Life as We Know It

In the romantic comedy “Life as We Know It,” Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming restaurateur and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director.  After a disastrous blind date, the only thing they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter, Sophie.  But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in the world, Holly and Messer are forced to put their differences aside.  Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they’ll have to find some common ground while living under one roof.

“Life as We Know It” is directed by Greg Berlanti from a screenplay by first time feature writers Ian Deitchman & Kristin Rusk Robinson. The film stars Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks and Hayes MacArthur.

The film is produced by Barry Josephson and Paul Brooks, with Denise Di Novi, Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Katherine Heigl, Nancy Heigl and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Andrew Dunn, production designer Maher Ahmad, editor Jim Page, costume designer Debra McGuire and composer Blake Neely.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Gold Circle Films/Josephson Entertainment production, “Life as We Know It.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

www.lifeasweknowit.co.uk

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
“They cared about Sophie more than anything—

and of everyone else in the world—they picked us.”
~ From Page to Screen ~
Everyone has a different plan for their perfect life. For Holly Berenson, it’s expanding her small, high-end boutique café into a restaurant, maybe even someday in multiple locations. For Eric Messer, it’s moving up from being a broadcast technician to a full-fledged director in national sports television.

But life as we plan it is seldom life as we live it. Such is the case when Holly’s and Messer’s plans are put on hold by the sudden and tragic death of their mutual best friends, Alison and Peter Novack. Holly and Messer have always tolerated, rather than enjoyed, each other’s company, but now they find themselves co-guardians to the Novak’s baby girl, Sophie.

Says Katherine Heigl, who stars as Holly, “These two people are just thrown into this situation, and have to rise to the challenge and do the right thing. But to do so means they have to sacrifice a lot of their own dreams.”

Josh Duhamel, who stars opposite Heigl as Messer, adds, “They both love this little girl, and they both feel obligated to at least try to do what their friends wanted…even though they’re both going in completely different directions in their own lives, and they really don’t like each other.”

Backed into a corner, Holly and Messer will have to make it work…somehow.

“While they may not be able to see it that way at first, raising Peter and Alison’s child is a testament to this couple they both loved,” offers the film’s director, Greg Berlanti.

The original script, written by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, came first to the attention of producer Barry Josephson. “It was a wonderful screenplay that gripped me right away,” Josephson states. “It was entertaining and heartfelt, and had a strong hook. I also loved the concept, because it’s something that so many of my friends with kids have talked about. Who would be the best choice to take care of their child? A friend or a relative? Who would it be?”

Josephson shared the screenplay with producer Paul Brooks, who found it “very relatable. And funny, and warm and affecting. I thought the characters were terrific, and the story felt so complete and so balanced; I laughed and cried in equal measure.”

Heigl felt the same. “I’m such a romantic comedy fan,” she says. “I love them, I go to see them in the theaters, and this one was really funny and, at the same time, had so much soul to it.”

Duhamel, agrees. “I thought this script was special. The story was very funny, but also tragic and sad at the same time. In my opinion, those are the best movies.”

The idea for the story came from a conversation Deitchman had with his wife while she was pregnant with their daughter, in which the subject of guardianship came up. “We both jokingly said we should leave her to our friends Mike and Clara. Who knows us better?”

Rusk Robinson recalls, “I laughed when Ian told me about that exchange, because I also know both Mike and Clara who, like Holly and Messer, are not a couple and have very different personalities. But we thought there could be great comedy in that, so that’s what we had to write next.”

Deitchman follows up, “We also liked the fact that the opportunities for humor would be grounded in something emotional that we could run with, which appealed to us right out of the gate.”

It appealed to Berlanti as well. “I was really drawn to the movie because the script cracked me up one moment, and just felt so real and raw the next. The most important thing for me is delivering an emotional experience, especially when you have a story that has so many conflicting feelings happening all at once.”

“Greg has an amazing ability to tell human interest stories, but in a way that isn’t soft and isn’t only geared toward either males or females,” Duhamel comments.

Heigl states, “I really couldn’t have wished or hoped for a better director or someone more unbelievably collaborative. He was exceptional and just a funny, great guy who knows how to tell a mean story. Working with Greg was such a rewarding experience.”

According to Josephson, “Greg completely embraced the project. If you look at the television shows that he has written, they deal with social issues, with conflicts, with how people interact with one another. Throughout the shoot, he made sure the chemistry was working but that the conflict was there.”
“It’s Saturday night. Don’t you want to have fun?

I can go meet my…friend…and you can go back

to doing whatever you like to do. Finish a book

you’re reading. Update your blog.”
~ Friends and Neighbors ~
As “Life As We Know It” opens, we meet Holly Berenson and Eric Messer…on a blind date. A horrendous blind date.

“We all know that blind date,” Berlanti attests, “that starts off badly and just goes more and more awry.”

Heigl confirms, “It’s not as if Holly and Messer are just uncomfortable with each other, or just don’t connect. It’s awful. They hate each other.”

“They don’t even make it out of the driveway,” Duhamel laughs. “It goes that bad, that quick.”

Unfortunately, because of their mutual best friends, they’re stuck in each other’s lives and forced to be around one another on numerous occasions. They both tolerate it, for the sake of their friends and their goddaughter, Sophie. But once they’re left to care for the baby girl, the situation seems, well, intolerable.

“Holly and Messer are polar opposites,” Heigl states. “He’s this sort of ‘take it or leave it’ guy—relaxed and kicked back, rolling with the punches—and she’s…not.” Heigl’s character, on the other hand, has a business and a business plan. “She’s responsible, organized, scheduled, a bit obsessive compulsive. In her professional life and her personal life, she needs to know where things are heading; she’s not really a girl who can wing it.”

Josephson says that, in all of Holly’s planning, she had not yet planned for a family, let alone an instant one. “She was not prepared for this at all. As a matter of fact, she was preparing for a completely different life. Now she’s trying to get her feet underneath her, and it’s not that easy. Katherine played that dilemma beautifully.”

“In addition to the story, the reason I wanted to be a part of the movie was to work with Katherine Heigl,” Berlanti confesses. “I know how well she can do both comedy and drama, so for me she was sort of the personification of Holly.”

One thing the actress did have in common with her character was a love of the culinary arts. “I do love to cook,” says Heigl, “though I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. Once every six months or so I like to go all ‘Martha Stewart’ and throw a small dinner party for friends.” Her research for the role of a chef proved fruitful in her own life. “I learned how to properly chop and julienne vegetables, which saves a lot of time!”

Heigl was key in getting Duhamel on board as Messer. The friends had been hoping to work together for some time when “Life As We Know It” came their way. “I thought he’d be perfect for Messer—even though Messer is a bit of a scruffy, baseball cap-t-shirt-and-jeans kind of guy and Josh is really polished. I just knew he should play this role.”

Duhamel spent a lot of time discussing the character with his director. “Greg and I felt it would be easy to fall into the trap of just playing him as a charming womanizer who needs to learn about love, but we wanted him to be a lot more than that. We both felt that it was okay if he was unapologetic or says or does things that the audience may not like right away. Face it, guys can be like that.”

Like Holly, Messer is on a track to move up in his career, before things get derailed. “He’s basically the guy that pushes the button, but he’s waiting for his shot to finally direct, which, not to be cliché, is what he’s always wanted to do,” Duhamel continues. “When he does get his chance and things don’t go quite as planned, he blames Holly and that adds to the tension between them.”

“Josh Duhamel is too good-looking, has too much hair, is too tall, too nice, too charming, too good at what he does,” Brooks deadpans. “Seriously, though, he was a bit of a revelation. Great instincts, great timing. And I think the chemistry between him and Katie was just brilliant.”

Berlanti couldn’t agree more. “Josh is one of those guys’ guys who men would want to hang out with and women love, which is exactly what we needed him to be in this role.”

Josh Lucas plays the other man in Holly’s life, Sam. “There were Joshes everywhere on this film,” says the director, referring not only to two of his stars, but also to Heigl’s husband, Josh Kelly, who occasionally came to set. “You threw a rock, you hit a Josh,” Berlanti jokes.

The filmmaker loved what Lucas brought to the role. “Josh Lucas is so inherently charismatic and likeable. As a director, you’re looking at a situation where there’s another leading man who has been on screen for 20 minutes, and this new guy has to come in and compete for the affections of the leading lady. Josh Lucas could do that, and you believed it. Sam is really comfortable with himself and his place in life, which is something that Messer really isn’t yet, and that’s appealing.”

“Sam has been coming into Holly’s café, hoping to catch her eye and have a moment to flirt or ask her out,” Lucas says. “But circumstances cause them to keep missing each other.”

At the center of the film’s romantic triangle is the person who has brought them all together: Sophie, left in their charge by Alison and Peter Novak, played by Christina Hendricks and Hayes MacArthur. The baby was played by triplets Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett.

While twins are frequently used to play one baby on screen, it is rare to find identical triplets. “We thought, ‘Let’s increase our odds of getting all of the different emotions we need by having three babies play one,” Josephson relates.

The girls were adored by cast and crew alike. “The wonderful thing about working with babies is just how natural they force all the other actors, and everybody around them, to be,” Berlanti observes. “I think it brought a wonderful sense of realism to the scenes.”

“I love being around kids,” Duhamel reveals. “I actually came to the production a week or so early in order to get to know the babies, so they would feel comfortable with me and we’d be able to bond a little.”

The timing of the shoot was unexpectedly serendipitous for Heigl. “I was literally experiencing new motherhood on film at the same time I was experiencing it in my own life.”

The actress wasn’t sure how it would be working with triplets, however. “At first I was really nervous,” Heigl says, “but by the time we got to their last day and we had to say goodbye, I almost started crying. I had grown so attached to them.”

While Messer and Holly are making their way through parenthood, they share not only parental duties, but a residence. As part of the arrangement to care for Sophie, they move into Peter and Alison’s house, where they become quite an attraction for their new and fairly nosy neighbors.

Berlanti offers, “I would hope that most young parents have a support group of young parents or couples that are also kind of going through the same experience. With that in my mind I thought ‘Okay, let’s go out and get some real comedians to add to the humor of the situation.’”

The filmmakers sought out several actors they knew could handle the art of improv and really add to the uniqueness of each character. “We got Melissa McCarthy, Andy Daly, Rob Huebel, Jessica St. Clair, Will Sasso, Bill Brochtrup—all individuals who would be able to do their thing over and over again while I just let the cameras roll. What they brought to the film was immeasurable. Every time the neighbors show up on screen I know the audience is going to have a great surprise, yet everything they did fits right in with the tone of Holly and Messer trying to make it through this first year with Sophie.”

Both Heigl and Duhamel couldn’t have had more fun working with the ensemble. “They made the neighbors quirky, eccentric, silly, funny…but they were still real,” the actress affirms. “No one went so broad that you couldn’t relate.”

Joining Holly and Messer at their respective jobs are DeRay Davis as Holly’s second-in-command, and Reggie Lee as Messer’s boss. At home, Britt Flatmo portrays the babysitter they couldn’t live without, and Sarah Burns plays the social worker who needs convincing that Sophie should live with her godparents.

The filmmakers were thrilled with the entire cast. “I can’t remember a movie where I’ve had more fun every day, and that’s largely due to our cast,” Josephson says. “They are terrific on screen, and we had very much the same vibe on set. Everybody seemed to love what they were doing and to be really passionate about their roles, big or small.”
“I own a small gourmet food store, soon to be

a small gourmet restaurant. We’re expanding.

New flooring. I’m thinking hexagonal tile.”
~ Home and Hearth ~
The filming of “Life As We Know It” took place in Atlanta, Georgia, where the story also takes place. Finding the neighborhood, and especially the house that Holly, Messer and Sophie would live in, was key.

Production designer Maher Ahmad offers, “For the exterior, we settled on a Colonial style house on a very pleasant street, with a bit of a curve and a little bit of a hill, providing good angles on the house. Then we had to determine what we needed for the interior of the house, since we didn’t want to simply replicate what our real house offered inside.”

The designer expanded the interior for practical purposes, but still created something that was in keeping with the exterior of the home. “My goal was to give Greg and Andrew Dunn, our director of photography, a set that would allow them as much variation in things to see and ways to shoot while keeping as much architectural and visual interest as possible,” Ahmad expands. “To give them a lot of open views and the ability to move easily from one room to another, I designed big French doors and a back hallway that connects everything together, so they could dolly through on any kind of axis and see the big entry hall.”

“The house is pretty beautiful,” Berlanti states. “I think most of us decided we wanted to live there. Maher did an amazing job giving us something that suited all of our needs.”

To fulfill the needs of the characters, Ahmad informs, “All of the appliances in the kitchen had to function, especially once Holly moves in because she is a chef and we would see her cooking. And two of the fireplaces on the set were operational, which would help convey the passage of seasons.”

“The movie takes place over the course of about a year, and all the events that come with that—birthdays, Thanksgiving, and so on,” Berlanti notes.

In families with children, one of the most heartwarming rooms in the house is the nursery, and Sophie’s room had to be special. As it happened, Ahmad received some input from an unexpected source: producer Barry Josephson, whose wife was about to have their first baby. “Barry was doing his own nursery, so he had some suggestions, including building a dormer window into the room, to make it feel both light and snuggly,” Ahmad recalls. “It made a nice architectural variation for the room.”

Josephson appreciated how much the design team’s efforts assisted in creating the right atmosphere to tell the story. “After the tragedy they’ve just gone through, we couldn’t have them move into a house that was somber. It needed to feel like Holly and Messer would be off to a fair start if they were living there. The design Maher gave us felt very positive and very organic in terms of family.”

The baby’s room wasn’t the only place influenced by Josephson. In one sequence, during a block party on the street, an ice cream truck appears. “Our art director, Austin Gorg, is a very skilled graphic artist, and came up with a logo and caricature for the side of the truck: Big Barry’s Ice Cream,” Ahmad grins. “It was a bit of a surprise to Barry, but one that he seemed to enjoy.”

Though the house was the central set in the film, there were others that were critical to our understanding of Holly and Messer’s individuality: Fraiche, Holly’s café; and the studio where Messer works as a broadcast technician for the Atlanta Hawks basketball team.

“The Fraiche location was really important. We looked at a lot of places—I personally saw as many as 40—before we found Belly General Store.” Though almost ideal for their purposes, the store needed a bit of work to turn it into Fraiche, but, says Ahmad, “The owner was gracious enough to let us change whatever we needed to.”

The NBA was also very cooperative with the production. “We couldn’t have done what we needed to do without them,” Josephson declares. “Not only did they allow us to use real footage, but they got us into Phillips Arena and introduced us to the Atlanta Hawks.” The filmmakers were permitted to shoot at a game, as well as a scene on the floor of the empty venue, which depicts a critical moment for Messer.

For the broadcast booth, where Messer works during games, Ahmad and his team were prepared to build a set when TBS stepped in. “As it turns out, Turner Studios had a large production booth available, with all the switchboards and monitors and so on, which worked out really well for us.”
“Luck might’ve gotten you this far in life,

but it won’t get you through parenting.”
~ A ‘Life’ of Its Own ~
For the cast and crew of “Life As We Know It,” both life and storytelling are about feeling connected.

“We all go through so much in our lives—sometimes it’s exhilarating, sometimes tragic, sometimes beautiful,” Katherine Heigl states. “If we can tell those stories honestly, so that people sitting in the audience feel for the characters and their situation, well, I think that’s the point of what we do, and hopefully what we’ve done here.”

Josh Duhamel adds, “I think that every man who is making that transition from singlehood to fatherhood will be able to relate to this movie.”

Director Greg Berlanti states, “In a lot of ways, I found directing a film a lot like being a first-time parent. For months, you do everything you can to prepare for it, but once it’s happening—once you’re on set or once the baby’s arrived—you really have to go with the flow. That’s what Holly and Messer have to learn. And I think that’s what makes it a very universal story and one that I hope audiences will enjoy.”

# # #

ABOUT THE CAST
KATHERINE HEIGL (Holly Berenson / Executive Producer) became a box-office sensation starring in the smash hit comedy “Knocked Up.”  Following that, she starred with Ed Burns in the romantic comedy “27 Dresses,” and then opposite Gerard Butler in Robert Luketic’s romantic comedy “The Ugly Truth,” which she also executive produced. Earlier this year, she was named Female Star of the Year at the 2010 ShoWest Convention in Las Vegas.

Among her upcoming projects is “One for the Money,” in which Heigl stars as a bounty hunter and also serves as an executive producer, via her production company, Abishag. Based on the first novel in the best-selling Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, “One for the Money” also stars Jason O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata. It is directed by Julie Ann Robinson and produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Wendy Finerman and Sidney Kimmel.

Following this, Heigl will portray the title character in the epic romance “The Age of Adaline,” from a highly-touted original screenplay. Lakeshore and Sidney Kimmel are producing, with Heigl and her Abishag partner Nancy Heigl executive producing, along with Jim Tauber.

Heigl’s previous film credits include the action comedy “Killers,” with Ashton Kutcher, which re-teamed her with director Robert Luketic; the comedy “The Ringer”; the horror film “Valentine”; Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed depression-era drama “King of the Hill”; “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” opposite Steven Segal; “Stand-Ins”; and “That Night.” Her first leading role was in “My Father the Hero,” starring opposite Gerard Depardieu.

On television for six seasons, Heigl portrayed Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, the small-town girl constantly battling for respect amongst her peers, on ABC’s critically acclaimed drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.” In 2007, she won an Emmy Award and earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance. Heigl also starred on the sci-fi drama series “Roswell.” Her additional television credits include the Hallmark Channel’s “Love Comes Softly,” TBS’ “Evil Never Dies” and “Love’s Enduring Promise.”

In 2007, she partnered with her mother and manager, Nancy Heigl, to form Abishag Productions.  Under that banner, the Heigls are developing numerous projects, including the bestselling dramatic novel Lost and Found, about a widow who lives alone on a remote island in Maine with her dog.

Among her charitable endeavors, Heigl, along with Nancy, co-founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, dedicated to helping prevent animal cruelty.

JOSH DUHAMEL (Eric Messer) spent this past summer filming “Transformers 3,” for director Michael Bay. Duhamel will also be seen this fall starring alongside Katie Holmes and Ana Paquin in “The Romantics,” which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  Earlier this year he starred in the big-screen family comedy “Ramona and Beezus,” and “When in Rome.”

            Duhamel’s other film credits include the box office bonanza “Transformers” and “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.”   In 2006, he starred in the horror thriller “Turistas” and, in 2004, in the title role of the comedy “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.”

            Duhamel landed his first acting job playing Dorian Gray in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”  After the shoot, he moved to New York City to join the cast of the long-running ABC series “All My Children.”  He received three consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Leo du Pres, and took home the Emmy in 2002. 

            Named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, Duhamel starred for six seasons as Danny McCoy on NBC’s one-hour drama “Las Vegas,” with James Caan.

JOSH LUCAS (Sam) recently starred opposite Jon Hamm in “Stolen,” released in select theaters in March, and in the independent film “William Vincent,” opposite James Franco, which premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Lucas recently finished production on the independent films “Red Dog,” with Rachael Taylor; “A Year in Mooring,” with James Cromwell; “Little Murder,” opposite Terrence Howard; and “Daydream Nation,” with Kat Denning.

While in high school in Gig Harbor, Washington, Lucas joined the school’s award-winning drama/debate program, where he won the State Championship in Dramatic Interpretation and competed at the National Championship in 1989. Brief stints in professional theater in Seattle followed, and a move to Los Angeles led to Lucas’ role as young George Armstrong Custer in the Steven Spielberg- produced “Class of ’61,” and a role in Frank Marshall’s “Alive.” Relocating to New York City, Lucas studied acting with Suzanne Shepherd and performed in small theater productions, such as

“Shakespeare in the Parking Lot,” before being cast as Judas in Terrence McNally’s controversial off-Broadway production of “Corpus Christi.”

He subsequently appeared in the films “You Can Count on Me,” “American Psycho,” the Oscar^®-winning “A Beautiful Mind” and the box-office hit “Sweet Home Alabama.” His additional film work includes Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” David Gordon Green’s “Undertow,” “Secondhand Lions,” “Wonderland,” Lasse Hallstrom’s “An Unfinished Life” and “Poseidon.”   In 2005, he gained nearly 40 pounds to play legendary basketball coach Don Haskins in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced “Glory Road.” He followed this with his Broadway debut in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”

 Lucas’s first producing project was Boaz Yakin’s “Death in Love,” in 2009.

           Always fascinated by documentaries, Lucas worked with Ken Burns in recent years on “The War,” “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” and the upcoming “Prohibition.”  He was involved in the Oscar^®-nominated documentary “Operation Homecoming” and appeared in the National Board of Review Award winner “Trumbo.” He also appeared in the Los Angeles Film Festival’s award winner “Resolved” and Barry Levinson’s documentary, “PoliWood.”

            Lucas’ additional theater credits include the award-winning off-Broadway production of Spalding Gray’s “Stories Left to Tell.”           
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS (Alison Novack) can currently be seen as Joan Harris on the fourth season of AMC’s critically acclaimed series “Mad Men.” Her portrayal of Joan earned a 2010 Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as well as the 2009 and 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards^® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. “Mad Men” won the 2008 and 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.

She also recently completed work alongside Emily Mortimer on the independent drama “Leoni,” based on the real-life story of Leoni Gilmour (1872-1933), mother of sculptor/designer Isamu Noguchi. In the film, directed by Hisako Matsui, Hendricks will portray Catherine, Leonie’s lifelong friend.

Hendricks began her career as the opportunistic, career-climbing intern on Showtime’s “Beggars and Choosers” before segueing into a production deal with John Wells Productions in which she worked on numerous shows, including “The Big Time” on TNT; a recurring role on “ER” for NBC; and “The Court” on ABC, opposite Sally Field. She has also been seen starring in “Kevin Hill,” on UPN, opposite Taye Diggs. Her many television guest appearances include “Without a Trace,” “Cold Case” and recurring roles on Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” “Notes From the Underbelly” and “Life.”

Hendricks’ film credits include the dramas “La Cucina,” “South of Pico” and the recently completed “Driving Lessons,” aka “The Family Tree,” with Dermot Mulroney and Hope Davis.

MELISSA McCARTHY (Deedee) is best known to television audiences as the clumsy culinary genius Sookie St. James in “Gilmore Girls.” Her other recent television credits include the role of Dena in “Samantha Who?” and a guest-starring spot on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” She will next be seen starring in the new CBS comedy “Mike and Molly,” from producer Chuck Lorre.

McCarthy’s feature film work includes the recent romantic comedy “The Back-Up Plan,” alongside Jennifer Lopez and Alex O’Loughlin; “Pretty Ugly People,” with Josh Hopkins, Missi Pyle and Allison Janney; “Just Add Water,” with Danny DeVito; and director John August’s sci-fi mystery “The Nines,” with Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis. Among her upcoming films are the Paul Feig comedy “Bridesmaids,” set for 2011, in which she co-stars with Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph; and “The Help,” written and directed by Tate Taylor, with Viola Davis and Emma Stone.

Her previous film credits include “White Oleander,” with Michelle Pfeiffer; “Pumpkin,” with Christina Ricci; and “Go,” directed by Doug Liman. Additionally, she starred in John August’s short film “God,” as a young woman having a gossipy phone conversation and short-lived spat with the Almighty, and also appeared in “The Life of David Gale,” starring Kevin Spacey.

McCarthy first made her mark on the comedy stage, performing stand up in New York at The Improv and Stand Up New York. She received dramatic training from The Actors Studio in New York and starred in a variety of stage productions throughout the city. Since moving to Los Angeles, McCarthy has become a member and continues to perform with the world-renowned improv and sketch troupe The Groundlings.

McCarthy also likes to turn her creative attention to writing, directing and starring in short films such as “Polk Valley,” “Life Coach” and “Marbles.”
HAYES MacARTHUR (Peter) was most recently seen in the comedy “She’s Out of My League,” opposite Jay Baruchel. Previously, he had a leading role in “The Game Plan,” opposite Dwayne Johnson.

On television, Hayes starred in the pilot and will be in the new NBC series “Perfect Couples,” airing in fall 2010. His additional television credits include guest starring on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy “Worst Week,” as well as “How I Met Your Mother,” “Pushing Daisies” and HBO's “Entourage.”

Hayes also starred in the ABC pilot “This Might Hurt,” directed by Jason Winer, who previously collaborated with him on Hayes’ FOX pilot “The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend,” which Hayes wrote, produced and starred in.
Hayes is currently writing a feature length comedy for DreamWorks.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

GREG BERLANTI (Director) most recently co-wrote and produced the action film “Green Lantern,” which stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role. Based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, the film brings superhero Green Lantern to the big screen for the first time and is set for a June 2011 release.

Berlanti made his film directorial debut in 2000 with “The Broken Hearts Club,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

As a writer, director and producer, he is the force behind several of the most inventive and acclaimed works on television. Currently, Berlanti serves as an executive producer on the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters.” He also co-created and will produce the upcoming ABC television show “No Ordinary Family.”

Previously, Berlanti executive produced the ABC series “Dirty Sexy Money.” He also served as an executive producer, co-creator and writer on ABC’s “Eli Stone,” for which he was nominated for a WGA Award. Berlanti started in television as a writer and executive producer on “Dawson’s Creek” before going on to create and executive produce two of The WB’s most critically acclaimed dramas—“Everwood” and “Jack & Bobby.”

BARRY JOSEPHSON (Producer), President of Josephson Entertainment, is a 30-year veteran in the entertainment industry with a wealth of diverse experience in film, television and music. 

His producing credits include the international hit film “Enchanted,” starring Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon, directed by Kevin Lima; and the recently released family adventure “Aliens in the Attic,” written by Mark Burton. Box office successes under his producing shingle, Josephson Entertainment, include “Hide and Seek,” starring Robert De Niro; “Like Mike”; “The Ladykillers,” written and directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Tom Hanks; and “Wild Wild West,” starring Will Smith. 

He is also at the helm of the FOX hit television drama “Bones,” which will begin its sixth season this fall. It is syndicated on TNT and is broadcast worldwide.

Josephson currently has several live action series and animated television projects in development at various networks, including FOX, MTV, FX and AMC. Josephson’s television credits include the critically acclaimed “Maximum Bob,” “The Tick” and HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt.” He also executive produced the syndicated show “Moving In,” starring Pat Croce, as well as a number of HBO comedy specials.

Before embarking on full-time producing duties, Josephson was President of Worldwide Production for Columbia/Sony Pictures, after beginning his six-year stint with the studio as a Senior Vice President of Production.  During his tenure, Josephson was responsible for such hits as “Men in Black,” “Air Force One,” “In The Line of Fire,” “The Fifth Element,” “Anaconda,” “Bad Boys,” “The Professional” and “The Craft.”

Prior to Columbia Pictures, Josephson held a similar post at Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures, overseeing such films as “Die Hard 2” and “Lethal Weapon 3.” His additional film producing credits include “The Last Boy Scout” and “Ricochet.”

Josephson was a founder of Sandollar Films, which produced the cult classic “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” along with several other films and telefilms.  His earlier endeavors included a position as Senior Vice President in the Music Division of Lorimar Productions, where he oversaw the division’s interest in feature film and television programming.  In the realm of personal management, he shepherded the careers of performers such as Whoopi Goldberg, Patti Labelle, the Pointer Sisters and Paula Abdul.

Josephson is a founding member of “Comic Relief.” He is an active advocate of animal rights and sponsors The Millan Foundation for Rescued Pets. Josephson also holds pivotal roles in the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival, the Commitment to Life Benefit (Supporting AIDS Project Los Angeles); The NHL Entertainment Board and the Heart of Austin Film Festival for screenwriters.

PAUL BROOKS (Producer) has been producing and distributing films in both England and the United States for almost 20 years. His films cross all genres and have generated over $800 million worldwide.

Brooks is currently President of Gold Circle Films where he both produces for the company and oversees all projects from inception to release. His partners include Scott Niemeyer and Norm Waitt. Most notably, under the Gold Circle banner, he executive produced the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which was Oscar^®-nominated for Best Screenplay.

Continuing Gold Circle’s diversified slate, Brooks’ upcoming films include the heartbreaking documentary “In the Land of the Free,” narrated by Samuel L. Jackson; “The Haunting in Georgia,” based on a true story that took place in its titular state, and continuing the "Haunting" tradition; and the modern Hitchcockian tale “Hair of the Dog,” to be directed by F. Gary Gray.

Brooks’ other Gold Circle Films producing credits include “White Noise,” “The Wedding Date,” “Because I Said So,” “New in Town,” “The Haunting in Connecticut” and “The 4^th Kind.” In addition, Brooks executive produced “Shadow of the Vampire,” which brought an Oscar^® nomination to Willem Dafoe for Best Supporting Actor.

Brooks attended London University where he received a Humanities degree in English/Philosophy/Psychology and Sociology. An architecture enthusiast, Brooks went into real estate development, before turning to his other passion, filmmaking. In 1992, he executive produced his first film, “Leon the Pig Farmer,” a comedy which quickly became a cult hit in the UK. The film received several awards throughout Europe, including the International Critics’ Prize at the 1992 Venice Film Festival. Following this accomplishment, Brooks founded the U.K.-based production and distribution company Metrodome Group, which he took public in 1995.

An avid sportsman, Brooks earlier coached British decathletes, including 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games Gold Medalist Daley Thompson.

IAN DEITCHMAN & KRISTIN RUSK ROBINSON (Screenplay) are screenwriting partners who met as undergraduate Radio-TV-Film students at Northwestern University. Deitchman spent his first years in the entertainment industry working for James L. Brooks on various projects, including “The Simpsons.” Robinson got her start as an assistant to director Randa Haines.

Since 1999, Deitchman and Robinson have sold spec scripts and pitches, and worked on feature film assignments for Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Universal, among others.

They have also recently written and sold an original feature comedy, “Like Father,” with Ashton Kutcher attached to star and produce.

In 2009 Deitchman was elected as a member of the Board of Directors for the Writers Guild of America, West.

DENISE DI NOVI (Executive Producer) made her producing debut on the cult hit comedy “Heathers,” for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. She then began a long association with groundbreaking filmmaker Tim Burton, during which time she produced such diverse hits as “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman Returns,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Ed Wood” and “James and the Giant Peach.”

Her early credits include the 1994 remake of “Little Women,” as well as “Practical Magic” and “Message in a Bottle,” the screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel, both of which took first place at the box office in their opening weekends.

Di Novi has since collaborated twice more with Sparks on “A Walk to Remember,” and “Nights in Rodanthe,” both based on his novels. Her other films include “Original Sin,” “What a Girl Wants,” “New York Minute,” “Catwoman,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” Curtis Hanson’s “Lucky You,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” and the family comedy “Ramona and Beezus,” released this summer.

Di Novi has also ventured into television production. She served as an executive producer on the longform projects “Eloise at Christmastime,” “Eloise at the Plaza,” and “The ‘70s,” as well as the critically acclaimed series “The District.”

Di Novi started out in journalism, rising from copy editor at the Dow Jones weekly National Observer to staff writer for “Canada AM” in Toronto. Segueing to the film industry, she began her career as a unit publicist. In 1980, she became a principal in the Montreal-based production company Film Plan, acting in various production capacities on nine major studio releases, including “Scanners” and “Videodrome.” In 1983, Film Plan relocated to Los Angeles and merged with Arnold Kopelson’s Film Packages. She then joined New World Pictures as Executive Vice President of Production, later shifting into an overall deal as an independent producer. From 1989 to 1992, she headed Tim Burton Productions, where she produced several of the director’s most successful films. In 1993, she set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, at Columbia Pictures.

Di Novi currently has a production deal at Warner Bros. Pictures. She has a number of projects in development, including “The Illustrated Man,” with director Zack Snyder, based on a collection of Ray Bradbury stories; the love story “Last Summer of You and Me,” based on the book by Ann Brashares; “The Jetsons”; and “Larklight,” based on a Philip Reeve novel. Among her upcoming producing projects are the comic adventure “Monte Carlo,” starring Leighton Meester and Cory Monteith and the romantic comedy “Crazy, Stupid, Love…” starring Steve Carell.

SCOTT NIEMEYER (Executive Producer) has over 20 years of entertainment industry experience in production, finance and distribution. He has been involved with the successful production and distribution of more than 100 feature films, including “Dumb and Dumber,” “Kingpin,” “White Noise,” and the blockbuster hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” one of the most successful romantic comedies of all time.

Niemeyer has held various executive positions with such companies as Live Entertainment, Largo Entertainment, MPCA, Orion Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

As a producer, Niemeyer’s credits include the theatrical successes “The Wedding Date,” “Because I Said So,” “Over Her Dead Body,” “New In Town,” “The Haunting in Connecticut” and “The Fourth Kind.”

Niemeyer will executive produce the upcoming feature “The Haunting in Georgia.”

NORM WAITT (Executive Producer), along with his brother, formed Gateway Computers, Inc., which began as a small computer maker and evolved into a worldwide multibillion-dollar manufacturing company. After five years, Waitt left Gateway and formed Gold Circle Entertainment and Waitt Media, which collectively own and operate more than 92 radio stations and more than 700 billboards.

Gold Circle Films was formed to produce commercial films in a range of genres for domestic and international distribution. Since its commencement, the company has amassed a library soon to surpass 30 titles, anchored by the mega-hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” as well “White Noise,” “The Wedding Date” and “Because I Said So.”

As an executive producer, Waitt’s extensive film credits also include “The Man From Elysian Fields,” “Poolhall Junkies,” “Sonny,” Eddie Griffin’s “DysFunktional Family,” “Jiminy Glick in Lalawood,” “The Long Weekend,” “Slither,” “Griffin & Phoenix,” “Whisper,” and, most recently, the romantic comedy “New In Town,” the supernatural thriller “The Haunting in Connecticut” and the fact-based alien abduction thriller, “The 4^th Kind.”

Waitt is also an executive producer on several upcoming releases, including the supernatural thriller “A Haunting in Georgia,” the next in the “Haunting” series; as well as the romantic comedies “Sammy,” “The Wife of Reilly” and “Just Say Yes”; and the thrillers “The Commuter” and “Hair of the Dog.”

KATHERINE HEIGL (Executive Producer) – See Cast Bio
NANCY HEIGL (Executive Producer) got her start in the entertainment industry managing daughter Katherine Heigl’s career. In 2007, Nancy added producing to her resume and partnered with Katherine to form Abishag Productions.

Her first project as an executive producer was the hit romantic comedy “27 Dresses,” which earned over $160 million worldwide and solidified Katherine Heigl’s status as a major box office draw, followed by “The Ugly Truth,” which paired Katherine on screen with Gerard Butler.

Among the feature films that she and Katherine are developing through Abishag Productions, Nancy’s next project will be the epic romance “The Age of Adaline.” Abishag, along with Jim Tauber, will executive produce the highly-touted original screenplay, with Lakeshore and Sidney Kimmel producing and Katherine Heigl playing the title role. Abishag has also optioned Jacqueline Sheehan’s best-selling dramatic novel Lost and Found.

Among her charitable endeavors, Nancy co-founded with Katherine the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, dedicated to ending animal abuse and neglect. Through the foundation, the Heigls donate their time and resources to all animal advocacy, including reducing kill numbers in shelters in Los Angeles and the country, shutting down puppy mills and dog-fighting operations and rescuing animals from abuse and neglect.

BRUCE BERMAN (Executive Producer) is Chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures. The company has a successful joint partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures to co-produce a wide range of motion pictures, with all films distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

The initial slate of films produced under the pact included such hits as “Practical Magic,” starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman; “Analyze This,” teaming Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal; “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne; “Three Kings,” starring George Clooney; “Space Cowboys,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood; and “Miss Congeniality,” starring Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt.

Under the Village Roadshow Pictures banner, Berman has subsequently executive produced such wide-ranging successes as “Training Day,” for which Denzel Washington won an Oscar^®; the “Ocean’s” trilogy; “Two Weeks’ Notice,” pairing Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant; Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins in Oscar^®-winning performances; “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”; Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp; the Oscar^®-winning animated adventure “Happy Feet”; the blockbuster “I Am Legend,” starring Will Smith; the hit comedy “Get Smart,” teaming Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway; the comedy “Yes Man,” starring Jim Carrey; the acclaimed drama “Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood; “Where the Wild Things Are,” the screen adaptation of the beloved book, directed by Spike Jonze; and director Guy Ritchie’s hit action adventure “Sherlock Holmes,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. He most recently served as executive producer on the comedy “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” and Zack Snyder’s animated adventure “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.”

Berman got his start in the motion picture business working with Jack Valenti at the MPAA while attending Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. After earning his law degree, he landed a job at Casablanca Films in 1978. Moving to Universal, he worked his way up to production Vice President in 1982.

In 1984, Berman joined Warner Bros. as a production Vice President, and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Production four years later. He was appointed President of Theatrical Production in September 1989, and in 1991 was named President of Worldwide Theatrical Production, where he served through May 1996. Under his aegis, Warner Bros. Pictures produced and distributed such films as “Presumed Innocent,” “GoodFellas,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” the Oscar^®-winning Best Picture “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Batman Forever,” “Under Siege,” “Malcolm X,” “The Bodyguard,” “JFK,” “The Fugitive,” “Dave,” “Disclosure,” “The Pelican Brief,” “Outbreak,” “The Client,” “A Time to Kill” and “Twister.”

In May of 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, an independent motion picture company at Warner Bros. Pictures. He was named Chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures in February 1998.

ANDREW DUNN (Director of Photography) has won three BAFTA Awards, the first in 1985 for his work on “Threads,” the second in 1986 for Martin Campbell’s “Edge of Darkness” and again in 1989 for “Tumbledown.” He earned an additional two BAFTA Award nominations for “The Monocled Mutineer,” in 1987, and “The Madness of King George,” in 1996, and was additionally honored with the prestigious London Evening Standard Award for Technical Achievement and The British Society of Cinematographers’ Best Cinematography Award for his work on “The Madness of King George.”

The London-born Dunn began his entertainment industry career by joining the BBC as an editor, while continuing to develop and shoot his own projects. As a cinematographer, he has worked with many of the industry’s most respected directors, among them Stephen Frears, Richard Eyre, Martin Campbell, Nicholas Hytner, Robert Altman, Mick Jackson, Andy Tennant, Bill Forsyth and Dennis Potter.

Dunn most recently shot the acclaimed Oscar^®-nominated drama “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire” and “Extraordinary Measures.” His other notable film credits include “L.A. Story,” “The Bodyguard,” “The Crucible,” “Practical Magic,” “Ever After,” “Gosford Park,” “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “Hitch,” “Stage Beauty,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Miss Potter” and “Good.”

Dunn’s next film project is the comedy “Crazy, Stupid, Love…” for directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, scheduled for a 2011 release.

Dunn lives in England, He is a member of the British Society of Cinematographers.
MAHER AHMAD (Production Designer) most recently served as production designer on “Zombieland,” Mike Judge’s “Extract,” and the romantic comedy “All About Steve,” which Sandra Bullock starred in, as well as produced with Mary McLaglen. Previously, Ahmad collaborated with Bullock and McLaglen on the comedy “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.”

His designs will next be seen in the comedy “30 Minutes or Less,” which re-unites him with “Zombieland” director Ruben Fleischer.

Ahmad also designed “The Guardian,” “Fever Pitch,” “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Mr. 3000,” “Holes,” “Paid in Full,” “Gun Shy,” “U.S. Marshals,” “The Cemetery Club,” “That Night,” “The Package,” “Miami Blues,” “Above the Law” and “Code of Silence.” In addition to providing the production design, Ahmad also served as an associate producer on “Chain Reaction,” and was an associate producer and visual consultant on Andrew Davis’ “Steal Big, Steal Little.”

As an art director, his feature credits include “The Paper,” for director Ron Howard; “The Fugitive,” for Andrew Davis; “GoodFellas,” for Martin Scorsese; “Miss Firecracker,” for Thomas Schlamme; “Married to the Mob,” for Jonathan Demme; and “Angel Heart,” for Alan Parker.

Ahmad earned an MFA in Theater Scene and Lighting Design from Northwestern University and began his career as a theatrical set designer in Chicago, where he was nominated six times for the Joseph Jefferson Award. He was hired as the local art director for a movie shooting in Chicago and, from that point forward, has worked exclusively in film, counting among his credits more than 60 features.

He occasionally lectures on design at film schools such as the AFI and the Brooks Academy.

JIM PAGE (Editor) recently teamed with director D. J. Caruso on two mystery thrillers: “Eagle Eye,” in 2008, and “Disturbia,” in 2007, both of which starred Shia LaBeouf. His other recent feature film credits include the independent drama “The Uninvited,” for directors Charles and Thomas Guard; Richard Loncraine’s “Firewall,” starring Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen; and Shane Black’s action comedy thriller “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.

He is currently collaborating with Caruso on the sci-fi action feature “I Am Number Four,” set for a 2011 release.

Page’s previous film editing credits include “The Majestic,” directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey, and “The Salton Sea,” with Val Kilmer. He also served as an additional editor on D. J. Caruso’s “Taking Lives,” starring Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke.

For the small screen, Page has edited numerous television series, including “CSI: Miami,” “The Shield,” “Boomtown,” “Once and Again,” “Cupid,” “High Incident” and, most recently, Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva.” He has also edited several television pilots, as well as the telefilms “Mind Prey” and “Black Cat Run” for HBO.

BLAKE NEELY (Composer) shared a 2010 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for his work on the acclaimed HBO mini-series “The Pacific.” It was his second Emmy nomination, the first being in 2003 for his main title theme music for the Greg Berlanti series “Everwood.”

“Life As We Know It” marks Neely’s sixth collaboration with Berlanti. The two also teamed on the television series “Brothers & Sisters,” “Eli Stone,” Jack & Bobby” and the upcoming series “No Ordinary Family.”

Neely’s composing credits include the feature films “The Great Buck Howard,” “Starter for Ten,” “The Wedding Date,” “The Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D” and “First Daughter.” His other television composer credits include the hit series “The Mentalist,” “Eastwick,” “Notes from the Underbelly,” “Traveler” and “What About Brian.” He has also composed additional music for many films, such as “King Kong,” “The Island,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Last Samurai” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy.

Orchestrating for composer Michael Kamen introduced Neely to the world of film music. Since then, he has worked as a conductor and/or orchestrator on a wide range of projects, including “Enchanted,” “Hancock,” “Michael Clayton,” “The Simpsons Movie,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” The Prestige,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “The Iron Giant,” “K-19: The Widowmaker” and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, among many others.

In 2000, he was hired by Vangelis to orchestrate and conduct his large-scale oratorio, “Mythodea,” for a massive ensemble of orchestra, double choir, 30 percussionists and world-class sopranos Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle. The concert was held at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, Greece, and televised on PBS.

He has also written more than 25 instrumental method books, including the best-selling Piano for Dummies and the award-winning series Fast Track Music Instruction.

DEBRA McGUIRE (Costume Designer) is an accomplished fine artist, fashion and costume designer, best known for her 10-year run on the hit show “Friends” and designing for Judd Apatow’s many film and television projects.

She is currently designing for “Wanderlust,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd and “Scream 4,” starring Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell. In addition to “Life As We Know It,” she has just completed work on the feature films “The Big Bang,” starring Antonio Banderas, and “Bad Teacher,” starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. She also recently completed her 4th season of the NBC show “Heroes” and a short comedy piece for “Funny or Die,” directed by David Mamet, and starring Kristen Bell and Ed O'Neil.

McGuire is also passionate about the theatre, where she began designing costumes for a dance theatre company nearly 25 years ago. In 2010, she was nominated by NAACP for Best Costume Design for “Atlanta,” at the Geffen Playhouse.

          McGuire is primarily a fine artist with a career that began as a painter, working and teaching in her Emeryville, California studio. She became an instructor at colleges and universities in Northern California, as well as a jewelry and accessories designer, fashion designer, fashion consultant, couturier and costume designer.

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