channing tatum - the son of no one production notes
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  Chapters Cast Infos Other MoviesThe Vow 2012
21 Jump Street 2012
Haywire 2012
Dear John 2010
Fighting 2009
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Step Up 2006
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 Montiel, in effect, has created two stories, one that takes place with the boys and their friends and neighbors in 1986 and the other when they’re adults, leading very different lives from one another in 2002. Writing the script presented some challenges for Montiel. “I love it, but it’s crazy doing this kind of story. There’s a lot of room for error, which I like, or rather, there’s no room for error but there’s a lot of room to make an error and I like that because it puts you in check a lot.”
As to his choice of years in which to set the two stories, he explains: “I thought 1986 was an interesting time and place. I was a kid then and, although it might have been awful if you were an adult, I sure liked it because it was in some ways a bit lawless. But when I think about what we got away with as kids, a lot of those things could be a headline in the New York Post. It was a little bit free-er then; I don’t know if it was better, but it was free-er.
“2002 followed a strange time anywhere in America, but particularly in New York, because it was that period after 9/11,” he continues. “But my reason for setting the story in 2002 was that there was this love affair with the police in 2001. I had an American flag and it was a nice time to be an American. Throughout the tragedy I was reminded of when I was a kid and there was a blackout. It was beautiful, with everybody coming out of their homes and being friendly, part of one big community. 2001 was a nice moment.
“But then in 2002, the love affair with the police in New York was starting to wane. So I wanted to have that awareness going on in the film. Given that Channing, Al, Ray and P.J. all play cops, I thought it would throw an underlying tension into the film. I’m not sure if people will notice it’s 2002, but I tried to keep it as real as possible.”
To bring the story to the screen, Montiel selected a perfect cast of actors to embody the characters he had created. “Directing a movie with a cast like this is a dream come true,” he enthuses. “But I never dreamt like this — that would be insane. Actually, when I was younger I didn’t dream about making movies. I grew up watching TV and playing on the street. I just fell into this stuff. I don’t know how it worked out, I really don’t. And every day I work on a film like this, I can’t quite believe it. On Ray Liotta’s last day of work I was saying to him `You know, the weirdest thing about movies is last night — I’m on the roof and I have Al Pacino standing there with a gun out, Ray Liotta has a gun out, Tracy Morgan is there, Channing is there, P.J. Ransone is there. I have cameras everywhere. I’m drinking a free diet Sunkist soda, which I love, and I’m saying to myself, I can’t wait for this to end, I can’t wait for this to be great. I’m so nervous — I don’t even want to let myself enjoy the experience. I just want it to be great and over.’ So, for me, a film is like a dream when it comes out. Making the film is more like a ridiculous reality.”
Montiel couldn’t be more enthusiastic or excited about his cast of actors and their performances. “I was blown away by everyone in the movie and I’m not just being a nice director when I say that.”
For the lead role, Montiel turned to Channing Tatum for their third film together. “Channing is Channing. I love him. I cried when I watched his film, Dear John and I think he’s a great actor all round. I don’t work with him just because I like him; I work with him because he’s great — and I like him too. He’s perfect for the role of Jonathan White.”
But he didn’t write the role specifically for Channing. “I started writing this as a book at first while I was making A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, which Channing was in. And when I decided to write The Son of No One as a movie, at first I didn’t think Channing would be right. I didn’t think Jonathan White was a good role for him and I had a couple of other actors in mind, if it was ever going to happen. Then, while Channing and I were making Fighting, I started thinking more and more about him in the role. And I’m so glad I chose him and that he agreed to do it.”
As for Al Pacino, working with him may well have been a dream come true for Montiel. “Al Pacino. What am I going to say about him? One day during filming, I told him the best way I could put it was I already thought he was the king of the world, but now that I met him I could say he was also a very decent human being.
“The first day of filming with Al Pacino, I was a nervous wreck. And the second time I filmed a scene with him, he had five pages of dialogue — just him, talking to Jake Cherry, who plays the young Jonathan. So I’m thinking, `Oh my God, we only have one day for this. I could spend a week on this.’ And Al shows up and on the first take he does five pages of dialogue, word for word, sentence by sentence. It was crazy, but he did it. He was just incredible in the film and I think people will be happy when they see his performance. I know I am.”
For the role of Captain Mathers, Montiel selected Ray Liotta. “He’s the best, the real deal. I’ve been a fan of his since Something Wild. The guy’s incredible. And then there’s Goodfellas — what a performance he gave. I really love him as an actor. And playing Mathers took a lot of guts because it’s such a difficult role.”
Then there’s Katie Holmes who plays Jonathan’s wife Kerry. “All I can say is that audiences will see an amazing performance. I knew right away, watching her live on set and then in the editing room how good she was. I brought her onto the movie because I thought, `Okay, she’ll be interesting because the movie’s so crazy, so much madness happening, that maybe the family scenes with her and Channing will seem normal. But as we filmed their scenes, it turned out there’s nothing normal about their relationship, and their scenes together are incredible. The strange thing is that the scenes which take place in their house, which I expected to be like a sanctuary, turned out to be maybe the scariest part of the film, certainly the most intense — and a lot of it has to do with her.”
Tracy Morgan was cast as Jonathan’s childhood friend and co-conspirator, Vinny, in his first dramatic feature role. “I’ve been a fan of Tracy Morgan since `Saturday Night Live.’ When we were considering actors for the role, my friend and film editor, Jake Pushinsky, showed me a clip of Tracy on some late night talk show where he was being really serious — as I had never seen him before. Jake suggested I think of him for Vinny. At first, I thought that was crazy but when I called up his agent — who also happens to be Ray Liotta’s agent — and said, ‘I have this crazy idea,’ he said, ‘If you’re calling about that, Tracy’s in!
“I don’t know if people are going to be surprised by the casting, but when they see Tracy in the film, I think they’re really going to like his performance and be moved by it. I know I am.”
For the role of the journalist, Bridges, who’s investigating the 1986 killings and the possible police involvement, Juliette Binoche was a brilliant but unlikely piece of casting, given that Montiel originally wrote the part for an American — and a man.
“When I first wrote the script I had the character as Roger Daltry — there were a lot of jokes that he had the same name as the guy from The Who — and it was written for an actor who I thought would be great in the role. Then one day I had an idea that a woman who wasn’t from New York, maybe not even an American, might make it more interesting. And Juliette Binoche just came to mind. I became obsessed with getting her for the film. I don’t know quite how, but we got lucky enough for it to happen. When she said yes, I was amazed and excited. There were just a few days filming with her, but she did a great job in this pivotal role.”
Another key actor in the cast is James (P.J.) Ransone who plays Prudenti, Jonathan’s new partner who, unbeknownst to Jonathan, is keeping an eye on him for Captain Mathers. “I thought James would be great casting for the role of Prudenti, although he’s not as well-known as some other key actors in the film. I first saw him in Ken Park, a Larry Clark film, where P.J. had a scene with his grandmother and grandfather, yelling at them for playing Scrabble — and that was pretty much all I needed to make me a fan. P.J. is excellent in the film. He’s a really good actor.”
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