Confidence : About The Cast


EDward BURNS (Jake Vig)
Edward Burns continues to mesmerize audiences and critics alike as an actor, writer, director and producer. Burns "Sidewalks of New York" which was distributed by Paramount Classics in November 2001, was his fourth feature as a writer, director, producer, and star. The film is a comedic look at relationships and romance through the eyes of six New Yorkers; "Sidewalks" co-stars Burns, Heather Graham, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, David Krumholz, Dennis Farina and Stanley Tucci.

Burns was lauded by both critics and audiences for his first feature, "The Brothers McMullen," which premiered in competition at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize. Burns wrote, directed and starred in the film, which was shot on a budget of only $25,000 and went on to gross over $10 million at the domestic box office, making it the most profitable film of 1995. The film also won "Best First Feature" at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards.

As an actor, Burns recently starred in New Line's film "Fifteen Minutes" co-starring Robert De Niro. Burns also starred opposite Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan. " The critically acclaimed World War II epic marked the first film in which Burns acted in a film he did not write and direct himself.

Edward Burns and brother Brian recently signed a deal with ATG (Artists Television Group) to write and produce for television.

In the last year Burns appeared in "Ash Wednesday," where he took on the roles of writer, director, producer and star. The film takes place in 1983 New York, and is a drama about two brothers trying to escape their past. In addition, he appeared opposite Angelina Jolie in the romantic comedy "Life, Or Something Like It," which was released by 20th Century Fox last April.

His upcoming project includes Peter Hyams "A Sound of Thunder," which is based on a short story by Ray Bradbury.

RACHEL WEISZ (Lily)
Rachel Weisz has starred in a number of recent box office hits including: "About A Boy," with Hugh Grant and "The Mummy Returns" opposite Brenden Fraser.
She also starred opposite Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes in the Paramount Pictures film "Enemy at the Gates" directed by Jean Jacque Anaud and in the independent film "Beautiful Creatures" opposite Susan Lynch.

Previously, Weisz starred opposite Catherine McCormack in the acclaimed British comedy "Land Girls. " She also starred opposite Vincent Perez in "Swept From the Sea. " She was seen in Mark Pellington's "Going All the Way," with Jeremy Davies and Ben Affleck; Bernardo Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty," opposite Liv Tyler and Jeremy Irons; as well as in the thriller, "Chain Reaction," opposite Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman.

She returned to the stage last summer in Neil Labute's latest play, "The Shape of Things," at the Almeida Theatre in the West End of London for which she received excellent reviews. The play recently completed its run off Broadway. Weisz co-produced with Neil LaBute and stars in the film version of "The Shape of Thing" which will be released later this year.

Other upcoming projects include: "The Runaway Jury," co-starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman, "Marlowe," starring Jude Law, and "Envy," starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Christopher Walken.

ANDY GARCIA (Gunther Butan)
Andy Garcia has established himself as one of todays most talented and versatile actors. One of Garcia's most memorable experiences was working with Francis Ford Coppola on "The Godfather III. " Garcia received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his role in the Best Supporting Actor category. He formed his own production company, CineSon Productions, in 1991.

Garcia starred with an A-list cast in Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh's "Oceans Eleven" for Warner Bros. , which co-starred George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Garcia's production credits include two independent films in which he served as both star and producer. The first one "The Unsaid," a psychological thriller which co-starred Teri Polo, Linda Cardellini and Vincent Kartheiser. The other, "The Man From Elysian Fields," a drama co-starring Mick Jagger, James Coburn, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams and Anjelica Huston. "The Unsaid" screened at the Deauville Film Festival and the Palm Springs Film Festival. "The Man From Elysian Fields" screened at the Toronto Film Festival as well as at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in the fall of 2002. He was last seen in "Just Like Mona" and can be seen in the soon to be released "Blackout," starring alongside Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson.

Garcia received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role as the legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO's 2000 biopic "For Love Or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story".

Garcia has been married to Marivi Lorido Garcia since 1982. The couple lives in Los Angeles with their three children Dominik, Daniella and Alessandra, and they are expecting their first son in February.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN (The King)
A two-time Oscar winner and seven-time nominee, Dustin Hoffman is distinguished as one of the cinema's most acclaimed leading actors. Born in Los Angeles, he attended Santa Monica Community College and later studied at the Pasadena Playhouse before moving to New York to study with Lee Strasberg.

Hoffman's first stage role was in the Sarah Lawrence College production of Gertrude Stein's "Yes Is For A Very Young Man" and led to several roles Off Broadway, which brought him to the attention of director Mike Nichols, who casted Hoffman in his Academy Award-nominated title role in "The Graduate. "

Hoffman has since been nominated for six more Academy Awards, for such diverse films as "Midnight Cowboy," "Lenny," "Tootsie" (a film he also produced through his company, Punch Productions), and "Wag the Dog", and winning the Oscar for "Kramer Vs. Kramer" in 1979 and again in 1988 for "Rain Man. "

Other film credits include "Little Big Man," "Straw Dogs," "Papillon," "All the President's Men," "Marathon Man," "Straight Time," "Agatha," "Ishtar," "Dick Tracy," "Billy Bathgate," "Hook," "Hero," "Sleepers," "Sphere," "American Buffalo," "Outbreak," and "Mad City. " Hoffman recently appeared in Brad Silberling's "Moonlight Mile," starring opposite Susan Sarandon.

Hoffman's stage work has been equally impressive, returning to Broadway in 1974 for his stage directorial debut, "All Over Town," and in 1984 to star as Willy Loman in the revival of "Death of a Salesman," which he also produced and for which he earned the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor and an Emmy Award when the production was filmed as a special presentation for television. He would reprise his long run on the London stage as Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" and receive a Tony Award nomination.

Hoffman also produced the feature film "A Walk on the Moon," and executive produced, and won two Emmy Awards, for "The Devil's Arithmetic. "

His upcoming projects include: "The Runaway Jury," starring opposite John Cusack, Gene Hackman, and Rachel Weisz. He can soon be seen in "Neverland," starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

PAUL GIAMATTI (Gordo)
Paul Giamatti captured the eyes of America in Betty Thomas's hit comedy "Private Parts. " Since then, he has had an extensive list of film credits that included Milos Formans's "Man on the Moon," Tim Robbins's "The Cradle Will Rock," F. Gary Gray's "The Negotiator," Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," Peter Weir's "The Truman Show," and Mike Newell's "Donnie Brasco. "

Giamatti was also seen in "Big Momma's House" opposite Martin Lawrence, Bruce Paltrow's "Duets" opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, Todd Solondz's "Storytelling," and Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes. " Paul was most recently seen in Peter Hewitt's "Thunderpants," and in "Big Fat Liar" where he had a headlining role starring opposite Frankie Muniz.

As an accomplished stage actor, Giamatti appeared on Broadway as Jimmy Tomorrow in "The Iceman Cometh," a performance for which he received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His Broadway credits also include "The Three Sisters" directed by Scott Elliot, "Racing Demon" directed by Richard Eyre and "Arcadia" directed by Trevor Nunn.

Television credits include HBO's "Winchell" opposite Stanley Tucci and Jane Anderson's "If These Walls Could Talk II. " He has also appeared in guest roles on both "Homicide" and "NYPD Blue. " He next can be seen in the HBO film "American Splendor," in which he portrays famed underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar, which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

Franky G. (Lupus)
Growing up in Flushing, Queens, Franky G's life dream was to be an actor. While becoming an incredible athlete as well as a student, in a tough neighborhood, Franky was awarded the opportunity to play running back at Northeastern Oklahoma University. When a knee injury ended his athletic career, he supported himself working as a bouncer and security guard, while taking his shot at being an actor.

Franky began the pursuit of an acting career by doing Off-Broadway shows, such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie. " When browsing through Backstage Magazine, looking for potential roles to pursue, he sent in a photo of himself to a director by the name of Eric Eason for a small digital film called "Manito. " After waiting his turn with over 100 other actors, he was offered the job immediately after his first audition. Little did Franky know that only five months later he would be on an airplane headed West for the first time in his life to the Sundance Film Festival where "Manito" would screen for the first time and go on to win the Best Ensemble Cast Award.

Only a few weeks after the Festival, Franky landed the job in CONFIDENCE. He
will also be seen later this year in the film "The Italian Job" for director F. Gary Gray. In this feature, Franky will once again be surrounded by talented actors, such as Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton and Gene Hackman. He can also be seen in Lions Gate upcoming project "Wonderland," starring Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, and Lisa Kudrow.

BRIAN VAN HOLT (Miles)
With a strong understated presence, Brian Van Holt has a quiet intensity that absolutely transcends the big screen. Demonstrating versatility and skill in a range of unique and unconventional performances, Van Holt is quickly proving to be one of the most sought after actors of his generation.

Van Holt recently starred opposite Josh Hartnett in Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down", portraying Task Force Ranger Strueker, who leads a convoy of Humvees to rescue a downed Black Hawk pilot in Mogadishu, Somalia. Van Holt was also seen last year in John Woo's action drama "Windtalkers. " Starring opposite Nicholas Cage and Christian Slater, Van Holt played a young U. S. Marine officer assigned to protect a Navajo "code-talker" during WW2. Van Holt recently completed production on the John McTiernan-directed military thriller "Basic," in which he stars opposite John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. His other upcoming project includes "S. W. A. T. " starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michelle Rodriguez.

DONAL LOGUE (Whitworth)
Donal Logue came to major prominence in the film "The Tao of Steve," the story of a larger-than-life, philosophizing lothario, which debuted at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, and won Donal a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance. The comedy was directed by Jenniphr Goodman.

He can currently be seen this spring on the WB Carsey-Werner sit-com, "Grounded for Life," in which he plays a young father who wrestles with his need to be responsible and his desperate desire to be irresponsible.

In 1989, Logue landed a part in the Michael Newell-directed CBS mini-series "Common Ground," and in the American Playhouse movie "Darrow. " He moved to Los Angeles in 1991 where he was cast in the film "Sneakers. " His career took off and he appeared in memorable films as "The Patriot," "Runaway Bride," "Jerry McGuire," "Reindeer Games," "Diabolique," "And The Band Played On," "Blade," "Little Women," "Heaven and Earth," "Metro," "The Grave" and "Gettysburg. " He also created the character of "Jimmy the Cabdriver" for a series of award winning MTV promos and has appeared in numerous television shows. Logue lives in Los Angeles and has two children.

LUIS GUZMAN (Manzano)
One of the most versatile actors in movies today, Luis Guzman recently co-starred in "Punch-Drunk Love," directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Adam Sandler, and "Welcome To Collinwood" with George Clooney. He also could be seen last year in Kevin Reynolds "The Count of Monte Cristo," and Ron Underwood's "The Adventures of Pluto Nash. "

Guzman has appeared in three films for Sidney Lumet, "Guilty as Sin," "Family Business" and "Q & A"; two films for Brian De Palma, "Snake Eyes" and "Carlito's Way"; and three films for Steven Soderbergh, "Traffic," "The Limey" (for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and "Out Of Sight. "

Upcoming projects include: "The Runaway Jury," starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, "When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb&Dumber," starring Cheri Oteri and and Peter Segal's "Anger Management," starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler.

MORRIS CHESTNUT (Travis)
Since his debut as Ricky Baker in John Singleton's "Boyz In the Hood," Morris Chestnut has consistently portrayed powerful African American characters. He most recently starred in the Twentieth Century Fox feature "Like Mike" and "Half Past Dead," opposite Steven Seagal and Ja Rule.

Chestnut starred opposite Alan Alda in the Showtime feature "The Killing Yard" which premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. Chestnut's independent features include "Scenes of the Crime," directed by Dominique Forma, and stars Noah Wyle and Jeff Bridges.

Chestnut is known for his roles in "The Brothers," "The Best Man" and "Boyz In the Hood. " In "The Brothers" he starred opposite Bill Bellamy, D. L. Hughley and Shemar Moore, who are four friends beginning to question relationships, when one of them gets engaged. In Malcolm Lee's "The Best Man," he played Lance, the hottest pro running back with the best of everything. He received a NAACP Image Award nomination and the film also won the award for Best Motion Picture. John Singlton's "Boyz In The Hood" introduced the world to the struggles, hopes and dreams of inner city youth while trying to survive in a world controlled by gangs.

Eusebio Poncela - Federico
Eusebio Poncela was born in Madrid, Spain. His 33 year long career in feature films has included winning Best Actor Awards for his roles in Arrebato (Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award) and New York LaCinemaFe's Silver Apple for Cabecitas Rubia, and a nomination for Best Lead Actor in Spain's Goyas for Intacto. Poncela has worked with Spain's leading director Pedro Almodovar in Matador as well as Almodovar's early masterpiece Law of Desire.

His other film credits include: La Casa sin Fronteras, Separacion Matrimonial, El Asesino esta entre los Trece, Larga Noche de Julio, La Muerte del Escorpion, Operation Ogro, Sus Anos Dorados, Entre Parentesis, El Arreglo, El Dorado, Diario de Invierno, Continental, El Invierno en Lisboa, El Rey Pasmado, El Laberinto Griego, El Juego de los Mensajes Invisibles, El Beso del Sueno, Una Sombra ya Pronto Seras, Adolfo Aristarain's Martin Hache, La Sonambula, La Sombra de Cain, Sagitario, Tuno Negro and 800 Balas.

Poncela's television credits include the miniseries Los Gozos y las Sombras and El Secreto de la Porcelana.

Mónica López - Sara
Monica Lopez is a leading young Spanish actress whose film career began in 1992 with a role in La Fiebre del Oro. She has appeared in such Spanish films as Los Peores Anos de Nuestra Vida, Todo es Mentira, Souvenir and Un Banco en el Parque.

Antonio Dechent - Alejandro
Antonio Dechent established his motion picture career by debuting in Vicente Aranda's popular El Lute: Camina o Revienta in 1987 followed by its sequel El Lute II: Manana Sere Libre.

His other credits include No Hagas Planes con Marga, Matar al Nani, Los Dias del Cometa, La Cruz de Iberia, Day of the Beast, Libertarias which won the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival, El Color de las Nubes, Mararia which won the Golden Egret for Best Film in the Miami Hispanic Film Festival, Bailame el Agua, Cascabel and El Juego de Luna.

Dechent was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in Spain's Goya Awards for his portrayal of Federico in Intacto.

Max Von Sydow - Samuel
Max von Sydow became best known playing tormented protagonists in a number of director Ingmar Bergman's best-known features, including The Seventh Seal (1957). He was cast as Christ in George Stevens' biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and has enjoyed international star status ever since.

A classically trained actor who studied at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater School, Von Sydow won his first film role in Only A Mother (1949) but spent the first half of the 1950s perfecting his craft on stage. He appeared in a number of Bergman films in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Wild Strawberries, The Magician, Brink Of Life, The Virgin Spring, Through A Glass Darkly, Hour Of The Wolf, Shame, The Passion Of Anna and The Touch.

From 1966, von Sydow was cast to appear in many American and English-language films including The Quiller Memorandum, Hawaii, Steppenwolf, Three Days Of The Condor and Hurricane.

He starred in Jan Troell's epic two-part feature The Emigrants and The New Land and in 1973 made a vivid impression as Father Merrin, the title character in the Exorcist, also appearing in Exorcist II, The Heretic.

During the 1980's he worked almost constantly on a wide variety of projects from high, wrenching dramas like Pelle The Conqueror (for which he earned an Oscar â nomination for his characterization of the father), to the hallucinatory comedy Strange Brew, and in 1988 he made his directorial debut with Katinka (which earned him a Guldbagge Award for Best Director).

Recent films include Wim Wender's Until The End Of The World and Best Intentions, (as Ingmar Bergman's grandfather). In 1993 he played the Devil in the Stephen King saga Needful Things making him the only actor in memory to have played Lucifer, an exorcist, and Jesus Christ.

Author : Lions Gate Films