Writer/director Tom McCarthy has made two minor indie classics to date, the bittersweet character study “The Station Agent,” and the measured immigration drama “The Visitor.” However, for his next film, he’s doing a 180 from drama to “a light-hearted comedy” with “Win Win.” The film, drawn from the director’s own experiences, is “about how a rough-and-tumble runaway changes the lives of a suburban New Jersey family and turns around the luck of a high school wrestling team.”
The film is “loosely based on the friendship between him and former wrestling teammate Joe Tiboni” and the director is looking to cast an unknown in the lead role of Kyle “who has a kind nature, but also a simmering anger from having been in an unstable and abusive home.” While McCarthy has previously worked with a director’s dream of acting talent including Richard Jenkins, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson, he was recently turned onto the idea of casting “real people” after filming the pilot of HBO’s “A Game Of Thrones” last fall.
McCarthy was recently in New Jersey scouting for Kyle along with friend Paul Giamatti, who we assume is going to have a role in this as well (we’re guessing as the team coach). If you’re a scrawny 14-year old, under 5’7″ and weighing less than 135 pounds click on the source link about where to get in touch with casting people. The seven week production is set to begin in early March and will shoot in New York and New Jersey.
Alex shaffer is playing kyle, he goes to my school and he is like 16 but is an amazing wrestler, i wrestled with him, hes weird
ALEX SHAFFER IS MY LITTLE BROTHER , I AM SO PROUD OF HIM! HE HAS AN AMAZING FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM!
jeff said
I hope this is true about Alex. He doesnt go to our school. But we know the kid for years. A real wrestling talent-but also a kid who always shakes my hand at every event. Wow-what a boost for wrestling. no movies since visionquest. Thanks Thomas Mccarthy!
They're filming this at my school. The people in the crew are extremely rude, it's very annoying. I have to be there for practice every morning and was told by someone in the crew that I couldn't be there. They have one gym shut down and unless they're paying to use both (which they're not), I'd like to see them try and stop me and my teammates from using the other one. They then tore the padding off the walls because it says our school name, and borrowed our school's wrestling mats, then rolled them back into the gym that my team is stuck using and left them there. If you're gonna use something, at least put it back where it belongs, dont just leave them out for us to deal with…