In summer 2000--before the release of his films The Notebook and John Q--filmmaker Nick Cassavetes found himself putting pen to paper to outline a story about some of the types of teens who populated his daughter Gina's high school. He pondered what would happen if a group of kids took a prank way too far, and made a series of decisions and missteps that would ensnare them in a situation from which they could not be extricated.
While researching the family life of some of these San Fernando, California, Valley kids, Cassavetes found their home dynamics to be surprising and particularly compelling. These stories would quickly find their way into a screenplay. "I expected to find a bunch of spoiled, disaffected rich kids raised by parents with a great sense of ennui, and that's not what I found at all," he explains. "What I ended up finding, which frankly I'm guilty of in my own life, was that it's a complicated world now where both parents have jobs and get caught up in their own lives. The by-product of that is you find yourself 'checking in' with your children to find out if they're okay, where they are going to be and if they need any money…instead of putting in the time and hanging out with them."
Cassavetes continues, "That was the thing that impressed me the most and was the common thread among almost all of these people. Most of them were people I wouldn't find great fault with. The problems were born out of letting all these children get together and make decisions without any kind of parental guidance or interference, and they could create the 'perfect storm' of circumstances and coincidences that would allow something to happen that never should have."
After many discussions with colleagues and extensive research about the types who inhabit this world, Cassavetes would create the screenplay for Alpha Dog. He found one of the keys to unlocking the script lay in the way these alpha-teens spoke. "These are not really good kids that just lose their way for one weekend. I wanted to use language that I think the kids use, which is very offensive and almost an assault. But for me, that would give the film a type of genuineness. I didn't want to back away from them being unsympathetic. Children can be ugly. They haven't had their time to get their routines and their personalities in order. They have many rough edges, and I didn't want to lose that."
Veteran producer Sidney Kimmel, head of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, found the project to be a great package for his company, which was built on a diverse offering of intriguing, offbeat stories helmed by talented filmmakers. He offers, "Nick comes from the best of Hollywood talent, and has made his own name with his actor-driven films and his acting work. He's able to easily shift gears--moving from the romance of The Notebook to the gritty realism of Alpha Dog. I was extremely enthusiastic to get behind this picture. It's an unflinching look at what can happen when a series of bad turns leads to even worse consequences. It's a kind of cautionary tale about contemporary culture, but it doesn't preach."
With financing secured and preproduction under way, Cassavetes began the search for actors who could bring life to his characters.

ASSEMBLING THE PACK: CASTING THE FILM
Once the project began, Cassavetes brought in casting directors Nancy Green-Keyes and Matthew Barry, who began identifying the actors whose talents were the most appropriate for these roles. Fortunately, the process went quickly. The scripts went out and, save scheduling issues, there wasn't a single actor who didn't quickly sign on to be a part of the production.
Cassavetes explains his casting process: "I don't audition people, because I don't believe in it as a practice. I think that certain actors are great auditioners and kind of average actors, and certain actors are average auditioners but really great actors. What I'm looking for when I try to find someone for a part is someone who's interested in their character, and someone that can communicate how they work, and we can share a kind of commonality in the way we work.
"I think there are only two types of actors," he continues. "Those who can and those who can't. And if you can, we'll get there. I have made some mistakes before, and I'm sure that other people have made some mistakes with me. My style doesn't necessarily work with everybody, however. Actually, there's an adage around me--you want to be one of the first actors to meet me because I can't stand refusing anybody. But I was also extremely lucky in casting Alpha Dog, because nearly almost all of the first people I saw for the parts were the perfect people to play them."
The role of egomaniacal ringleader Johnny Truelove went to young up-and-coming actor Emile Hirsch, who appeared in the films Lords of Dogtown, The Girl Next Door, The Emperor's Club and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. "Emile read the script and loved it," recalls Cassavetes. "He said he had to do the part and after meeting him, I thought he would be a great Johnny Truelove."
"My first reaction to the script was how great the drama was," remembers Hirsch. "The script made my heart pound. It took me into the world of these kids and made me ask myself what I would do in that situation. It's a powerful script that sucks you into a scary, dark abyss and forces you to find your way out."
Hirsch knew that tackling the role with such depth would be a great exercise as an actor. "My character has a really wild arc," he explains. "In the beginning, Johnny is extremely cocky and is in full control of his world. By the end, he has lost everything he has. The transition makes him lose his spine and turns him into a little boy, so there's a lot of humility in the role."
For the role of Sonny Truelove, the enigmatic father to Johnny and businessman operating on the outskirts of the law, the filmmakers had the opportunity to work with veteran actor Bruce Willis.
Cassavetes had hoped that Willis would be available and interested in portraying Sonny, and he had forwarded a copy of the script to the actor's agent. "We weren't even sure we had it in the budget, but it was still something we really hoped for." Willis signed on and proved to be a fiercely dedicated presence, on-set and off.
The writer/director remembers, "During preproduction, Bruce ended up doing as much research as practically anybody in the film, for a part that he could have easily walked through. He understood his part very well. He was the champion of this film."
Sidney Kimmel offers, "To have such an amazing cast with some of the brightest talent coming up, along with powerhouse veterans like Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone, is a testament to the power of this story."
For Willis, the attraction was in the mix of filmmaker, subject and cast. He says, "The character of Sonny is one that really drew me in. He has developed this amazing philosophy about life and family and totally believes in his own truth. Actually, because of what he was, what he passed down to his son, he contributed to what ended up happening. When an alpha dog has a son, he raises him to be one as well--some kind of pack-mentality rule. Nick's script told the story with razor accuracy, but in these amazing, observant strokes."
The type of father-son relationship between Sonny and Johnny lays the moralistic framework for the choices that Johnny makes in lifestyle and ethics, raising questions about the extent of parental influence and the resulting outcome of events. "Sonny is the ultimate alpha dog and Johnny learned everything from him," comments Hirsch. "In terms of parenting, it's not that Johnny's been neglected so much as equipped with bazookas when all other kids are not."
After locking in Hirsch and Willis for Johnny and Sonny Truelove, the filmmakers set out to find a group of talented young actors to create Johnny's gang. After initially meeting Justin Timberlake for his prior film The Notebook, Cassavetes knew the musician/actor would be a perfect fit for the role of charismatic, likable Frankie Ballenbacher. "To me, the toughest character to embody in the story is Frankie, because he befriends the kid and allows these events to happen," explains Cassavetes. "I told Justin that I wanted him to do it, and he called me back a few seconds later and said he was in."
"Nick is an incredible writer, and after reading the script I thought this was a story that people should hear," remembers Timberlake. "It's not just about gangs, drugs or bad kids, it's about family and parenting, or lack thereof. In essence, the story is about what one small situation can escalate into when you're ignorant to the possibilities and the consequences."
Timberlake was attracted not only to the colorful character and inherent humor of Frankie, but also the ethical questions the situation presented. "Frankie is probably the biggest smack talker in the group, so if that's not fun to play, then I don't know what is," explains Timberlake. "I also think that of all the characters in Johnny's crew, Frankie probably has the most heart and doesn't think it's going to go as far as it does, and that's what wins it for me."
For the role of Elvis Schmidt, the member of Johnny's crew who remains somewhat of an outsider and carries through on the order to kill Zack Mazursky, Cassavetes chose actor Shawn Hatosy, whom he directed in John Q. "Elvis is an extremely challenging part to play and I knew that I needed someone who wasn't just good, but was sensational," says Cassavetes.
"Nick is a dear friend and an amazing talent and I'll take advantage of any opportunity to work with him," explains Hatosy. "On top of that, it just so happens that he wrote an amazing script and I think it's a story that needs to be told."
Hatosy's character exists at the bottom of the hierarchy in Johnny's gang and endures unlimited abuse and indentured servitude to Johnny over a debt. With multiple siblings in jail and having grown up without a father figure, Elvis looks to Johnny as a brother and Sonny as a father. "I don't think Elvis sees himself the way everybody else sees him--he sees himself as an equal to the group," comments Hatosy. "When there's a problem and Johnny needs him to step in, Elvis feels like he is not only working off his debt to Johnny, but being the hero."
Actor Ben Foster was brought in by casting agents for the role of Jake Mazursky, the intense tweaker who clashes with Johnny and sets the destructive wheels of the story in motion. "I met Ben once and told him then that he had the part," recalls the director. "He asked me if I wanted him to read, and I told him that it wasn't necessary. I knew from Ben's work that he would bring even more to Jake than what I had written."
"The aspect of Nick's script that I responded to the most was that I cared about the characters," recalls Foster. "These aren't exactly likable people, but they're kids, and it's easy to forget that. They are trying to figure out the difference between being men and playing gangster, and not realizing that the line between playing and becoming is really thin."
"Typically, you would cast someone bigger in this type of role," reflects Cassavetes. "Ben is slight, and also happens to be an amazing actor. But I thought it was great to go against somewhat stereotypical thinking, and the results are pretty frightening. All the credit should go to Ben, because he came in knowing what part he wanted to play. He knew the attack he wanted to take, and it worked."
Foster knew that repeat offender Jake would be a fun character to inhabit and would provide great contrast to Johnny's assumed (and fairly hollow) gangster tendencies. "Jake has been a lot of fun to play, very dark, but fun," observes Foster. "He has a crystal meth addiction and when he says he's going to break your skull, he probably will. While Johnny's gang does mostly play-pretend gang violence, Jake's lifestyle is actually legitimate in the sense that he isn't just posturing; he is what he seems to be. When Johnny and Jake meet and butt heads, it's like two different worlds colliding."
When the two egos collide, the situation escalates quickly, and neither Johnny nor Jake is willing to back down. While Johnny wouldn't normally respond so extremely to another member of his crew if challenged, he knows that if he weakens his stance--even slightly--to Jake that Jake will walk all over him. "When Jake starts to cause trouble, Johnny takes a moment to consider who he's dealing with," explains Hirsch. "He makes the separation between Jake and the other guys and handles the situation a little differently and with greater force."
That clash sets off a domino chain of events, an arms race of unchecked macho wills. After the latest retaliatory episode, Johnny is presented with an opportunity and makes an on-the-spot (and unwise) decision without a thought to long-term consequences. While on their way to a party in the desert, Johnny, Frankie and friend Tiko spot Jake's younger brother Zack--who has just fled his home rather than face another fight with his parents--and, on a whim, they decide to kidnap him as a marker for Jake until money due is paid.
For the role of young and impressionable Zack, Nick Cassavetes chose young star on the rise Anton Yelchin, who, at age 17, already has an extensive list of film and television credits to his name.
"Anton is able to bring all of the conflicting emotions of Zack--his need to please, his need for independence, his rejection of his upbringing, his devotion to his brother. A lot of the female characters tend to treat him like a lost puppy, but he's not that simple. He's got bite, but he's at odds with where he is in his life, confused with no longer being a kid but not yet a man. Anton conveys all of that beautifully," comments Cassavetes.
While under the care of Frankie, Zack is treated to a few days of living the lifestyle of those in Johnny's gang. He casually mingles with their friends, enjoys the pleasures of their female companions and partakes in their drinking and drug use. Without believing that he is truly in danger, Zack attempts to become accepted by his abductors and eventually feels like he is a part of their inner circle.
"When Zack gets kidnapped, he seeks the approval of these guys because he wants away from his parents and wants to help his brother, and he doesn't mind hanging out with them," explains Yelchin. "Because of his general good nature, he trusts that they wouldn't do him any harm and eventually, he believes he is becoming friends with them."
While on the surface Zack seems to have stable, loving and supportive parents, their heightened involvement in his life and their desire for him not to follow in his elder brother's footsteps actually has the opposite effect--it leads to his propensity to rebel. "Zack's mother wants to do the right thing by her kid but can come off as a control freak, and you can't really blame him for wanting her to lay off," says Yelchin. "While it's easy to say that not being a part of your kid's life is poor parenting, the way in which you are involved is equally as important."
For the role of Zack's mother, Olivia Mazursky, Cassavetes knew he had to find a performer who could tackle the character's great emotional depth and despair. He found her in accomplished actor Sharon Stone. "While writing the script, I wasn't thinking about whom I was going to cast. The character is an Earth mother who is a little 'too much,' and I knew it was something that Sharon might do. After Sharon signed on, we had the building blocks of what we were going to do."
Stone comments that she was familiar with Cassavetes' work, both of them having "grown up in the Hollywood community," and found him to be an extremely interesting and "superbly gifted filmmaker. He sent me this script with a letter that asked me to look at this part which wasn't very big, but he used the word 'fulcrum'--she's a fulcrum in the piece."
"Sharon was one of the first actors to sign on to the project," recalls producer Sidney Kimmel. "She brought her trademark intensity, professionalism and gutsy dedication to her portrayal of this wounded woman battling her own demons." Indeed, Stone had to endure several hours in makeup for a particular sequence, exemplifying her level of commitment to the project.
For Stone, the role of Olivia resonated on many levels, and provided her with a multilayered character that she relished bringing to life. "From the moment I read the script, I looked at this part from two perspectives--from the perspective of a grown woman who is a parent, and from the perspective of a teenager , having grown up knowing people like this and having struggled through the experience of being put in difficult situations as a teenager. Also, it's an incredible honor and journey to be able to play someone like her and tell a story like this. I knew we were in good hands with Nick and that he would bring a great deal of integrity."
Like Willis, Stone immersed herself in the world of the troubled mother. She relates, "During my research to play Olivia, I asked myself every horrific, tough, real question I needed to ask to play this part."
The filmmakers rounded out their large acting ensemble with other talents that include Christopher Marquette as good-natured slacker Keith; Olivia Wilde as Johnny's girlfriend, Angela; Lukas Haas as Buzz, an old school friend of Johnny's; Amanda Seyfried as Julie, who provides Zack with his first real fling; Harry Dean Stanton as Sonny's compatriot, Cosmo; Dominique Swain as Susan, whose conscience eventually forces her into action; Alan Thicke as Angela's father, Douglas; David Thornton as Ben and Zack's father, Butch; and Heather Wahlquist as Ben's girlfriend, Wanda.


DESIGNING THE DESPICABLE: PREPARATION FOR AND SHOOTING OF ALPHA DOG

WRITER-DIRECTOR NICK CASSAVETES

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