THE CAST OF Marrakech
Marrakech was fortunate to attract
talented people who were willing to put their hearts into the project, giving whatever was
necessary to bring the film to fruition. During the 20 day shoot, there were
some nights where we were still shooting at 5 in the morning - the weather had turned cold - it had started to drizzle. Not one complaint - not one sour note. We
are eternally grateful for the professionalism and skill that the following people
selflessly put into creating the best film possible:
Katsy Joiner, Chris Golden, Jim Lawrence
Ruth Mirelly Osuna, Michael DeVous
MICHAEL DEVOUS (Ned Prime)
Michael DeVous has a diverse background in the arts. For the eight
years preceding his starring role in Marrakech, Michael performed on the stage as a
dancer in Las Vegas and in the Caribbean. He then returned to his home state of Texas,
determined to expand his talents into the field of acting. Within a few months, he was
cast as the lead in two plays and supporting roles in a few short films, followed by his
leading role in Marrakech. Since Marrakech, he landed another lead in the
independent feature film Finnigan’s Falls. Constantly looking for ways to
broaden his horizons, next on Michael’s agenda is stunt and combat training in the
martial arts and some improvisational comedy workshops.
In summarizing his Marrakech experience, Michael says:
The difference in styles and
choices for each actor made for a very insightful experience. Plus the
camaraderie on the set and at the ranch made for a feeling of going to camp.
The whole experience gave me a lot to walk away with. As my
character’s mental equal in the film, Katsy Joiner (Sierra) always
went as far as I would go. Then she would surprise me with another challenge or do
something that would make the scene that much more deep with nerves. I loved every
minute of it. Ruth Mirelly Osuna (Calla) was a bomb-shell. She was the essential spitfire-grill in
the middle of everything. Jim Lawrence, as Arden to my Ned, was superb.
KATSY JOINER (Sierra Cole)
Katsy Joiner is a native Texan, born just outside of Houston and raised
in San Antonio. A graduate of the University of Mary Hardin Baylor with a degree in
Elementary Education and a minor in Theatre Arts, Katsy’s first role was as
Peaseblossom in a Midsummer’s Night Dream when she was 11 years old. In
the years that followed, she participated in stage plays and speech competitions in school
leading to acting roles both on stage and television, including work in several
independent films in and around central Texas. A full time actor, Katsy’s
talents range from commercials to corporate training videos to playing roles in such films
as WIRED, Secondary Education, Disparity, and Disciplining Dad.
Katsy describes her Marrakech experience as:
As Sierra, it seemed I was constantly being attacked / chased /
challenged, although they were never able to hurt me / catch me / or "win."
It was a challenge to play (but not to play) the victim, to be able to maintain
focus after repeated attacks, and then to persevere with dignity. Most memorable to
me were the night shoots on location at the ranch outside Brenham - staying up until the
wee hours for the night shoots and unable to sleep late in the mornings, due to the
circumstances: a rooster is a nice wake up call. It took a couple of days for my
body to adapt to the inversion of its normal patterns, but we were making a movie! I
absolutely loved playing opposite Michael DeVous. His range, depth and total grasp
of his character were an inspiration to me. The scene that was the most fun with Ned
(Michael DeVous), was walking beside the tigers at the Houston zoo. It was a long
dolly shot- with crowds of people being "held back" with tape- at least 30
onlookers anyway. I felt as if we were on multi-million dollar budget feature film! I
half expected to see Mel Gibson walk by any minute. It was quite fun - I think we
all enjoyed it! The other key relationship was with Crockett, played by Chris
Golden. He did an excellent job on his role, keeping the ranch hand consistently
strong and dark.
Ruth Mirelly Osuna (Calla)
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Ruth Mirelly Osuna spent her childhood in Tijuana
before moving to the United States at age 11. Following her mother’s wishes,
Ruth
graduated at the top of her class in high school and went on to major in Cinema at
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After only two years, Ruth decided
to pursue acting full time as a career. Getting heavily involved with the local theater
and the film community in Dallas, she landed several roles in independent films like STR8UP,
The Prodigy, Hall of Mirrors, and Serving Sara (starring Matthew Perry and
Liz Hurley). After production on Marrakech
wrapped, Ruth packed it up, moved West, changed her name to Mirelly Taylor, and is now pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles.
Ruth relates her Marrakech
experience as the following:
Calla and I are both dreamers . . . and a bit naïve. Calla has a dark
side to her that was a lot of fun to play around with. She wants so much out of
life, but has to compromise her ideals and dreams in order to get it. I don’t get to
be that way in real life and it was great playing the bad girl for once. I would
love to work with Harry Burrus again because he is extremely professional and respectful
of everyone on the set, and has the patience of a thousand men. When all is chaotic,
Harry walks around like world peace just hit; which took a lot of the stress off of the
actors. That is a sign of a great director. Working on Marrakech
was definitely a gift. Getting to work with very talented people in
front and behind the camera is something an independent film actor only
dreams of. It wasn’t easy, we definitely hit bumps along the way, but
it was all worth the while. It was a beautiful experience and one I will
always hold dear to me.
CHRIS GOLDEN (Crockett)
Chris Golden, born in Laundstuhl, Germany and grew up mostly in
Dallas and surrounding areas, always had the acting bug. An enthusiastic participant in
childhood school and church performances, Chris followed his dream to be an actor as an
adult. Before Marrakech, Chris had appeared in a number of commercials,
supplementing his income with a job in the computer industry. With Marrakech
tucked into his portfolio of credits, Chris continues to pursue his acting dream.
Chris recounts his time on the set in Marrakech:
Being in Marrakech was an experience I’ll never forget.
Not only did I learn the proper way to handle a prop gun on the set and how to use
it, but also how to get to know a group of people as family in a short amount of time.
Although many nights were spent being up late filming in some less than favorable
conditions, every minute with the rest of the cast and especially the crew was
enlightening. I’m totally proud to have been a part of the phenomenally
talented group of people.
JIM LAWRENCE (Arden Cole)
Born and raised in Boone, North Carolina (in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of northwestern North Carolina), Jim Lawrence graduated from Appalachian State University
(Magna Cum Laude) and has a Masters Degree in Human Development and Psychological
Counseling. He worked for ten years as a cabinetmaker in Boone and in New York City.
He studied acting in NYC with Ed Morehouse at the Uta Hagen School and his on-stage
experience lists credits from regional theatres in Houston, Texas to summer stock in
Banner Elk, North Carolina. His favorite stage roles include Willard in Carpool,
Paul Sheldon in Misery and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter.
About Marrakech, Jim has the following to say:
Shooting the movie was like any "rookie" experience, you think you know how
it's going to be but you can't really imagine it until you get there. Having come
from a primarily theatrical background, I knew shooting out of sequence would be hard but
it was harder than I could have imagined. From an acting standpoint, it takes an
unbelievable amount of focus to maintain your character through-line. But, on the plus
side, I thought it was pretty great to have the opportunity to "shoot it again"
if I didn't get it exactly right. On stage, I get a real sense of
"telling" the story. From this experience, I felt I had less sense of
"telling the story" and more a sense of creating images from which the director
would create the story in the editing room.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
Bandana Entertainment, LLC
Tel: 713-784-2802
