- Notes provided by Freestyle Releasing. -

Based in real theatrical history, ME AND ORSON WELLES is a romantic coming-of-age story about a teenage actor who lucks into a role in Julius Caesar as it's being re-imagined by a brilliant, impetuous young director named Orson Welles at his newly-founded Mercury Theater in NYC, 1937.

The rollercoaster week leading up to opening night has the charismatic-but-sometimes-cruel Welles (impressive newcomer Christian McKay) staking his career on this risky production while Richard (Zac Efron) mixes with everyone from starlets to stagehands in behind-the-scenes adventures bound to change him.

Me And Orson Welles

Production Information

Ben Chaplin, Claire Danes, Zac Efron, Zoe Kazan, Eddie Marsan, Christian McKay, Kelly Reilly and James Tupper lead a talented ensemble cast of stage and screen actors in the coming-of-age romantic drama ME AND ORSON WELLES. Oscar®-nominated director Richard Linklater ("School of Rock", "Before Sunset") is at the helm of the CinemaNX and Detour Film production, filmed in the Isle of Man, at Pinewood Studios, on various London locations and in New York City.

The screenplay by Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo is based on the novel by Robert Kaplow, a thoroughly researched piece of historical fiction, set in the heady world of New York theatre. A teenage student, Richard Samuels, lucks his way into a minor role in the legendary 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar", directed by youthful genius Orson Welles. In the words of Kaplow's protagonist: "This is the story of one week in my life. I was seventeen. It was the week I slept in Orson Welles's pyjamas. It was the week I fell in love. It was the week I fell out of love."

Ben Chaplin ("The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep") stars as Mercury Theatre regular George Coulouris, Claire Danes ("Stardust", "Romeo + Juliet") is production assistant Sonja Jones, the older woman who enchants Richard, played by Zac Efron ("Hairspray", "High School Musical"), Zoe Kazan ("Revolutionary Road") is aspiring writer Gretta Adler, Eddie Marsan ("Happy Go Lucky") stars as Mercury co-founder John Houseman, newcomer Christian McKay, an alumnus of RADA and the Royal Shakespeare Company, plays Orson Welles, Kelly Reilly ("Mrs Henderson Presents") portrays spiky diva Muriel Brassler and James Tupper ("Men In Trees") is the future movie star Joseph Cotten.

The featured cast includes Leo Bill ("Becoming Jane") as Norman Lloyd, Al Weaver ("Colour Me Kubrick") as Sam Leve, Iain McKee ("Housewife, 49") as Vakhtangov (William Alland), Simon Lee Phillips ("Burlesque Fairytales") as Walter Ash, Simon Nehan, making his feature film debut as Joe Holland, Imogen Poots ("28 Weeks Later") as Lorelei Lathrop, Patrick Kennedy ("Atonement") as Grover Burgess, Olivier Award-winner Janie Dee as Richard's mother, with versatile British TV actress Marlene Sidaway as his grandmother, Garrick Hagon ("The Walker") as Dr Mewling, newcomer Megan Maczko as Evelyn Allen, Aaron Brown as the Longchamps Kid, Travis Oliver ("Footballers Wive$: Extra Time") as John Hoyt, Nathan Osgood ("Sahara") as the radio announcer, Robert Wilfort as the radio director, Michael Brandon ("Jerry Springer - The Opera") as legendary radio host Les Tremayne, Saskia Reeves ("Heart") as Barbara Luddy, Aidan McArdle ("The Duchess") as Martin Gabel, Emmy Award-winning composer Mike McEvoy as Epstein, Thomas Arnold ("The Golden Compass") as George Duthie, Jo McInnes ("Birthday Girl") as Jeannie Rosenthal and Daniel Tuite ("Lesson 21") as William Mowry.

The film is produced by Richard Linklater, Marc Samuelson ("Stormbreaker", "Wilde") and Ann Carli ("Fast Food Nation", "Crossroads"), with Steve Christian, John Sloss and Steve Norris as executive producers, Holly Palmo & Vince Palmo Jr and Andrew Fingret are co-producers, Jessica Parker and Sara Greene are associate producers and Richard Hewitt as line producer.

The behind-the-camera talent includes director of photography Richard Pope BSC (Oscar®-nominated for "The Illusionist", "Vera Drake"), production designer Laurence Dorman ("Flashbacks of a Fool", "Asylum"), editor Sandra Adair A.C.E. ("Fast Food Nation", "School of Rock"), hair and make-up designer Fae Hammond ("The Darjeeling Limited", "Stardust"), costume designer Nic Ede ("Wilde", "Nanny McPhee"), music supervisor Marc Marot ("Notting Hill"), visual effects supervisor Rob Duncan ("Mr Bean's Holiday", the "Harry Potter" series) and casting director Lucy Bevan ("The Duchess", "The Golden Compass"). The film also features music re-arranged and performed by Jools Holland, accompanied on stage by chart-topping singer Eddi Reader.

Filming began in the historic (and beautifully restored) Gaiety Theatre in Douglas, capital of the Isle of Man, which hosted the stage performances and backstage scenes at the Mercury Theatre, to which it bears an extraordinary resemblance. From there, the production moved to a New York street set, constructed on the backlot of Pinewood Studios, with interiors being filmed on Pinewood's sound stages. Other key scenes were shot in a variety of period locations around London, including the British Museum, which represented the interior of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bloomsbury Square and Crystal Palace Park.

CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film, in association with Framestore Features, present a CinemaNX and Detour Filmproduction, a Richard Linklater Film, ME AND ORSON WELLES. Cinetic Media are handling domestic sales and Cinetic Media and Odyssey Entertainment jointly represent foreign sales.

The Cast

Richard Samuels (Lucius) ZAC EFRON

Sonja Jones CLAIRE DANES

Orson Welles (Brutus) CHRISTIAN McKAY

George Coulouris (Mark Antony) BEN CHAPLIN

Gretta Adler ZOE KAZAN

John Houseman EDDIE MARSAN

Muriel Brassler (Portia) KELLY REILLY

Joseph Cotten (Publius) JAMES TUPPER

Norman Lloyd (Cinna the Poet) LEO BILL

Sam Leve AL WEAVER

Vakhtangov IAIN McKEE

Walter Ash SIMON LEE PHILLIPS

Joe Holland (Julius Caesar) SIMON NEHAN

Lorelei Lathrop IMOGEN POOTS

Grover Burgess (Ligarius) PATRICK KENNEDY

Mrs Samuels JANIE DEE

Grandmother Samuels MARLENE SIDAWAY

Dr Mewling GARRICK HAGON

Evelyn Allen (Calpurnia) MEGAN MACZKO

Longchamps Kid #1 AARON BROWN

John Hoyt (Decius) TRAVIS OLIVER

Radio Announcer NATHAN OSGOOD

Radio Director ROBERT WILFORT

Les Tremayne MICHAEL BRANDON

Barbara Luddy SASKIA REEVES

Martin Gabel (Cassius) AIDAN McARDLE

I.L. Epstein MIKE McEVOY

George Duthie (Artemidorus) THOMAS ARNOLD

Jeannie Rosenthal JO McINNES

William Mowry (Flavius) DANIEL TUITE

Virginia Welles EMILY ALLEN

Longchamps Kid #2 JOHN YOUNG

Singer EDDI READER

Band Leader JOOLS HOLLAND

Mercury Trumpet Player STEVE PARRY

Mercury Percussion Player JAY IRVING

Mercury French Horn Player DAVID GARBUTT

Production Team

Director RICHARD LINKLATER

Screenplay/Co-producers HOLLY GENT PALMO

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