ANARCHY! ACTORS NYC RESIDENCY May 5th - July 22nd 2025 www.anarchyactors.com/nyc "When people ask me what makes a costume drama thrive, my answer is always the same: it’s in the details. In a genre steeped in the subtlety of glances and the careful placement of a teacup, a single scene can carry the weight of an entire narrative. That truth was never more apparent than in the high-society banquet scene in SON OF SLAVES, where the Moroccan protagonist’s kidnapping sets off a clash of titanic personalities: Lady Asbury and Princess Zaya of Persia. Lady Asbury, a figure of quiet desperation, represents the fragility of societal rules in the face of real human suffering. She is poised, proper, and utterly shattered inside, a woman clinging to the edges of her world. Across from her, we have Princess Zaya of Persia: unapologetically flamboyant, gloriously self-serving and regal to the core. Zaya is the sun in this scene, her light casting long, intimidating shadows. At this point in the story, Lady Asbury has become the moral compass of the narrative, advocating for The Moroccan, whose life hangs in the balance. But Princess Zaya, in all her grandeur, is unmoved. For The Moroccan is her property, an acquisition she’s not inclined to relinquish. Their confrontation brims with tension, not just because of what’s being said, but because of everything left unsaid. Princess Zaya’s power lies in her duality. She’s both absurd and terrifying. On one hand, there’s a comedic edge to her exaggerated vanity; on the other, her dismissive treatment of Lady Asbury reminds us that she’s not a caricature but a woman whose self-interest has calcified into tyranny. It’s rare to find a character who is so deliciously evil yet deeply human. Princess Zaya hits that sweet spot. Villains like Princess Zaya stand on the shoulders of cinematic giants. From Glenn Close’s icy brilliance in Dangerous Liaisons to Helena Bonham Carter’s eccentric malevolence in Great Expectations, costume dramas have given us some of the most unforgettable female antagonists. And let’s not forget Cate Blanchett’s haughty Lady Tremaine in Cinderella or Kristin Scott Thomas’s steely Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca. These women share a common thread: they command attention not just through their actions but through the sheer force of their personalities. There’s an art to making audiences laugh while their hearts are breaking, and this scene was no exception. The comedy here isn’t slapstick; it’s rooted in the absurdity of high-society decorum clashing with raw, human desperation. Princess Zaya’s dismissiveness, her biting remarks, and the almost theatrical way she “floats” into the room bring a kind of macabre humour to the proceedings. Lady Asbury’s carefully modulated attempts to reason with Princess Zaya, while the latter ignores her in favour of adjusting a piece of jewelry, create a tension that’s both uncomfortable and oddly funny. It’s the comedy of discomfort, the laughter that comes when we recognize our own helplessness mirrored in the characters. The banquet hall itself is a character in this scene. Its grandeur, with glittering chandeliers and opulent decor, provides a sharp contrast to the ugliness of the confrontation. This juxtaposition amplifies the tension, creating a space where the characters must maintain composure even as their emotions threaten to boil over. Through strategic camera work, I sought to emphasize the power dynamics. A low-angle shot of Princess Zaya makes her look larger than life. Conversely, close-ups of Lady Asbury’s trembling hands remind us of her vulnerability. These visual cues pull the audience deeper into the story, allowing them to feel the weight of every word and gesture."

ANARCHY! ACTORS NYC RESIDENCY May 5th to July 22nd 2025 Join the Waiting List: www.anarchyactors.com/nyc

"The scene is set in the opulent drawing room of Lord Asbury’s manor, a gilded cage where opulence is both a display of power and a trap for its inhabitants. This is where Lady Asbury, a woman of aristocratic poise, and her fiancé, a Moroccan boxer, find themselves on a Dinner meant to celebrate their engagement. Instead, it becomes a battlefront. Mixed-race marriages in Victorian England were practically unheard of and deeply taboo. They represented not only a personal rebellion against societal norms but also an affront to the rigid structures of race and class that upheld the empire. These unions were viewed as a threat, a fracturing of the “purity” that the British elite clung to as a symbol of their superiority. For Lord Asbury, the relationship is more than a family matter, it’s a reflection of a world he fears losing control over. As a filmmaker, I had to honor the historical reality without letting it dominate the story’s human elements. The tension in this scene arises from how these characters, so starkly divided by status and race, attempt to navigate the space. Every glance, pause, and line of dialogue brims with meaning. For the Actors, portraying these layered dynamics was both a challenge and an opportunity. Playing the Moroccan boxer required a delicate balance of vulnerability and defiance. He is a man who has endured unimaginable odds: trafficked as a ship boy, rising as an unlicensed fighter, yet here, his greatest opponent is an invisible yet omnipresent force: prejudice, being seen as “other” in every corner of society, even within a home meant to welcome him. Lady Asbury isn’t a naive romantic; she’s a woman making an active choice to defy conventions for love. It must be subtle and composed, cloaking the storm of emotions roiling beneath. One of the joys of working on SON OF SLAVES has been navigating the interplay between the formal language of the period and the universal themes at its core. The dialogue in this scene is steeped in the rigid politeness of the 19th century, yet every word is a weapon. Formality becomes a shield for the characters, but it’s also a tool for exposing their vulnerabilities. For modern audiences, this restraint in language might seem foreign, but the emotions, love, fear, defiance, are timeless. It’s a testament to the universality of the human condition that, even with a century’s worth of change, viewers can still connect deeply with these struggles. It’s in the Moroccan’s tightly controlled pacing as he confronts Lord Asbury’s thinly veiled hostility. It’s in Lady Asbury’s carefully chosen words as she defends her love while maintaining the grace expected of her. This scene isn’t just a turning point in the narrative; it’s a microcosm of the larger themes that SON OF SLAVES explores, resilience against oppression, love that defies boundaries, and the enduring struggle for justice. By grounding these issues in a personal story, we’re able to bridge the gap between history and the present, reminding viewers that while society has evolved, the fight for equality remains a constant. For me as a Screenwriter & Filmmaker the takeaway is clear: let history inform the story but not overshadow it. The emotions that drive your characters are what will ultimately resonate with audiences. Simplify the narrative’s complexities to their emotional core, let the dynamics between characters guide the pacing, and always strive for authenticity. This scene represents everything I strive for as a filmmaker, a commitment to truth, both historical and emotional. It’s a story of courage, not just in the ring but in the hearts of those who dare to love. And to me, that’s what makes filmmaking so powerful: its ability to remind us of our shared humanity, no matter how divided we may seem."

ANARCHY! ACTORS NYC RESIDENCY

May 5th - July 22nd 2025

www.anarchyactors.com/nyc

"As a storyteller, I’m captivated by moments that transcend the screen, scenes where characters breathe, tension simmers, and history comes alive. My film THE PRINCE OF SAILORTOWN, delves into the tumultuous world of Alexander Robinson, a Belfast boxer thrust into the heart of Prohibition-era Chicago under the shadow of Al Capone. In this piece, I’ll not only unpack the craft behind a pivotal scene in the film but also reflect on the legacy of iconic portrayals of Capone and his world across cinema and television. Let’s start with one of THE PRINCE OF SAILORTOWN most complex scenes: a charged exchange involving Caitlyn (Jazz Singer and Alexander’s Lover) and Capone himself. It’s a nexus of emotional subtext, power struggles, and finely tuned performances, a microcosm of what the film strives to achieve. At the core of the scene is a triangle of tension. Caitlyn represents a woman caught between loyalty and self-preservation, navigating the dangerous terrain of Capone’s favor while building a fragile connection with Alexander. Meanwhile, Capone looms as a figure of both menace and vulnerability. The portrayal of Capone is instrumental in avoiding the pitfalls of cliché. Rather than delivering a cartoonish gangster, you must embody a character whose weakening grasp on power rendered him more dangerous, a predator wounded but still lethal. Caitlyn, in contrast, maintains an almost unshakable poise, even as her eyes betrayed layers of fear and defiance. This interplay kept the audience hooked, the balance of power shifting with each glance, pause, or shift in tone. It’s often the simplest choices that leave the deepest impression. Emply controlled breathing and deliberate posture to command Capone’s presence in the scene. A shallow breath before delivering a line hints at the character’s impatience, while a subtle lean forward during silence ads menace. Similarly, Caitlyn uses physical stillness to her advantage, punctuating her dialogue with a tilt of the head or a hand gesture. These choices underscore the character’s resilience, a quiet defiance in a world that demanded submission. One of the scene’s strengths lay in its pacing. Dialogue isn’t rushed; instead, it allows silences to speak volumes. For example, when Capone questioned Caitlin’s loyalty, the beat of silence afterward wasn’t just a pause, it was a battlefield. The actors’ reactions during these moments of stillness told as much of the story as the dialogue itself.

THE PRINCE OF SAILORTOWN is more than a gangster film; it’s a story about survival, identity, and the choices that define us. Through meticulous performances and careful attention to history, my hope is that it offers a fresh perspective on a world we think we know."