A Cast Of Real Contenders

One of the key elements in getting a film off the ground, besides good material and a well-written script, is the ability to attract a strong cast. With no less than three Academy Award® nominees, and several Emmy and Golden Globe winners on board, Resurrecting the Champ was primed to go the distance to the big screen.

“I am truly delighted with every actor who came on board this film, but to have such a powerhouse as Sam Jackson in the title role, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” says Lurie. “I like to take an actor of his caliber – one who has such an iconic image – away from that image and plant him in a role that is unexpected. Since Sam usually portrays strong-willed, strong-bodied characters, I loved the notion of casting him as someone who is, as the Champ says, ‘down and almost halfway out.’ In fact, I can’t recall an actor transforming himself into a person of the streets like this in such a unique way since Dustin Hoffman literally embodied Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy.”

Oscar®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction; Star Wars I-III) was eager to delve into such a fascinating character. “This guy is a fallen hero of sorts, a man who wants so much to be somebody else that he winds up being nobody,” observes Jackson. “I had to dig deep into parts of myself I didn’t particularly like going to in order to find the Champ, but it was a journey well worth taking.”

Playing opposite Jackson, Josh Hartnett (The Black Dahlia; Lucky Number Slevin; Black Hawk Down), had his hands full, but he certainly proved to be up to the challenge.

“I was drawn to Josh because I have tremendous respect for the choices he’s made in his career,” says Lurie. “With his good looks he could have easily gone with multi-million dollar projects and the movie star route, but Josh has always been very selective about the roles he takes on, roles with a lot of heart and complexity like this one.”

Hartnett was eager to tackle the multifaceted character. “The truth is, I’m not a father nor have I ever played one before, so this has been a real adventure for me,” admits the young actor. “I loved both the honesty and the flaws of Erik’s character. It was an honor to portray him as well as to work with such an amazing director, cast and crew.”

Lurie especially liked the way Hartnett handled himself opposite veteran actors and newcomer Dakota Goyo, who played Teddy his six-year old son. “Josh has a lot of emotionally charged roles to fill in this film, and they are all wrapped up in one very complex character,” observes Lurie. “He’s a beleaguered reporter with no confidence opposite Alan Alda. He is the up-and-coming it guy full of bravado opposite Teri Hatcher. He then has to switch gears completely to portray the estranged husband and caring father opposite Kathryn Morris and Dakota Goyo – and all the while, he’s swapping dialogue with the likes of Sam Jackson! Needless to say, Josh had a multilevel character to play, and I think he did a tremendous job.”

Cold Case star Kathryn Morris took on the difficult task of playing the wife of such a multifaceted character, and Lurie says she was the actor he had in mind from the start. “Kathy had to be both a firm moral barometer for Erik as well as an empathetic soul, and she really infused just the right amount of pluck and compassion into her portrayal,” observes Lurie. “In fact, both Kathy and Josh had to maneuver their way through a lot of emotion in this film and they did it beautifully.”

Although it was Hartnett and Jackson who were on screen most of the time, several of the actors who were in the film for only a short period truly made an impact. “Alan Alda lent just the type of authoritative air I was looking for as the tough newspaper editor. He pushes Erik’s character and makes him want to prove himself that much more,” observes Lurie. “Alan’s not only an Oscar nominee, but a multiple Golden Globe and Emmy winner, and his presence alone gives the film a higher stature.”

Also lending star power to the film is Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Teri Hatcher, whose Desperate Housewives role also earned her a nomination as Favorite Female Television Star at the 2006 People’s Choice Awards. In Resurrecting the Champ, Hatcher portrays Flak, the ethically-challenged Showtime executive who tries to seduce Erik not only up to her hotel room but also into a high-paying, but journalistically unchallenging position at the network.

“Teri’s character shows up at a very pivotal moment in the film. She offers Erik a shot at the big time, but the catch is she’s also asking him to sell his journalistic soul,” observes Lurie. “In fact, her character is literally the embodiment of temptation, and I could not think of a better person for the role than Teri Hatcher. I was overjoyed when she agreed to take the part, and even though she was on screen for only a few scenes, she really grabs the viewer like she always does.”

Rounding out the eclectic cast of characters is Oscar® and Golden Globe nominee David Paymer (Mr. Saturday Night; Crime of the Century) as Whitley, the magazine editor who encourages Erik to write the article about the Champ; Rachel Nichols (Alias) as Polly, Erik’s trusty researcher; Harry Lennix (Commander in Chief) as Bob Satterfield’s son; and Emmy nominee Peter Coyote (The 4400; Commander in Chief) as Satterfield’s former manager.

“This was a real ensemble cast and they were all in each other’s corner no matter how much onscreen time they had,” says Lurie. “They gave the film the humanity that the movie itself offers to the audience, and I am proud to have worked with each and every one of them.”

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A Film About Truth Demands Authenticity
When everyone involved with bringing Resurrecting the Champ to the big screen read the soul-searching truth that ran through every word in J.R. Moehringer’s article, it became the utmost of priorities to make the film as genuinely true to the spirit of the article as possible.