A few weeks ago Paul Giamatti spilled the beans that he would likely be teaming up with writer/director Tom McCarthy on his next project, titled Win Win. While publicists went into denial overdrive to emphasize that the film wasn't official yet, it seems the news it out for good this time-- New Jersey local site My Central Jersey is reporting that McCarthy and Giamatti are scoping talent for the film in the state, with plans to start filming Win Win in early March.
While it seems Giamatti will still have a role in the film, the lead character will be a scrawny high school wrestler inspired by McCarthy's own childhood-- and the director is going to New Jersey wrestling matches to try to find the perfect kid. "I'm looking for a real kid, wrestling experience is a plus. Someone with an edge — Kyle is a quiet, tense young man with a tough past.''
Auditions are being held in New York as we speak, and the lucky winner will star in "a light-hearted comedy" that's apparently a bit of a departure from McCarthy's other films, The Station Agent and The Visitor. "It's still about people and connections, but also accountability and the decisions we make and how we maintain integrity in tough financial times," McCarthy told the site. "Wrestling is a sport about survival — it's more brutal than I remember it being.''
I also love what McCarthy had to say about finding an actor specifically from the region where the film is set-- "There's this certain quality someone from New Jersey has, that's what we're looking for. Acting is secondary, they just have to be willing to play along and enjoy the ride.'' Given the delicate touch McCarthy has had with all the characters he's created as a writer-director, I implicitly trust him to pull off whatever he's got planned with this wrestling comedy. If he finds the right kid to star, that's just icing on the cake.
