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AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: EPISODE 16: SEAN, I HARDLY KNEW YA

Writer's picture: Frank LaLoggiaFrank LaLoggia

Updated: Aug 29, 2023

Lots of stories to tell regarding the journey that led to LADY IN WHITE. Casting is essential to getting a picture made if you have to appeal to the more traditional Hollywood sources for the dough. Welcome to the absurd world of “packaging” where everyone and every project is going after the same “star” talent to get them to commit to the film and hopefully attract the financing to make the film.

With LADY IN WHITE, this wasn't a problem as we financed the picture independently via a penny stock offering. Or at least, we began to (without cast attached). However, the money raising process continued even as we were shooting the picture and cast did, somewhat, help us along in that regard.

My cousin Charlie didn't feel that that we could raise the $18,000,000 budget for THE GIANT in the same manner that we raised the $4.7 million for LADY. It was just too much money. So, I had to pursue “conventional” routes and finding a “star” or two (name talent) was the only way to go. I remember Tom Waits coming to my office after having read THE GIANT to discuss his playing a supporting role. He loved the script and I was a fan of his acting and musical talents. He told me that he knew every bit of dialog by heart from LADY IN WHITE as it was among his kids and he and his wife's favorite films.

After lunch at the venerable Tommy Tang's restaurant just below my office on Melrose Avenue, I took him upstairs to my 16 track studio to play him a couple of music compositions I had been working on for THE GIANT. He was amazed at what I was able to accomplish with my Yamaha DX7 synthesizer in approximating acoustic instrument sounds with digital samples and mixing them all together for an orchestral acoustic “feel." I had used the same equipment to score LADY IN WHITE prior to having the the digital orchestrations transcribed for acoustic orchestra and recording the fully symphonic score.

What surprised me was that he knew absolutely nothing about synthesizers and what they were capable of. When he asked me if he could borrow the DX7 for a month long European tour, I willingly obliged.

Anyway, I had Tom Waits committed to THE GIANT but, he wouldn't be enough. My agent at the time, Jerry Kalajian, sent the script to LEO PENN. Leo Penn (an actor and Director in his own right) was SEAN PENN'S father. Leo was impressed enough upon reading it to want to speak with me.

In a telephone conversation, he relayed that he was “knocked out” by the detailed storyboards that we had prepared for the film and sent along for him to see as well. Over 1500 hand drawn renderings visually depicting every set-up. (The “boards were created by myself, Russell Carpenter (Lady's Director of Photography) and Peter Ramsey. Peter, did the actual sketching in Italy with us over a six week period. He later went on to direct SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.)

Leo sent the script and the the boards to Sean and Sean consented to dropping by my office to meet. When Sean arrived, he told me that he had not seen LADY. He was subdued but cordial and seemed genuinely interested in what I was up to. Leo had sent him the storyboards as well as the script and he commented that he entirely believed in storyboarding, that sort of detailed preparation.

He had just finished shooting a film with Deniro titled WE'RE NO ANGELS. It had NOT been a happy experience for him . He had been particularly unimpressed with that film's Director, Neil Jordan.

I was interested in his playing the role of Michelangelo. The lead. (The story takes place during a certain period in Michelangelo's life when he was aged 26-29 and creating his David.) I told him that it was uncanny just how much he actually resembled the Renaissance artist. I brought him into my recording studio and played him a couple of themes that I had arranged and orchestrated with the DX7 for THE GIANT.

After about an hour or so, we wrapped-up the meeting and just before leaving he told me that he was thinking about quitting acting all together. He was more interested in focusing on directing. An ominous sign, indeed, but he said he was going to take a look at LADY and gave me his phone number to call in a couple of days. I did call. Left a recorded message. And never heard back.

Penn directed two films that followed shortly thereafter, THE INDIAN RUNNER and THE CROSSING GUARD.

AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: WHAT HE REALLY WANTED TO DO...WAS DIRECT


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