
Unit Production Manager ...................................................................................... CHERYLANNE MARTIN
First Assistant Director.............................................................................................................ERIC TIGNINI
Second Assistant Director ..............................................................................................SUNDAY STEVENS
Music by...................................................................................................................................RALPH SALL
Based on Characters Created by...................................................................................... CAROLYN KEENE
Music Supervisor......................................................................................................................RALPH SALL
Art Director ............................................................................................................. TODD CHERNIAWSKY
Assistant Art Director...................................................................................................... KAREN TENEYCK
Set Decorator........................................................................................................................KATHY LUCAS
Art Department Coordinator..................................................................................................JESSICA RIPKA
Lead................................................................................................................................TOMMY SAMONA
On Set Dresser.............................................................................................................. JOHN H. MAXWELL
Lead Set Designer .............................................................................................................C. SCOTT BAKER
Set Designers..............................................................................................................ANDREW D. REEDER
MICHAEL BERNARD ANDERSON
Additional Editor....................................................................................................... MICHAEL RAFFERTY
Assistant Editor ..................................................................................................................... PETRA DEMAS
Post Production Coordinator/
Asst. Production Office Coordinator..............................................................MICHAEL P. TWOMBLY
Re-recording Mixers.............................................................................RON BARTLETT, D.M. HEMPHILL
Supervising Sound Editors .................................................................. GREGORY KING, JOEL SHRYACK
Music Editor...................................................................................................CHARLES MARTIN INOUYE
Music Coordinator.................................................................................................................... JAMES SALL
Script Supervisor....................................................................................SUSAN MALERSTEIN-WATKINS
A Camera Operator ................................................................................................................... HENRY TIRL
1st Assistant A Camera ............................................................................................................JEFF LORENZ
2nd Assistant A Camera .......................................................................................................... TOM JORDAN
B Camera Operator.............................................................................................................. DALE MYRAND
1st Assistant B Camera................................................................................................................RICK LAMB
2nd Assistant B Camera ......................................................................................................KEITH A. JONES
Loader.............................................................................................................................JONATHAN SHIER
Production Supervisor ................................................................................................JULIE M. ANDERSON
Production Office Coordinator ............................................................................................ROBB EARNEST
Production Secretary .................................................................................................. STACY A. SOLOMON
2nd 2nd Assistant Director ...........................................................................................RUBY STILLWATER
Digital Video Assist Operator .................................................................................................. DAVID KATZ
Production Sound Mixer..............................................................................................PUD CUSACK, C.A.S.
Boom Operator......................................................................................................................ROSS SIMPSON
Cable.............................................................................................................................. STERLING MOORE
Assistant Costume Designer.......................................................................................... TERRY ANDERSON
Costume Supervisor........................................................................................................ KENDALL ERRAIR
Lead Wardrobe............................................................................................................CHRIS NEWLANDER
Additional Wardrobe........................... CYNTHIA MORRILL, SHELLI NISHINO, EMMA TRENCHARD
Hair Department Head...................................................................................................................MEDUSAH
Key Hairstylist.....................................................................................................................MARIE LARKIN
Hairstylist ...............................................................................................................................SOO JIN YOON
Make-Up Department Head...................................................................................................JULIE HEWETT
Key Make-Up..............................................................................................MICHELLE VITTONE-McNEIL
Make-Up Artist........................................................................................................................JULIE KRISTY
Chief Lighting Technician.................................................................................................. JIM PLANNETTE
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician ....................................................................................RUSSELL AYER
Rigging Gaffer.................................................................................................... R. MICHAEL DE CHELLIS
Key Grip...................................................................................................................................AL LaVERDE
Best Boy Grip..........................................................................................................................DANA BAKER
"A" Dolly Grip .......................................................................................................................... MIKE MOAD
"B" Dolly Grip..........................................................................................................RYAN VONLOSSBERG
Key Rigging Grip .....................................................................................................................KENT BAKER
Special Effects Coordinator............................................................................................KEVIN HANNIGAN
Special Effects Foreman............................................................................................. WERNER HAHNLEIN
Production Accountant ......................................................................................................DARYL LEFEVER
Assistant Production Accountant................................................................................. THEODORE DAVILA
Executive Assistant to Mr. Weintraub....................................................................KIMBERLY PINKSTAFF
Assistants to Mr. Weintraub ............................................................. JOSHUA SOSTRIN, CHRIS WEAVER
Assistant to Mr. Weintraub............................................................................................. JANE WEINTRAUB
Assistant to Mr. Fleming.............................................................................................................AMY K. WU
Assistant to Ms. Martin ................................................................................................CALLARY MORTON
Location Manager....................................................................................................PATRICK O. MIGNANO
Assistant Location Managers...............................................................EDDIE J. MERINO, STEVEN S. LEE
MICHAEL JAMES MASUMOTO
MICHAEL BETZ, MATTHEW B. CHAMBERLIN
Property Master ............................................................................................................................ TIM WILES
Assistant Prop Master.............................................................................................. MICHAEL BERTOLINA
Property Assistant.......................................................................................................... JEFFERY BARNETT
Construction Coordinator ...................................................................................................KAREN HIGGINS
Transportation Coordinator ................................................................................................ SHANE GREEDY
Transportation Captain ...................................................................................................... JON CARPENTER
Craft Service..............................................................................................JEFF WINN, MARK C. PALMER
Catering.............................................................................................................CHEF ROBERT CATERING
Staff Assistants.......................................................................CHAD MAZERO, KATHERINE KOUSAKIS
MIKEY EBERLE, MOLLIE STALLMAN, KATHERINE TAYLOR
ANDREW HALL, JENNIFER S. NUÑEZ, T.J. JACKSON
BARBARA NORTEN, THOMAS BUERKLE
"Nancy Drew" Consultant ................................................................................................JENNIFER FISHER
Casting Assistant.......................................................................................................ROBERT MICKELSON
Unit Publicist.................................................................................................................. SPOOKY STEVENS
Still Photographer...................................................................................MELINDA SUE GORDON, SMPSP
Teachers ............................................................................................. WENDY C. WILHITE, EVA JENSEN
Medic..............................................................................................................................KERI LITTLEDEER
Video/Computer Playback.......................................................................................... TODD ARON MARKS
Assistant Sound Editors.......................................................... ERIC KLIEN, ANNA MALKIN, LAN TRAN
Foley Artists.....................................................................................ANDY MALCOLM, GORO KOYAMA
Foley Mixer ............................................................................................................................... DON WHITE
Visual Effects by ........................................................................................................................ HYDRAULX
Visual Effects Supervisor .............................................................................................................ERIK LILES
Digital Intermediate by.......................................................................................................... PACIFIC TITLE
Color Timer .....................................................................................................................MAXINE GERVIAS
"Blue Monday"
Written by Stephen Morris, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Gillian Gilbert
Performed by Flunk
Courtesy of Beatservice Records, Norway
"Blue Jungle"
Written by Les Baxter
Performed by Les Baxter
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under License from EMI Film & Television Music
"Come To California"
Written by Matthew Sweet
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Matthew Sweet
"Pretty Much Amazing"
Written by Ralph Sall
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Joanna
Joanna appears courtesy of Geffen Records
"Hey Nancy Drew"
Written by Ralph Sall and Chris Price
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Price
Price appears courtesy of Geffen Records
"Nice Day"
Written by Angelina Moysov
Performed by Persephone's Bees
Courtesy of Columbia Records
and Dizzy Kiss Music
"The Delicate Place"
Written by Britt Daniel
Performed by Spoon
Courtesy of Merge Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music
"Looking For Clues"
Written by Robert Palmer
Produced by Ralph Sall and Mike Batt
Performed by Katie Melua
Katie Melua appears courtesy of Dramatico Records
"Homage To Patagonia"
Written by Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen
Performed by Lemon Jelly
Courtesy of XL Recordings Ltd.
"Dare"
Written by Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and Brian Burton
Performed by Gorillaz
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc.
Under License from EMI Film & Television Music
"Won't You Join Me For A Drink?"
Written by Nick Hollywood
Performed by Lemon
Courtesy of Freshly Squeezed Music Ltd.
"We Came To Party"
Written by Ralph Sall and J-Kwon
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by J-Kwon
J-Kwon appears courtesy of So So Def Recordings/Arista Records, LLC
"Perfect Misfit"
Written by Ralph Sall and Liz Phair
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Liz Phair
"Party Tonight"
Written by Ralph Sall and Bizarre
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Bizarre
"All I Need"
Written by Ralph Sall and Cupid
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by Cupid
Cupid appears courtesy of Atlantic Records
"Like A Star"
Written by Corinne Bailey Rae
Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under License from EMI Film & Television Music
"When Did Your Heart Go Missing?"
Written by Robert Schwartzman
Performed by Rooney
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises
"Kids In America"
Written by Ricky Wilde and Marty Wilde
Produced by Ralph Sall
Performed by The Donnas
Soundtrack Album on Bulletproof Records
Camera Cranes & Dollies by CHAPMAN/LEONARD STUDIO EQUIPMENT, INC.
Filmed with PANAVISION ® Cameras and Lenses
Color by TECHNICOLOR ®
KODAK Motion Picture Products
FUJIFILM Motion Picture Products
DOLBY Digital SDDS DTS Digital
Approved #43024
Motion Picture Association of America
IATSE
This motion picture
© 2007 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. & Virtual Studios LLC
Story and Screenplay
© 2007 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Original Score
© 2007 Warner-Olive Music, LLC
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Distribution
Production Information
For generations of fans worldwide, the name Nancy Drew is synonymous with
adventure. This young amateur detective has a mind of her own, a passion for solving
mysteries and a reputation for getting into—and out of—some very tricky situations.
This summer, “Nancy Drew” brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, to face a
fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet.
EMMA ROBERTS stars as the resourceful teen detective, who leaves her friendly
hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High School.
There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living
peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know
that everything about her is different—from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect
picnic lunches and penny loafers.
Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not
Nancy. She has more important things to think about—namely, a brand new mystery.
Even though she promised her worried Dad (TATE DONOVAN as Carson Drew) that
she’d quit the “sleuthing” business, it isn’t long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the
greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of
famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former Draycott
Mansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have
been happening.
How could she resist?...
“Nancy Drew,” from producer Jerry Weintraub and director Andrew Fleming, also
stars JOSH FLITTER as the wisecracking Corky, Nancy’s unlikely new best friend at
Hollywood High, and MAX THIERIOT as her longtime confidant Ned Nickerson, who
learned long ago that there’s no getting Nancy’s attention away from a hot clue. DANIELLA
MONET and KELLY VITZ are Inga and Trish, and RACHAEL LEIGH COOK stars as Jane
Brighton, a woman whose life could be changed forever by the secrets Nancy uncovers in the
Draycott Mansion.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, a Jerry Weintraub
Production, a Film by Andrew Fleming: the family mystery adventure “Nancy Drew,”
starring Emma Roberts (Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous”), Josh Flitter (“Big Momma’s House
2”), Max Thieriot (“The Astronaut Farmer”), Rachael Leigh Cook (“Las Vegas”) and Tate
Donovan (“The O.C.”) The film is directed by Andrew Fleming (“The In-Laws”) and
produced by Jerry Weintraub (the “Ocean’s” franchise). The “Nancy Drew” screenplay is by
Andrew Fleming and Tiffany Paulsen, from a story by Tiffany Paulsen, based on characters
created by Carolyn Keene. Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian and Benjamin Waisbren serve as
executive producers, with Cherylanne Martin as co-producer.
The creative production team includes director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
(“The In-Laws”), editor Jeff Freeman (“Just Friends”) and production designer Tony Fanning
(“Ocean’s Twelve”). Music is by Ralph Sall. Costumes are designed by Jeffrey Kurland
(“Ocean’s Eleven”). Soundtrack album on Bulletproof Records.
“Nancy Drew” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner
Bros. Entertainment Company. It is rated PG for “mild violence, thematic elements and brief
language.”
www.nancydrewmovie.com
For downloadable general information about “Nancy Drew,” as well as photos,
please visit: press.warnerbros.com
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Nancy Drew Arrives in Hollywood
Where Nancy Drew goes, mystery follows. And, for more than 75 years, this young
heroine’s fans worldwide have been eagerly going along on the adventure—exploring every
dark path and secret staircase to find the clues that will solve the crime and confirm Nancy’s
reputation as everyone’s favorite teen detective.
“Young people identify with Nancy. They want to do what she’s doing,” says
producer Jerry Weintraub. “She’s smart, courageous, self-assured, and she can hold her own
in any situation just by being herself. For generations, her stories have offered drama and
suspense, as well as fun. Nancy is always where the action is, and that’s why she never goes
out of style.”
“I think it’s fun for kids to see someone their own age solving mysteries in an adult
world and doing so many cool things,” adds Emma Roberts.
In bringing Nancy Drew to the big screen, Weintraub and director Andrew Fleming
sought to retain the timeless quality and appeal of the popular series while introducing Nancy
to a new generation of movie fans by relocating her to Southern California and giving her
another exciting case to solve. At the same time, Nancy must deal with the challenges that
any 16 year old would face as “the new girl in town.” Her confidence is tested from the start
by a tough reception from her peers in the fierce clique culture at Hollywood High while,
privately, she wonders about her feelings for the boy she left back home in River Heights,
now that they’ve been separated by so many miles.
It’s all a little distracting, even for someone as famously focused as Nancy Drew.
Says Fleming, “It creates an interesting juxtaposition and some natural humor to take
her out of her comfort zone and throw her into this unfamiliar world, since Nancy Drew is the
classic American girl, a combination of high spirits and hometown values. Everything is
faster, louder and crazier in Los Angeles than what she’s accustomed to. It’s an invigorating
challenge to her coping skills, and ultimately brings us back to the heart and soul of who she
really is.”
As fans will attest, states Weintraub, “The essence of Nancy Drew is that she is always
true to herself, no matter the circumstances.”
The film offers an original story, written for the screen by Andrew Fleming and
Tiffany Paulsen. True to form is Nancy’s uncanny ability to attract a mystery, and her
unswerving commitment to solving it, no matter what. In this case, however, pursuing that
passion puts her in the uncomfortable position of keeping the truth of her activities from her
father, widowed attorney Carson Drew, whose job is what has relocated them to Southern
California.
Carson is proud of his daughter’s accomplishments but worries for her safety. “In
River Heights, he can live with it because it’s a small town and they know the police chief
personally, but in L.A. it’s a different game and he’s understandably nervous about her
pursuing an investigation here,” Weintraub explains. “Besides, he wants her to focus on
having a good time and just enjoying being a teenager for once. So they come to California
with the understanding that she will take a break from the detective work.”
Unfortunately for Nancy, prior to making this promise to her Dad, she had already
selected the Draycott Mansion as the place for them to stay while in Los Angeles. “Because
he feels a little guilty about uprooting her from everything familiar, he lets her pick the house
for them to live in,” Roberts says. She then pauses before adding, “That was his first
mistake.”
In fact, Nancy chose the house specifically because of the tantalizing mystery it holds:
the unexplained death of its former owner, glamorous bygone film star Dehlia Draycott—a
fictional incident that, Fleming says, “is an amalgamation of various strange Hollywood
tragedies and rumors that have circulated over the years, which gives it a ring of familiarity.”
Within hours of their arrival, some of Nancy’s personal items go missing from her
room, the eerie sound of footsteps lead nowhere and a distinctly menacing caretaker makes it
clear that he doesn’t appreciate their company. If Nancy honors her promise not to investigate
the strange goings-on at Draycott Mansion, it could mean turning her back on the greatest
mystery of her life.
Fleming concedes, “As any Nancy Drew fan knows, she just won’t be able to help
herself. She has to get involved.”
Casting: Old Friends Join New
“The challenge of this kind of project is that it all hinges upon finding that one young
woman who can be smart and courageous, funny and endearing, and make it all seem
completely natural,” says Fleming, who, together with Weintraub, conducted an extensive
search to find his Nancy Drew. What made Emma Roberts the standout favorite was her
approach to the role. “Rather than playing the idea of who Nancy Drew is, as a character, she
played it as if she were simply a teenager trying to solve a mystery, a fiercely independent
young person actually saying and doing these things.”
“We didn’t discover Emma Roberts, but we discovered her for ‘Nancy Drew,’” says
Weintraub of the young star who recently wrapped her third starring season on Nickelodeon’s
“Unfabulous.” “She was exactly the right person. We couldn’t have imagined a better actress
for this role. She really is Nancy Drew.”
“Nancy is pretty fearless,” Roberts says. “Even if she’s scared, she pretends not to be,
because she has to hold it together until she gets to the end and solves the mystery.” On
another level, the actress believes Nancy Drew’s ability to solve crimes is dependent upon
“her attention to detail,” and incorporated that awareness into the role. “She looks in places
where nobody would think to look and really listens to what people say. She pays attention to
mannerisms and body language.”
Overall, Roberts sees Nancy as someone who expects the best of people but is never
shocked to encounter the opposite—in other words, “nice, but nobody’s fool.” Faced with an
unkind reception from the girls at her new high school, says Roberts, “It hurts her a little,
certainly, but Nancy knows that even if you look for the best, some people just aren’t very
nice, so her response is to simply focus on her own interests and not let it get to her.”
Of course, the more she ignores their games, the more it bugs them, which is a part of
the enduring Nancy Drew personality that fans have revered for years. Notes Fleming, “She’s
all business. Nancy is worried about the case, weighing information, going over details.
What she’s not worried about is what the kids think of her. She isn’t obsessed with the latest
trend or what everyone else is wearing. I think people are drawn to her because of her
genuine enthusiasm for what she’s doing.”
One person who would agree with that assessment is Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s almostmaybe-
sort-of boyfriend, a character from the book series played here by Max Thieriot. Ned
drives Nancy’s beloved roadster from River Heights to Los Angeles for her birthday and
becomes involved in her ongoing investigation of the Draycott mystery—not to mention her
unpredictable social life. Hints of their burgeoning relationship are woven throughout the
story as they realize the easy camaraderie that began in grade school could possibly be
developing into something else.
Channeling his inner teenager for a minute, Weintraub explains, “She likes him but
doesn’t know that she likes him. He likes her, but he’s not sure how she feels, and neither of
them know what to say or do about it because they’re both kind of shy. I may have grandkids
older than these two now, but I still remember what that was like.”
Adds Fleming, “Max and Emma have the kind of chemistry onscreen that can convey
that sweetness and discovery, often in very brief moments and without dialogue. That’s a part
of casting that’s impossible to fully predict and very often comes down to a hunch.”
Thieriot understands that his character’s concern about Nancy’s trip to Los Angeles is
that she might find more enticing pursuits—namely, other guys—and forget all about him.
“He really gets nervous and imagines the worst case scenario, not just the boys she’ll meet at
school but possibly celebrities that he assumes are walking around everywhere.” So acute is
his anxiety that he starts to believe Nancy might actually be interested in her new friend
Corky, a fast-talking 12 year old with an out-of-control crush on her, although Corky is
clearly not boyfriend material… or is he?
“It’s understandable,” Thieriot defends Ned. “He sees his almost-girlfriend hanging
out with this other guy all the time. On the one hand, he can’t really believe she likes him
because he’s so young—but still, you never know. So Ned and Corky end up developing this
rivalry where they pretend to get along, and all the time they’re literally pushing and shoving
each other out of the way for her attention.”
“Corky is comic relief,” says Fleming. “He develops a crush on Nancy, which is
endearing and very funny, especially the way Josh Flitter handles it. He has a natural ability
to be funny. He has a lot of laugh-out-loud lines and opportunities but he never just goes for
the joke; he plays it for real.”
Originally, the Corky character was meant to be older, but was rewritten to
accommodate the 12-year-old Flitter, who made an indelible impression on Jerry Weintraub
during an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” following his star turn as a pint-sized caddy in
“The Greatest Game Ever Played.” Says Weintraub, “I saw him on Leno and he was out-ofthis-
world funny and just a great kid. I fell in love with him. I said to Andrew, ‘we gotta
write something for this kid. He’s fantastic. He’s a home run.’”
Making the character younger added a dimension of humor to the story and created a
situation a great many people can relate to, as Weintraub notes. “He’s like any 12 or 13-yearold
kid who admires someone a little older and then tries to meet her on that level. He thinks
he’s succeeding; he’s putting his best foot forward, and he doesn’t understand that he has no
chance at all—especially a kid like Corky, who’s full of confidence and thinks of himself as
sophisticated beyond his years. It’s funny, his hitting on her and following her around, but
it’s also kind of sweet.”
“Corky is a typical L.A. kid, 12 going on 25,” says Flitter. “In order to get Nancy’s
attention, he pretends to be interested in the things she’s interested in, primarily solving this
mystery. He has no idea what he’s doing and he almost gets himself killed, but he wants to be
there. The rest of the time, he’s trying to push the hometown boyfriend out of the picture.”
True to character, Flitter offers, “I’m not trying to brag, but I do have most of the
funniest lines.”
All this brewing social drama is just what Nancy needs, according to her father.
Starring as Carson Drew is Tate Donovan, who states the worried father’s case: “He’s proud
of Nancy and her accomplishments but really just wants her to be a normal teenager. When
the movie opens, she’s sliding down a rooftop and almost falls to the ground, and this is on
the eve of the two of them traveling to Los Angeles. Carson is wary about the big city
combined with his daughter’s curious nature.”
At the same time, cites Fleming, it is undeniably the values Carson himself has
instilled in Nancy that make her what she is. “They embody many of the same qualities, like
kindness, courage and a sense of fair play, because she is a reflection of him, and this is
largely why she gets so involved in pursuing crimes and trying to set things right.
“In this case,” Fleming continues, “there is an additional conflict that tests the loving
and respectful bond between father and daughter. When he lays down the law that she cannot
do any detective work in L.A., at a point when she’s already become involved in the Draycott
case, she finds herself withholding information from him—at least (she assures herself)
temporarily. It’s tough for her, but relevant to our theme of Nancy growing up. One of the
normal things that kids her age do as they discover their independence is avoid telling their
parents the whole truth.”
Chances are, if Carson knew that Nancy’s prime motivation in this latest investigation
was to help Jane Brighton, a struggling single mother, he would be sympathetic.
Rachael Leigh Cook stars in the catalytic role of Jane Brighton, an unassuming young
woman living with her daughter in a Los Angeles apartment when Nancy Drew appears at the
door with information that could possibly change her life completely. “Traditionally in
Nancy Drew stories, Nancy is guided not only by the lure of a good mystery itself but, more
importantly, by a genuine desire to help someone in trouble or put together the pieces of
someone’s life, and this time is no different,” says Fleming. “Jane Brighton is that person in
our story, and Rachael gives the role the heart it needs. It changes the tone of the case from
Hollywood history to a more personal, immediate drama.”
Rounding out the main cast in key roles are veteran star of stage, screen and television,
Barry Bostwick (“Spin City”) as high-powered Draycott estate attorney Dashiel Biedermeyer,
who might have a lucrative legal assignment for Carson Drew; Marshall Bell (“Deadwood,”)
as the mansion’s reclusive caretaker Leshing, who has an unnerving habit of appearing when
and where he’s least expected; and ALMA Award winner Laura Harring (“Mulholland
Drive”), seen in flashback sequences as the enigmatic actress Dehlia Draycott. Caroline
Aaron (Broadway’s “Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean”) adds a note
of humor as eager real estate agent Barbara Barbara, and Emmy Award winner Pat Carroll
(“Caesar’s Hour”) is the Draycott estate’s gossipy landlady.
Daniella Monet (“Zoey 101,” “Simon Says”) and Kelly Vitz (“Simon Says,” “Eye of
the Dolphin”) appear, respectively, as the inseparable Inga and Trish, Hollywood High’s self-
appointed queens of fashion and arbiters of the social scene. Not knowing what to make of
Nancy Drew’s unself-conscious individualism and classic-with-a-twist outfits, they try to
make her life miserable with taunts and pranks intended to send her running back to River
Heights. “Clearly,” says Fleming, with a laugh, “they don’t know who they’re dealing with.”
Having so many young actors in the cast, including a leading lady who is in nearly
every scene but can only work limited hours, required a feat of scheduling that the director
calls “putting a puzzle together, blindfolded. This was by far the biggest challenge and it
shaped the organization of production.” Navigating around Roberts’ school hours and end-ofday
“pumpkin time,” after which she could not work, meant “filming as much as possible
around her, then working furiously for the middle of the day. It was a sprint.”
The Draycott Mansion and Getting Nancy Around L.A.
The showpiece set of “Nancy Drew” is the fictional Draycott Mansion, a home that,
even in its current rundown condition, suggests its former glory as the home of A-list film star
Dehlia Draycott in the 1960s and 70s. Reputed to be haunted since her death, the house has
remained on the rental market and still contains her original furnishings, personal belongings
and film footage stored in the attic – all of it rich with clues to the past.
Says Fleming, “The house is a big element in the movie. It had to be a place that
could only exist in Hollywood, one of those former movie star homes that have a lot of
history. Jerry and I agreed that we were going to have to build the interior from scratch.
There was no other way to get it right.”
Weintraub enlisted, as production designer, award-winning art director Tony Fanning,
with whom he worked on “Ocean’s Twelve” and the upcoming release “Ocean’s Thirteen.”
Fanning’s research turned up the work of famed Hollywood interior designer William
Haines, whose rooms, Fanning says, “felt like movie sets. They were very glamorous, in that
period style, which is exactly what Andrew wanted. He had specific ideas for the colors. It
needed to feel dated, so we cast a sepia tone over everything, with metallics and reflective
materials in the walls to give it a silver screen quality. There were moments, when the set
was dressed, when you could look at it and think you were watching an old movie. Then a
character would step in and immediately make it contemporary and vivid.”
Fleming also worked closely with his longtime collaborator, director of photography
Alexander Gruszynski, to achieve the subtle and moody lighting perfect for this atmospheric
space. In keeping with the story’s Hollywood history element, they opted to film in
widescreen.
Logistically, the house needed to accommodate the numerous hidden tunnels and
false walls that Nancy’s investigations reveal. “That was the fun part of the design,” Fanning
recalls. “Nancy keeps hearing people in the house but can’t find them, and then she discovers
a secret passageway and a hidden staircase and follows them to their source.”
All that attention to covert entrances and exits inspired production pranksters to play a
trick on their star. As Emma Roberts recounts, “In one scene, Nancy finds a projection room
in the mansion by opening a hidden panel in an adjoining room. She opens it carefully, like a
little window, and peeks inside. While we were shooting the scene, one of the guys put on a
mask and stuck his face right there where the panel opens. I really screamed.”
Finding an exterior for the house that could look appropriately neglected proved
especially difficult, considering that any inhabited home of such grand proportions would
likely be very well kept. The production found a residence in La Canada that offered
sufficient foliage and then created, says Fanning, “that overgrown look Andrew wanted by
adding to it and decaying the house and grounds. We filled up the front with a lot of wild-
looking plants that weren’t quite green.”
Additional Los Angeles area locations included the historic El Pueblo de Los Angeles
on Olvera Street, where Nancy inadvertently interrupts a movie set, as well as Los Angeles
City Hall, Griffith Park, Chinatown, St. Luke’s Hospital in Pasadena, the track and exteriors
of Hollywood High School and poolside at the landmark Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. South
Pasadena represented Nancy’s Midwestern hometown of River Heights, and classrooms at
Long Beach Poly High substituted for Hollywood High interiors.
Not yet 16 during production, Roberts was unable to take Nancy Drew’s sky blue
Nash Metropolitan convertible out for a spin, although she would have loved it. “It’s the
coolest car,” she says, echoing the sentiments of her castmates, all of whom were charmed by
the Metro’s unique design. “It’s basically a bathtub on wheels, and pretty much the size of a
bathtub inside. Max, Josh and I all had to fit in there with a camera, and it was a little
crowded. Max had to fold up his legs like a crane.” The vintage auto was pulled by a truck
during filming. “I’m sure it looked pretty weird: a little car being hauled around the streets of
L.A. by a humongous truck with cameras. We got a lot of attention,” says Roberts.
Nancy Drew, Fashion Trendsetter
Many of the qualities that define Nancy Drew as a person are reflected in her look:
straightforward, confident and classically inspired, but with a sense of fun and a style all her
own. To achieve this, producer Jerry Weintraub turned to Oscar-nominated costume designer
Jeffrey Kurland (“Bullets Over Broadway”), his collaborator on “Ocean’s Eleven.”
“It’s a look you’ve never seen before and yet you think you have—a throwback in
some ways to the 1950s and 60s and yet undeniably contemporary,” Weintraub muses,
outlining the style he envisioned for his up-to-the-minute heroine. “It’s very hip and laid-
back but beautiful, as relevant today as it would have been 30 years ago.”
Although Nancy’s clothing incorporates some charming retro elements with an
undeniable “ladylike quality,” Kurland says, “they are not demure. The pieces are very fitted,
the lines are clean and everything is designed to accommodate her athleticism. There is
nothing shy about it. The Nancy Drew books have been printed and reprinted for generations.
I wanted to present a contemporary Nancy, but still have her recognized by everyone as their
Nancy Drew.”
Roberts’ naturally long, wavy blonde hair, which she usually wears loose, was blunt-
cut, straightened and dyed to a darker and somewhat reddish shade, in keeping with the
original character description. Says Roberts, “We used straightener every day and headbands
too, because, of course, Nancy’s hair is always in place, even when she’s running away from
the bad guys.” The headbands, coordinated to every outfit, became another piece of the
fashion signature of the girl from River Heights.
Kurland outfitted Tate Donovan’s Carson Drew similarly, as a tonal match to Nancy
with casually conservative suits, ties, sweaters and even a dapper hat.
He had the most fun contrasting Nancy’s look, which he describes as “a style that lives
forever,” with the exaggerated look of her flashy new classmates and the greater L.A.
population, epitomized by the wardrobes of Hollywood High’s fashion-too-forward duo,
Trish and Inga. “Everything is extreme with the local teens. It’s not earth tones but jewel
tones and brighter, reflective fabrics, layers of accessories and generally just too much of
everything,” he says, “as if they had assimilated every possible celebrity fashion trend and
combined them all into one outfit.”
Daniella Monet, who plays Inga, is also a jewelry designer, and contributed some of
her original earrings to the girls’ wardrobes, following Kurland’s direction toward “flashy and
glitzy.”
For Nancy’s would-be beau, the too-young but ever-hopeful Corky, Kurland created a
look that a 12-year-old boy might adopt if he were trying desperately to seem older and more
sophisticated. That meant, to Josh Flitter’s deep disappointment, no jeans. Says Kurland,
“Here’s a kid who’s trying to hang out with 16 year olds. He thinks he’s cool; he thinks he’s
hip. You have to make that believable, taking into account where he’s from—in this case,
Hollywood. He’s trying to get into Nancy’s good graces and, at the same time, deal with his
sister and not lose his edge, so we had to find that place for him stylistically. I put him in a
leather jacket and trousers, drape-y shirts worn outside the pant and even some bling. Jeans
would have emphasized his youth, taking him in the wrong direction.”
Emma Roberts, who also, admittedly, “lives in jeans most of the time,” grew to love
Nancy’s trendsetting wardrobe to the extent that she could easily see herself wearing some of
the pieces in her regular life.
But beyond the look, and the fact that Roberts would be happy to drive around town in
a Nash Metropolitan, there was one another aspect of Nancy’s lifestyle that appealed to her
most during production. It was the intricacies of the Draycott Mansion that stirred the young
actress’s imagination and proves there’s a little Nancy Drew in all of us. “I want to find a
secret passageway in my own house now,” she says. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”
ABOUT THE CAST
EMMA ROBERTS (Nancy Drew) has starred for the past three seasons as Addie
Singer in the Nickelodeon hit comedy series “Unfabulous,” a role for which she received two
2004 Young Artist Award nominations, for Best Leading Young Actress in a TV Series and
for Best Ensemble, as well as a 2005 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout
Performance and a 2007 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice nomination for Favorite TV Actress.
“Unfabulous,” which showcases Roberts’ talents for comedy and singing, is currently one of
the highest rated “tween shows” on television. Its premiere was one of the highest rated for a
new show in Nickelodeon’s history.
In March of this year, Roberts was named Female Star of Tomorrow at ShoWest.
Roberts is also the new face of legendary handbag maker Dooney & Bourke, with a
campaign running exclusively in Teen Vogue magazine.
The 16 year old has begun to make her mark in a short period of time. After her very
first audition, Roberts booked the role of Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz’s daughter in
“Blow,” directed by the late Ted Demme. Soon after, she starred in the Sundance short film
“BigLove,” directed by Leif Tilden and starring Sam Rockwell. She then went on to play one
of the lead roles in the independent feature film “Grand Champion,” opposite Joey Lauren
Adams and directed by Barry Tubb.
Roberts recently starred in the feature “Aquamarine,” directed by Elizabeth Allen and
produced by Susan Cartsonis, and based on the Alice Hoffman novel. Her performance
earned a 2007 Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She has graced the covers of Teen Vogue, Elle Girl, Teen Magazine, YM, Sweet
Sixteen and Girls’ Life, and was profiled in Time, People, The New York Times and LIFE,
among others, as the next big Teen Star.
Roberts’ next starring role is “Wild Child,” from Universal and Working Title Films,
in which she plays an out-of-control 16-year-old Malibu princess who is sent to a strict
English boarding school by her father and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. “Wild
Child” is from the creators of the hits “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Bridget Jones” and
“Billy Elliot.”
JOSH FLITTER (Corky) recently wrapped production on Ken Kwapis’ upcoming
romantic comedy “License to Wed,” starring with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John
Krasinski.
Last year, he was seen on the big screen as Stewart in “Big Momma’s House 2,”
starring with Martin Lawrence and Nia Long. In 2005, he starred opposite Shia LaBeouf,
playing caddy Eddie Lowery in “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” directed by Bill Paxton.
Flitter’s other film credits include “Duane Hopwood,” which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” He can also be heard
in the animated film “Air Buddies,” as well as the upcoming “Snow Buddies” and “Horton
Hears a Who.”
On the small screen, Flitter played the title role in “Stephen’s Life” and starred on
Bravo's “Situation: Comedy,” the reality show produced by Sean Hayes, which searched for
the next hit sitcom. Other television credits include “Phil of the Future,” “All My Children,”
“Ed,” “Prodigy/Bully,” “Whoopi,” “My Life with Men,” “One Life to Live” and “Blue’s
Clues.”
Flitter began acting when he was five years old and appeared in numerous
commercials, including an Office Depot spot for which he won a Bobby Award.
MAX THIERIOT (Ned Nickerson) made his feature film debut at age 15 in Bart
Freundlich’s children’s action adventure “Catch That Kid,” in 2004.
He next appeared in the hit comedy “The Pacifier,” with Vin Diesel, earning a
nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film by a Supporting
Young Actor.
Thieriot most recently shared the big screen with Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia
Madsen and Bruce Dern in the Polish brothers’ family film “The Astronaut Farmer.”
He will next be seen in the sci-fi thriller “Jumper,” opposite Hayden Christensen and
Samuel L. Jackson.
RACHAEL LEIGH COOK (Jane Brighton) will soon be seen starring in the baseball saga
“The Final Season,” opposite Sean Astin, based on the true story of a Norway, Iowa
championship baseball team’s struggle against insurmountable odds. Also upcoming is the
feature comedy Western “All Hat,” based on the Brad Smith novel, which centers around the
world of Canadian horseracing and co-stars Keith Carradine and Luke Kirby; and the
romantic comedy “Blonde Ambition,” with Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson.
Cook’s memorable and riveting performance in a 1998 anti-heroin “kitchen smashing”
public service announcement (“This is your brain...”) led to her first starring role in the
breakout hit “She’s All That,” an enchanting teen comedy co-starring Freddie Prinze Jr. She
next put her comedic ability to work in the title role of aspiring rock star Josie McCoy in
“Josie and the Pussycats,” alongside Parker Posey and Rosario Dawson.
Cook starred with Hilary Swank and Colin Hanks in the dark comedy “11:14”; alongside
Sylvester Stallone in the thriller “Get Carter”; the sci-fi comedy mystery “The Big Empty,” opposite
Jon Favreau; and the romantic comedy “Blow Dry,” with Josh Hartnett. In “Living Out Loud,” with
Danny DeVito, she played the younger version of Holly Hunter’s character and in “The House of
Yes” she portrayed a younger version of Parker Posey’s character, Jackie-O.
Cook’s additional credits include starring roles in “The Hi-Line,” featured in competition at the
Sundance Film Festival, and in the drama “Stateside,” opposite Jonathan Tucker. Earlier, she
impressed a younger crowd with her role in “The Baby-Sitters Club,” and as Becky Thatcher,
alongside Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro, in “Tom and Huck.” On the small screen, she
dazzled in the role of Clara Wheeler for Steven Spielberg and TNT’s award-winning miniseries,
“Into the West.”
TATE DONOVAN (Carson Drew) most recently appeared onscreen in Antoine
Fuqua’s action drama “Shooter,” with Mark Wahlberg, and has written and directed part of
the comedy documentary “Fired,” based on Anabelle Gurwitch’s best-selling book.
Among his feature credits are the acclaimed biopic “Good Night, and Good Luck.,”
directed by George Clooney, for which he shared a 2006 SAG Award nomination; the
comedy “The Pacifier,” directed by Adam Shankman; Dominic Sena’s thriller “Swordfish”;
“Murder at 1600”; “The Only Thrill”; John Madden’s “Ethan Frome”; “Inside Monkey
Zetterland,” for which he earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination; “Love Potion #9”;
“Space Camp”; Michael Caton-Jones’ “Memphis Belle”; and “Clean and Sober,” for director
Glenn Gordon Caron.
He recently wrapped production as the title character in the biopic “Neal Cassady,”
and the pilot for an as-yet-untitled FX Network series to co-star Glenn Close and Ted Danson.
Donovan was a regular on the hit Fox series “The O.C.,” on which he also served as a
director, and NBC’s “Trinity.” In addition to guest-starring roles on such series as “Friends”
and “Ally McBeal,” he has appeared in the telefilms “Silver Bells,” for Hallmark, “A Case of
Deadly Force” and “Into Thin Air,” as well as HBO’s “Vietnam War Stories,” for which he
received a CableAce Award nomination.
Donovan recently received a Backstage West Garland Award for his performance in
“Rabbit Hole” at the Geffen Theatre. His Broadway stage credits include productions of
“Amy's View,” with Dame Judi Dench, and “Picnic,” with Ashley Judd, as well as the long-
running off-Broadway hit “Lobby Hero,” by Kenneth Lonergan. Other theatre credits include
work at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mark Taper Forum and
The Long Wharf Theatre.
Tate regularly competes in triathlons and has won the celebrity division three times at
the Nautica Malibu Triathlon.
BARRY BOSTWICK’s (Dashiel Biedermeyer) career spans all genres and mediums.
Among his most recognizable characters are the quintessential all-American guy Brad in cult
classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Mayor Winston on ABC’s “Spin City.”
He will next be seen in the feature drama “Evening,” among a starring ensemble
including Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Vanessa Redgrave.
On television, Bostwick’s starring roles in numerous acclaimed telefilms and miniseries
include that of George Washington in the Peabody Award-winning CBS mini-series
“George Washington” and Lieutenant “Lady” Aster in ABC’s “War and Remembrance,” for
which he won a Golden Globe Award. He also starred in “Moviola,” “Deceptions,” “ A
Woman of Substance,” “Murder by Natural Causes,” “Betrayed by Innocence,” “The
Chadwicks,” “You Can’t Take it With You,” “Once Upon a Family,” “Red Flag,”
“Uncommon Love,” “Body of Evidence,” “Addicted to Love,” “Parent Trap III,” “Hawaiian
Holiday,” “The Great Air Race,” “Captive,” “Challenger,” and three adaptations of Judith
Krantz novels: “I’ll Take Manhattan,” “Scruples,” and “’Til We Meet Again,” as well as
Danielle Steele’s mini-series, “Once in a Lifetime.”
Bostwick also starred in the series “Foul Play” and “Dads”; the Lifetime Special
“Santa and Me”; “Tales from a Parallel Universe,” for The Movie Channel; and was the
president in “Men in White,” National Lampoon’s “Men in Black” spoof for Fox Family
Channel.
Additionally, he appeared in several PBS musical specials, including “Broadway Plays
Washington,” “The Best of Broadway,” “In Performance at the White House,” “Irving
Berlin’s 100th Birthday Celebration at Carnegie Hall,” and an adaptation of the Broadway hit
“Working.” He hosted the Great American History Quiz on the History Channel, the Disney
California Adventure Special and NBC’s special celebrating the grand re-opening of Radio
City Music Hall, as well as “Saturday Night Live” and “A Capitol Fourth,” the PBS Fourth of
July Special, live from the steps of the U.S. Capitol for six years in a row. He also danced
and sang with Carol Burnett in her special “Men, Movies and Carol.”
His recent feature credits include “Skulls III,” the indie “Swing,” and “101 Dalmatians
Part 2.” Additional film credits include “Weekend at Bernie’s 2,” Stanley Donen’s “Movie,
Movie,” “Spy Hard” and “800 Leagues Down the Amazon.”
Bostwick made his professional stage debut while a sophomore at San Diego’s
U.S.I.U. School of Performing Arts in the summer stock production of “Take Her, She’s
Mine,” with Walter Pidgeon. He attended N.Y.U.’s Graduate School of the Arts and made his
Broadway debut soon after in a starring role in Sean O’Casey’s “Cock-a-Doodle-Dandy.” He
was in the American premiere of Jean Genet’s “The Screens,” and earned his first Tony
Award nomination for his performance as Danny Zuko in “Grease.” His second nomination
was for his portrayal of Joey in “They Knew What They Wanted,” for the Phoenix Theater.
Bostwick then won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his characterization of “The
Robber Bridegroom,” a role he originally created at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
He performed in the all-star revival of “She Loves Me” at Town Hall, appeared at Lincoln
Center in the New York City Opera Production of “L’Histoire du Soldat” and was the Pirate
King in the Joseph Papp productions of “The Pirates of Penzance” in Los Angeles and
Toronto. In 1991, he returned to Broadway to star in “Nick & Nora.”
Bostwick has worked with many organizations and spoken around the country as a
prostate cancer survivor. On behalf of the American Cancer Society he received the Courage
Award, presented by President Clinton in recognition of his determination to reach others
about the importance of early detection. He is also the recipient of the Gilda Radner Courage
Award from the Roswell Institute in Buffalo, New York, where the PSA test was developed,
and the Brooklyn Hospital Foundation Award.
Also an accomplished potter, Bostwick’s work has been sold and displayed in
prominent galleries.
18
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ANDREW FLEMING (Director, Screenplay) co-wrote and directed the political comedy
“Dick,” a satire about the Nixon Watergate scandal, starring Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams and
Will Ferrell; and “The Craft,” a comic thriller about teenaged girls involved in witchcraft, starring
Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell and Rachel True.
For the independent feature “Threesome,” a romantic coming-of-age comedy starring Lara
Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin and Josh Charles, Fleming served as both director and sole
screenwriter. Most recently he directed the feature comedy “The In-Laws,” teaming Michael
Douglas and Albert Brooks.
Fleming studied filmmaking at New York University’s film school. His filmmaking debut,
the 1988 psychological thriller “Bad Dreams,” which he co-wrote and directed, teamed him with
producer Gale Anne Hurd of “Terminator” fame.
JERRY WEINTRAUB (Producer) is one of the most influential and successful
people in the entertainment industry, with a career spanning more than 50 years and
encompassing the genres of feature films, television, theatre and music.
Weintraub had already enjoyed tremendous success in the management and music
fields when he made an auspicious motion picture producing debut with Robert Altman’s
seminal 1975 feature film “Nashville.” Released to widespread acclaim, the film went on to
earn five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. Over the next decade,
Weintraub repeatedly demonstrated an eye for emerging talent, producing such features as
“September 30, 1955,” starring Richard Thomas under the direction of James Bridges; “Oh,
God!,” directed by Carl Reiner and starring George Burns and John Denver in his first acting
role; Barry Levinson’s directorial debut, “Diner,” which helped launch the careers of Kevin
Bacon, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke, Tim Daly, Ellen Barkin and Steve Guttenberg; and the
inspiring drama “The Karate Kid,” which spawned three sequels, the last one starring a young
Hilary Swank.
Now heading up Jerry Weintraub Productions, he most recently produced the caper
comedy “Ocean’s Thirteen.” Opening on June 8, the film reunited director Steven
Soderbergh and an all-star ensemble cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon
and Don Cheadle. Weintraub previously produced the hit remake of the Rat Pack comedy
“Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequel, “Ocean’s Twelve,” both directed by Soderbergh.
Jerry Weintraub Productions also has a number of films in development, including a
new live-action version of “Tarzan” and a remake of the sci-fi actioner “Westworld,” to name
only a few.
Brooklyn-born and Bronx-bred, Weintraub likes to joke that his goal when starting out
in entertainment was to get out of the Bronx. He began his career as a talent agent, eventually
segueing to personal management. Forming Management III, he handled such names as The
Muppets, Jack Paar and Norm Crosby, among others. His success opened the door to the
music industry at the height of the Rock ‘n Roll revolution. He produced the legendary Elvis
Presley’s first arena tour and, throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, continued to make his mark as a
concert promoter for some of the biggest names in the business. Founding Concerts West,
Weintraub broke new ground when he presented Frank Sinatra at Madison Square Garden in
the celebrated “first around the world by satellite” concert, called “The Main Event.” He also
helped boost the careers of such renowned artists as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond,
John Denver, The Carpenters and The Beach Boys.
Weintraub went on to produce a number of high-profile television specials and
movies, many starring the musical artists with whom he had worked. In addition, he
produced “An Olympic Gala,” the telecast of the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic
Games in Los Angeles. Weintraub also produced several Broadway shows, including
“Canterbury Tales” and “Starlight Express.”
Returning to the motion picture arena, Weintraub was named Chairman and CEO of
United Artists. He later left to form his own film and television production company,
Weintraub Entertainment Group. Three years later, he founded Jerry Weintraub Productions,
based at Warner Bros. Studios.
The first film produced under the Jerry Weintraub Productions banner was 1992’s
“Pure Country,” starring country legend George Strait. Weintraub subsequently produced
“The Specialist,” starring Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone; “Vegas Vacation,” starring
Chevy Chase; the big-screen version of “The Avengers,” teaming Ralph Fiennes and Uma
Thurman; and the sci-fi actioner “Soldier,” starring Kurt Russell.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Weintraub is well-known for his
philanthropic efforts on behalf of a wide variety of worthwhile causes, ranging from health
concerns to education to the arts and more. He most recently joined forces with George
Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle in “Not on Our Watch,” a humanitarian
campaign to end the genocide in Darfur.
Weintraub has also been the recipient of several professional honors. He was one of
the first independent movie producers to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and,
in 2001, won the Kodak Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Filmmaking. Earlier this
year, he was named the ShoWest Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theatre
Owners. In June 2007, he will become the first producer ever to be “cemented” in the famous
courtyard of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre when he joins George Clooney, Brad
Pitt and Matt Damon in a Hand and Footprint Ceremony in celebration of the opening of
“Ocean’s Thirteen.”
TIFFANY PAULSEN (Screenplay, Story) began her career as an actress, with roles
in such films as “Runaway Bride,” “Friday the 13th Part VIII,” “’Til There Was You” and
“The Next Best Thing.” She pursued her acting career in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles
before turning to writing.
A full-time screenwriter since 2002, Paulsen saw her first script become a finalist for
The Nicholl Fellowships, sponsored by the Motion Picture Academy. That same year she
also won the prestigious ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, and landed her first feature
assignment, the teen heist comedy “Finishing School,” for BBC Films and Team Todd.
Among her upcoming projects are the inspirational college track story “Fast Girls,” to
star Jenna Dewan from “Step Up” and Michael Ealy of HBO’s “Sleeper Cell,” with Bille
Woodruff directing.
Currently she is working on an original one-hour pilot for ABC Family called “The
Emerald City,” with Donald De Line producing; and “Further Adventures in Babysitting,” a
re-envisioning of Disney’s classic “Adventures in Babysitting,” to star Raven Symone and
Miley Cyrus, with Lynda Obst producing. Additionally, Paulsen has a pilot in the works for
the Disney Channel, and her original John Hughes-inspired spec, “Double Date,” recently
attracted teen pop stars Aly and AJ Michalka, and producer Kevin Messick.
SUSAN EKINS (Executive Producer) has worked with Jerry Weintraub for more than
20 years and is currently the Vice President of Production for Jerry Weintraub Productions.
Ekins most recently served as an executive producer on “Ocean’s Thirteen.” She was
also an executive producer on the hit remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequel, “Ocean’s
Twelve,” both directed by Steven Soderbergh and featuring an all-star ensemble cast. Her
credits as an executive producer include the actioner “Soldier,” starring Kurt Russell; “The
Avengers,” teaming Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman; and the comedy “Vegas Vacation,”
starring Chevy Chase.
Ekins began her association with Weintraub when she was hired to work on the first
“Karate Kid” film. She earned her first producing credit as an associate producer on “The
Karate Kid, Part II,” and went on to work as an associate producer on “Pure Country,” starring
country legend George Strait; “The Next Karate Kid,” starring a young Hilary Swank; and “The
Specialist,” starring Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone.
A native of Los Angeles, Ekins began her career working on “Tom Horn” and “The
Hunter,” both starring Steve McQueen in his last film roles.
MARK VAHRADIAN (Executive Producer) is a graduate of Duke University and
the UCLA School of Law. He spent eight years as a film executive at the Walt Disney
Company, three years as President of Jerry Weintraub Productions, and is currently President
of Production for Di Bonaventura Pictures.
Vahradian has worked on such films as “Enemy of the State,” “Con Air,” “Gone in 60
Seconds,” “Remember the Titans,” “Miracle,” “Flight Plan,” “Annapolis,” and the upcoming
release “Transformers,” from director Michael Bay.
BENJAMIN WAISBREN (Executive Producer) most recently served as an executive
producer on the hit epic action-drama “300.” Prior to that, he was an executive producer on
Edward Zwick’s “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and
Djimon Hounsou; Steven Soderbergh’s “The Good German,” with George Clooney, Cate
Blanchett and Tobey Maguire; Wolfgang Petersen’s “Poseidon”; and “V for Vendetta,”
starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving.
Waisbren is a financier involved in the production and distribution of motion pictures
both in the U.S. and in Europe, and has a background including law, investment banking and
private equity investing.
His upcoming executive producer credits include “The Assassination of Jesse James
by the Coward Robert Ford,” “First Born,” “Gardener of Eden” and “Duane Hopwood.”
CHERYLANNE MARTIN (Co-Producer) was most recently co-producer on
“Constantine,” starring Keanu Reeves, directed by Francis Lawrence and based on the comic
book Hellblazer. Previously, she was associate producer/production manager on director
Philip Kaufman’s “Twisted” and “Road to Perdition,” directed by Sam Mendes.
Martin has collaborated with Robert Zemeckis on seven of his films, including “Cast
Away” and “What Lies Beneath,” on which she was associate producer/production manager.
Her association with him began on “Back to the Future 2” and continued through “Back to the
Future 3,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Forrest Gump,” on which she was second assistant
director, and “Contact,” for which she served as production manager.
In her senior year of college as an advertising-marketing major, at the suggestion of
her professor, Martin moved to San Francisco to intern at a small boutique ad agency. Shortly
thereafter, the company began production on its first feature film, to which Martin was
attached as a production assistant. In her second semester she moved to Los Angeles and
worked as a production assistant on Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart” before
returning to Tallahassee to receive her BA from Florida State University.
Martin soon found work on “Jaws 3,” for which she also acted as Bess Armstrong’s
stunt double for the diving sequences. She followed this with several seasons on “Dallas,”
then “A Soldier’s Story” and Horton Foote’s “On Valentine’s Day.”
Martin’s credits as second assistant director include “The American President,” “Mrs.
Doubtfire,” “Fatal Instinct,” “Far and Away,” “CrissCross,” “Other People’s Money” and
“Stars and Bars”; and, as 2nd second assistant director, “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and
“Rain Man.”
ALEXANDER GRUSZYNSKI (Director of Photography) marks his sixth creative
collaboration with director Andrew Fleming on “Nancy Drew,” following “The In-Laws,”
“Dick,” “The Craft,” “Threesome” and Fleming’s first film, “Bad Dreams.”
Gruszynski, born in Poland, moved to Copenhagen at 18 and entered film school. He
spent the next 12 years in Denmark photographing numerous documentaries and feature films.
After relocating to New York, he made his American film debut photographing the comedy
“Almost You,” directed by Adam Brooks.
Among the more than 40 feature films to his credit are “Five Fingers,” “Deliver Us
From Eva,” “Two Can Play That Game,” “54,” “Maximum Risk,” “Angus,” “I Like It Like
That,” “Tremors” and “Promised Land.”
Gruszynski’s television work includes the pilot for HBO’s critically acclaimed series
“Oz” and The WB’s series “Grosse Pointe,” as well as the telefilms “Cast A Deadly Spell,”
“By the Dawn’s Early Light,” “The Last Innocent Man,” “Mafia Princess,” “The Women of
Brewster Place” and “Surviving,” among others.
For his work on the television movie “Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long,”
Gruszynski was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography by the
American Society of Cinematographers.
TONY FANNING (Production Designer) shared a 2000 Emmy Award for his work
as art director on “The West Wing” pilot episode, and is a two-time recipient of the Art
Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design: in 2005 for his contribution to
“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and in 2000 for “The West Wing” pilot.
Additionally, he was nominated by the Guild for his work on “Amistad” in 1998.
Among his art direction credits are the films “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s
Thirteen,” “Munich,” “War of the Worlds,” “The Polar Express,” “Intolerable Cruelty,”
“Spider-Man,” “What Women Want,” “What Lies Beneath,” “October Sky,” “Jingle All The
Way,” “The Indian in the Cupboard” and “The Mighty Ducks”; and, for television, “Melrose
Place,” TNT’s “Keep the Change” and “Tales From the Crypt,” for HBO.
Fanning earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama before beginning his
entertainment industry career as a set designer, with early projects including “Wild Hearts
Can’t Be Broken” and “The Hudsucker Proxy.” He went on to serve as assistant art director
on “Quiz Show,” “Forrest Gump” and “Nell.”
Also active in theatre, Fanning designed the original Broadway production of “Two
Trains Running,” for director Lloyd Richards and playwright August Wilson, which ran from
1990 to 1992, as well as the play’s concurrent regional tour through the Goodman, Doolittle,
Old Globe, Seattle Repertory, Huntington and Yale Repertory theatres. He also designed the
National Tour for “The Who’s Tommy” and has worked on more than 30 productions for a
range of regional theatrical venues including The Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory,
the Globe Theaters, San Diego Opera, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Virginia Opera,
Monomoy Theatre, N.C. School of the Arts, Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory
Theatre. He is currently designing another production of “Two Trains Running” at the Old
Globe in San Diego with director Seret Scott.
Fanning’s work will next be seen on the big screen in the comedy “Harold & Kumar
2,” scheduled for a 2008 release.
JEFF FREEMAN’s (Editor) editing credits include the upcoming release “Harold and
Kumar 2,” with Kal Penn and John Cho, as well as the recent releases “Just Friends,” with
Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart and Anna Ferris, and “Cruel Intentions,” with Sarah Michelle
Gellar, Ryan Philippe, and Reese Witherspoon.
He also edited “The Only Thrill,” starring Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick
and Diane Lane; “The Craft,” starring Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, and Fairuza Balk; “The
Waterdance,” with Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe and Helen Hunt, which won
the 1992 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award;
“Mad Love,” with Drew Barrymore and Chris O’Donnell; and “Frankie and Johnny Are
Married.” In addition, he worked on “The Crow 2: City of Angels,” “Highlander 2: The
Quickening,” “Bad Dreams” and “Bulletproof.”
Freeman’s television credits include Showtime’s “Reefer Madness, the Movie
Musical,” starring Neve Campbell, Christian Campbell, Kirsten Bell, Alan Cumming, Steven
Weber and Anna Gasteyer. His work on the telefilm earned an ACE Eddie Award
nomination for Best Movie for Non-Commercial Television in 2006.
He edited the pilot for the Showtime series “The “L” Word”; the pilot and series for
David E. Kelley’s “The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire”; Disney’s “Angels in the
End Zone”; the USA Cable Movies “Deconstructing Sarah” and “Deep Red”; NBC’s
telefilms “A Family Torn Apart” and “The Revenge of Al Capone”; and Disney Channel’s
“The Ernest Green Story,” winner of the 1994 Peabody Award.
His education includes a BA with Magna Cum Laude honors from UCLA Film
School.
RALPH SALL (Music) is one of most accomplished music supervisors in the film
business. He has worked on such films as “Three Kings” and “Speed,” as well as many films
in the teen genre, creating hit soundtracks for dozens of films, including “10 Things I Hate
About You,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Sall wrote and produced
numerous songs for these soundtracks, among them key songs for “Clueless” (“Rollin’ With
My Homies,” with Coolio) and “Scooby Doo” (“Words To Me,” with Sugar Ray). Prior to
composing the score for “Nancy Drew,” he scored the films “The New Guy” and “Grind.”
“Nancy Drew” continues Sall’s winning collaboration with director Andrew Fleming,
the two having successfully worked together on the films “Dick,” “The Craft” and
“Threesome.”
In addition, Sall has created and produced a variety of unique and successful
compilation and tribute albums. Having virtually created the genre with “Deadicated,” an
album featuring the songs of the Grateful Dead, he went on to create the triple-platinum
“Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles,” “Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors”
and the gold-certified “Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits.”
Also a highly successful record producer, Sall has recorded tracks with artists of
almost every genre, including rock/pop artists Paul McCartney, Stone Temple Pilots, Sugar
Ray, Smash Mouth, Train, Aerosmith, Creed, Jane's Addiction, Cheap Trick, Sublime, Brian
Wilson, Jewel and The Ramones. In the urban field, he produced and wrote for Mystikal,
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, B.B. King, Juvenile, Brian McKnight, and R.
Kelly; and in the country arena, has worked with Willie Nelson, Brooks & Dunn, Travis Tritt
and Trace Adkins.
In 2003 he made his feature screenwriting debut with the comedy adventure “Grind.”
A Summa Cum Laude Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale University, Sall is currently
the president of Bulletproof Entertainment, one of the leading soundtrack labels in the
industry. Recent releases include “Charlotte’s Web,” “Nickelodeon’s Barnyard,” “Jackass
Number Two” and “Clerks II.”
JEFFREY KURLAND (Costume Designer) has devoted much of his career to
designing the costumes for many of Woody Allen’s films. He received an Academy Award
nomination for his designs for the director’s “Bullets Over Broadway” and a BAFTA Award
for his work on “Radio Days.” His work with Allen also includes “Everyone Says I Love
You,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” “Husbands and Wives,” “Shadows
and Fog,” “Alice,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “New York Stories,” “Another Woman,”
“September,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “The Purple Rose of Cairo” and “Broadway Danny
Rose.”
Kurland more recently designed the costumes for Stephen Hopkins’ supernatural
thriller “The Reaping,” Michael Mann’s dramatic thriller “Collateral,” Joe Johnston’s action
adventure “Hidalgo” and the thriller “Criminal,” produced by Steven Soderbergh. He also
worked with Soderbergh on the hit films “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Erin Brockovich,” earning a
Costume Designers Guild Award for the latter.
His additional film credits include Milos Forman’s “Man on the Moon,” Richard
LaGravenese’s “Living Out Loud,” Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams,” P.J. Hogan’s “My Best
Friend’s Wedding” and the Nora Ephron films “This Is My Life” and “Mixed Nuts.”
