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Bigger than the Sky in our magazines

THE MOVIE: Bigger than the Sky

THE STARS:
John Corbett • Sean Astin • Marcus Thomas
• Patty Duke
DIRECTOR: Al Corley

THE CONCEPT:
In a dead-end job, Peter Rooker (Thomas) sees a notice for auditions for Cyrano de Bergerac. Despite an embarrassing audition, the director sees something special in Rooker and casts him as Cyrano, drawing the man into the crazy theatre world of regional theater, which includes kidnappings between rival theatre groups.

U.S. RELEASE: February 18 2005, Nationwide (limited)
• Rated: PG-13

THE COMMENTS:

SEAN ASTIN:
“This is a picture about the theater. In the theater you realize that for every actor the story is primarily about themselves. So is there a subplot about my character, Ken? Well, yes there is. In Ken’s mind it’s the main plot. It was the plot that was in my mind when I was working on the picture, and it was only marginally useful to the story of the script.”

AL CORLEY:
“This film is really about anybody’s ability to be unafraid of change. To have courage, no matter how major or minor the change. I like ordinary guys who do ordinary things that can change their lives.”

MARCUS THOMAS:
“Al is a good friend of mine and I really enjoy working with him. As a director he is very flexible and open to ideas. His acting background provides him as a director a certain rapport with the actors. He understands everything we are going through creatively.”

JOHN CORBETT:
“I started out at the La Mirada Civic Theater. The first play I did was Witness for the Prosecution. When I read the script I knew all these characters, because they are sort of universal in the theatre.”

ASTIN:
”My character was based on kind of my refracted sense of a satirical, whimsical caricature of community theater. That was the conceit that I enjoyed living in when we were filming. The amazing thing for me is, what Al did was he made a movie the way community theatre is made. At least that’s how it felt to me.”

PATTY DUKE on son, Sean Astin:
“I took the job because Sean was going to be in it, then I talked to Al and I really knew that I wanted to take this job, plus it happened at a time that was convenient. The opportunity to work with one of your kids is sensational. I haven’t worked with Sean for 25 years.”

ASTIN:
“I enjoyed the title of the movie more when I got to the moment in the movie when my mom’s character says, ‘Some things are bigger than the sky.’ My mom lives in Idaho and I live in Los Angeles, and so we met halfway in Portland to work together. I really enjoyed the time that we spent together. We don’t get a chance to do that so much.”

THOMAS:
“If by watching this film it forces someone to look at their own lives and want to make a change, that would just be the icing on the cake.”

Written by Judy Sloane. Back to top

Images above © NeverlandFilms / MGM
Feature © 2005 Visual Imagination.
Not for reproduction.

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