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《害匙》
Skeleton Key

嘉露蓮（姬蒂赫遜飾）來到陰森大宅照顧癱瘓老人，大宅的所有扇門只用一條萬能匙開啟，唯有一道門不能打開，裡面發出古怪聲響的閣樓房間；待她打開這扇門後，裡面竟全是毛髮、血液、骨頭、咒語等其他怪異物件，同時她也揭開了連串謎陣的契機 ….

故事大綱
 當年沒有好好照顧垂死父親，而深感內疚的嘉露蓮，現在致力於老人善終的工作，待儲夠金錢後便入讀護士學校。

嘉露蓮來到新奧爾良郊外一個與外界隔絕的大宅，照顧因中風而臥病在床兼不能說話的屋主賓（尊赫飾）。這所大宅破舊陰森，女主人維奧拉（珍娜羅倫絲飾）嚴禁室內掛上鏡子，而每個房間都會鎖上，需要一條萬能鑰匙開啟。

可是這條萬能匙只有一間房間打不開，就是經常發出古怪聲響的閣樓房間，待她打開這扇門後，裡面竟全是毛髮、血液、骨頭、咒語等其他怪異物件。好勝心強的嘉露蓮愈深入探究，愈發覺大宅內有充滿不可告人的秘密，而且更是賓中風後失聲的關鍵之處 …

製作花絮
 姬蒂待產延期開拍
姬蒂赫遜（Kate Hudson）一直是製作人心目中扮演嘉露蓮的首選，而姬蒂看過劇本後，也十分喜歡這個獨特的鬼故事，遂馬上答應演出。可惜當電影已安排在03年9月開拍，姬蒂卻在6月時宣布懷孕，電影公司為此討論應該延期開拍，抑或找替補人選，最終製作人決定等待姬蒂分娩後，在04年4月才開拍本片，導演伊安素利（Iain Softley）：「這是一個好決定，因為孩子的出生可讓她更加成熟及人生經驗更豐富，為電影帶來更多層次。」

至於製作人找來珍娜羅倫絲（Gena Rowlands）及尊赫（John Hurt）兩位老牌演員助陣，則可令故事更真實和直接。監製史達絲雪兒（Stacey Sher）表示：「與珍娜及尊這樣卓越的演員合作，所有人都像入讀了演藝學院一樣。珍娜的演出實在讓人信服，她就像真的在那間大宅住了大半生；而尊雖然在片中幾乎沒有對白，但他卻帶動著電影的推進、氣氛及劇情，沒有誰比他更有感染力。」

姬蒂親身演出危險動作
 本片是演慣傻大姐的姬蒂從未演過的，她的角色比過往的更有成熟味道，對於角色，姬蒂說：「嘉露蓮是一個認真的女孩，我覺得很吸引，我不用經常笑容滿面，實在是一件好事。她是一個好奇及堅強的年輕女子，隨著故事發展，她開始被孤立！」此外，姬蒂更親身上陣演出所有危險動作，她說：「動作指導也驚訝我做得那麼好。我打破窗戶、攀爬兩層高棚架和在滂沱大雨下於泥濘中爬行，一日我看看雙膝，竟然滿佈瘀傷，就像小時候我踢足球時一樣。我的身體濕透達15小時，但我喜歡這樣，沒有比辛苦工作一天，身上滿帶傷痕回家更有趣。」

深入鑽研民間魔法 - 建立美國本土性的鬼魂傳說
 故事所在的地方，是一塊居民相信超自然能力的路易斯安那州。這裡的民間信仰受到來自非洲、法國、加勒比海及西班牙的信仰影響，主要包括Hoodoo及Voodoo兩種。

編劇伊倫爾卜加(Ehren Kruger)解釋Hoodoo起初是一種魔法及咒語，祈求者念咒希望治癒、保護、吸引或傷害別人，後來跟美國土著的植物知識、歐洲基督教、猶太教及民間異教等多種信仰混合，發展成一種民間習俗，其後更發展成一種民間音樂；Hoodoo強調加入個人力量去完成超自然魔法；而Voodoo則是由海地奴隸在19世紀初帶入新奧爾良的宗教，通常用毛髮、骨頭等進行施咒。

要對兩種魔法加深認識，不單是編劇，就連導演、監製、製作總監及佈景設計師等都要進行很多研究。監製史達絲說：「我們不斷找尋咒語、許願的東西及各種古怪的符咒袋，我們也發現了海地人的原有記錄及真正咒語，最後我們找到一大堆動物骨頭及頭蓋骨，我開始有點毛骨悚然，覺得需要一名巫醫保護我。」

至於佈景設計師Beauchamp Fontaine則說：「我們攝製隊希望提高本片的準確性，作了大量研究及調查，我們找到一位撰寫過有關書籍的新奧爾良作家Catherine Yronwode，我們與她細心討論劇本每一場戲，以確保故事的準確性。我們甚至把大宅屋頂的底部髹上藍色，因為原來南部人士都會這樣做，以防止雀鳥在那裡築巢及棲息，即使觀眾可能察覺不到這些細節，但我們認為這是值得的。」

導演伊安素利認為能夠讓觀眾看到來自美國本土的超自然傳說，更加具備現實感。伊安把自己喜愛的心理驚憟片如《天使追魂》、《魔鬼怪嬰》作為藍本，把《害匙》拍得機智、題材豐富及富娛樂性。

選擇場景一絲不苟
 導演伊安希望電影能夠忠於現實，而本片拍攝的地方新奧爾良，就正正符合伊安的心意。他說：「我相信一個地方的氣氛或基調，能夠帶動觀眾的好奇心。姬蒂角色的工作是幫助垂死的人，這是故事一個中心主題，我覺得把故事設計在新奧爾良是很有趣，這地方有豐富歷史。加上這個南部城市的天氣經常陰晴不定，能夠讓我們以不同的光線去捕捉角色的神態。」

此外，攝製隊在新奧爾良所選擇的場景都各具不同的建築風格，其中嘉露蓮的寓所就座落在Magazine大街，據說這街道名字的由來，是因為18世紀末的州長，在這裡興建了貯存彈藥及等待出口貨物的貨倉。至於在聖路易斯大教堂附近的積遜廣場的一個辦公室，則變成了由彼得沙斯格（Peter Sarsgaard）扮演的路克之律師樓。

破例借用歷史大宅
 攝製隊為了找尋作為片中大宅的合適場景，特別在路易斯安那州一帶搜索了大量農園，結果最終選擇了有百多年歷史的Felicite農園，作為本片首三星期的主要拍攝場景。原來這個農園建於1847年，由當時整個州最富有的Valcour Aime擁有，他把這農園送給其女兒Felicite作為結婚禮物。監製米高森保（Michael Shamberg）表示，他們發現了數個漂亮農園，但這個農園在時代、環境及氣氛上是最切合本電影，而且過去25年所有電影製作人借用Felicite都不成功，因此今次屋主首肯借出，可說是罕有的機會。

另一監製丹尼爾卜加（Daniel Bobker）則說：「我們一直找不到合適房子，所以曾考慮在洛杉磯建造房子的外貌。但當我們發現Felicite後，我們知道即使建造一間類似的房子，也沒有那種超過150年歷史的大宅感覺。這種氣氛已深深嵌入大宅之中，絕對能夠豐富演員們的演出及提升本片的質素。」

為求迫真建造沼澤
 第四度與伊安合作的製作總監尊比艾特（John Beard）指出，根據劇本要求及依照伊安的意思，特別在Felicite大農莊後面建造一個沼澤，據知工作人員花了不少功夫，尊比說：「其實在此之前，這裡只有草、樹和一個甘蔗田，現在則變成一個茂密的花園和一個兩呎深的沼澤。我們把樹木移走，把空位填滿水，再創造一個維奧拉與賓經常活動的花園，而且這裡也是一場重要戲份的場景，用以拍攝嘉露蓮以筏子從屋內逃到這裡。事實上，製造假的大自然相對地比製造假的建築物困難得多。」

姬蒂對此說：「當我們拍攝坐在筏子的場面時，我在沼澤中等待拍攝，周圍都很寧靜，我完全感到很孤獨和恐懼，就像戲中的嘉露蓮，這實在很奇妙，你不能再重新營造這種感覺，這樣我很容易便知道如何演繹嘉露蓮。」然而，由於最初的拍攝工作都在沼澤取景，而且又需拍攝下雨場面（同時利用真雨水及人造雨水），再加上新奧爾良一帶位於海平面以下，積聚的水份容易滋生大量蚊蟲，工作人員只好穿上紗網作保護，以及四處找尋最有效的驅蚊劑。

特色音樂增可信性
 導演伊安認為除了在新奧爾良實地取景外，由於當地充滿了福音音樂、藍調、hip-hop及黑人不同音樂，因此在拍攝亦加入這些音樂完素。伊安特別選取了展現當地的著名塲所，其中嘉露蓮與友人晚上在酒吧飲酒，便在當地極具人氣hip-hop音樂的Half Moon Club中取景，亦用上了曾經是樂隊Rebirth Brass Band發源地的楓葉會所作為另一場景。而姬蒂也肯定音樂在本片的重要性，她說：「我認為片中嘉露蓮在新奧爾良定居，其中一個原因就是音樂，她很喜歡搖滾樂和藍調。我在這裡兩個月，我發現一些喜愛音樂的人，如何瘋狂愛上這城市而不再離開，這是一個啟發靈感和充滿音樂的地方。」

演員簡介
 姬蒂赫遜（Kate Hudson）
1979年4月在洛杉磯出生的姬蒂赫遜，生於演藝世家，母親是金像女星高蒂韓（Goldie Hawn），繼父是卻羅素（Kurt Russell）。姬蒂98年正式踏入影壇，其後憑00年電影《不日成名》(Almost Famous)而聲名大噪，她在片中扮演的痴心女歌迷角色，為她帶來奧斯卡最佳女配角提名及金球獎最佳女配角殊榮。姬蒂還主演過《醫盡女人心》（Dr. T and the Women）及《再戰豪情》（The Four Feathers）等電影。近年她先後主演了《10天戀愛有限期》（How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days）、《男書女愛》（Alex & Emma）及《戀戀巴黎》（Le Divorce）等多部浪漫愛情電影，可謂新一代的愛情片天后。

尊赫（John Hurt）
尊赫1940年在英國打比郡出生，是英國當代最著名的演員之一。60年代初，尊開始在電影、電視及舞台劇作多方面發展，並憑阿倫柏加（Alan Parker）執導的經典電影《午夜快車》(Midnight Express)，榮獲奧斯卡最佳男配角提名及勇奪金球獎與英國電影大獎最佳男配角，奠定其影壇地位。兩年後他再以大衛連治（David Lynch）的名作《象人》(The Elephant Man)，入圍奧斯卡及金球獎最佳男主角提名，以及榮膺英國電影大獎影帝，他在片中的精湛演出，至今仍令不少影迷印象難忘。尊其他的作品還有《異形》（Alien）及《哈利波特－神秘的魔法石》（Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone）等。

珍娜羅倫絲（Gena Rowlands）
1930年在美國威斯康辛州出生的珍娜羅倫絲，年輕時入讀紐約的美國戲劇藝術學院，認識了被譽為美國獨立電影先驅的尊卡薩維蒂（John Cassavetes），二人其後結為夫婦，而在銀幕上他倆也是最佳拍檔。珍娜憑丈夫尊執導的74年電影《受影響的女人》（A Woman Under the Influence），榮獲奧斯卡最佳女主角提名及榮膺金球影后；其後她又以丈夫的77年作品《Opening Night》勇奪柏林影展最佳女主角；尊80年代執導的《鐵血娘子歌莉亞》（Gloria）再為珍娜帶來第二次奧斯卡影后提名。電影以外，珍娜亦活躍於電視及舞台，並曾多次榮獲艾美獎。

近年珍娜參演的電影作品包括《屍人交易》（Taking Lives）及叫好叫座的浪漫愛情片《忘了．忘不了》（The Notebook）。

彼得沙斯格（Peter Sarsgaard）
現年34歲的彼得沙斯格求學時期已對演戲產生濃厚興趣，就讀華盛頓大學期間曾創辦一個喜劇組織。彼得投身影壇十年，拍過的作品不乏名作，當中包括《死囚168小時》（Dead Man Walking）、《沒哭聲的抉擇》（Boys Don't Cry）、《鐵面王子》（The Man in the Iron Mask）及《轟天潛艦K-19》（K-19: The Widowmaker）等。彼得憑03年的《玻璃真相》(Shattered Glass)的出色表現，先後榮獲多個電影頒獎禮的最佳男配角，並獲提名金球獎及獨立精神電影頒獎禮最佳男配角，可謂其電影事業上一大突破。而去年他在《引人入性》(Kinsey)中的演出也備受好評，並獲得包括獨立精神電影頒獎禮等多個最佳男配角提名。

導演簡介
 伊安素利（Iain Softley）
在英國倫敦出生及長大的伊安素利，於劍橋大學修讀英國文學時，開始執導本地戲劇， 1979年畢業後六年，為BBC等電視台執導了一系列有關藝術、音樂及流行文化的紀錄片。86年開始埋首創作的伊安，93年推出自編自導的處女電影《披頭歲月》（Backbeat），廣受外界好評，繼後他在95年及97年分別執導了《忽然奪網》（Hackers）及《三顆翼動的心》（The Wings of the Dove）兩片。伊安最近的作品是由金像影帝奇雲史帕西（Kevin Spacey）主演的科幻劇情片《奇蹟從心開始》（K-PAX）。

演員：    姬蒂赫遜
（Kate Hudson）		    《10天戀愛有限期》（How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days）
《再戰豪情》（The Four Feathers）
《醫盡女人心》（Dr. T and the Women）
《不日成名》（Almost Famous）
《引狼入室》（About Adam）
   珍娜羅倫絲
（Gena Rowlands）		   《忘了．忘不了》（The Notebook）
《屍人交易》（Taking Lives）
《鐵血娘子歌莉亞》（Gloria）
《受影響的女人》（A Woman Under the Influence）
   彼得沙斯格
（Peter Sarsgaard）		   《引人入性》（Kinsey）
《傷心快樂人》（Garden State）
《玻璃真相》（Shattered Glass）
《沒哭聲的抉擇》（Boys Don't Cry）
   尊赫
（John Hurt）		   《哈利波特－神秘的魔法石》（Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone）
《象人》（The Elephant Man）
《異形》（Alien）
《午夜快車》（Midnight Express）
導演：   伊安素利
（Iain Softley） 		  《奇蹟從心開始》（K-PAX）
《三顆翼動的心》（The Wings of the Dove）
《忽然奪網》（Hackers）
《披頭歲月》（Backbeat）

上映日期：    9月15日
發行﹕   泛亞影業有限公司
聯合國際影片公司
片長：   105分鐘
級別：   IIB
院線：   嘉禾港威、嘉禾旺角、嘉禾荷里活、嘉禾青衣、UA金鐘、UA時代廣場、UA沙田、UA黃埔、UA德福、UA朗豪坊、UA太古城、UA東薈城、旺角百老匯、荃灣百老匯、葵芳百老匯、奧海城百老匯、九龍灣百老匯、元朗百老匯、數碼港百老匯、嘉湖銀座百老匯、Palace IFC、Palace apm、AMC、JP銅鑼灣、新港、康怡、將軍澳、華懋、凱都及馬鞍山

Production Information

Deep in the marshes and bayous of southern Louisiana, a little known culture of strange rites and rituals has existed for generations. For those secure in their skepticism, these practices are easily dismissed as colorful superstition, borne from the crucible of influences from Africa, France, the Caribbean and Spain. But for those who cross the dark threshold into belief, these forces of good and evil are tangible, powerful…even deadly.

For once you believe, everything you fear becomes real.

Strong-minded Caroline Ellis (Academy AwardR nominee KATE HUDSON) is a driven young woman with no time for local tales of witchcraft and black magic. The young hospice worker is determined to make enough money to attend nursing school, even if it means taking a job as a live-in caretaker for the elderly owner of an isolated plantation house an hour's drive outside of New Orleans…deep in the atmospheric Louisiana delta renowned for the locals' mystical practices and powerful ceremonies.

The decrepit Terrebonne Parish mansion is home to born-and-bred Southerners Violet and Ben Devereaux (GENA ROWLANDS and JOHN HURT) and both the house and its occupants seem weighted with somber histories. But for Caroline, the setting is unimportant-she's there to do her job, caring for Ben after the stroke that has left him nearly paralyzed and mute.

To make maneuvering throughout the large home an easier task, Violet entrusts the new live-in with a skeleton key that unlocks every door…including one that Caroline discovers obscured by a bookcase at the back of the house's attic. Seemingly forgotten, the room holds an intriguing mix of antiques, mirrors oddly banished from the rooms below and artifacts apparently connected to the practice of a strange kind of magic-a folk magic that conflicts directly with Caroline's common sense and pragmatic way of thinking.

And yet, small instances of the unexplainable begin to occur. The mansion-and the strange couple who inhabit it-are rife with secrets. The more Caroline explores, the deeper she is drawn into a darkening mystery in the attic room at the very heart of the house…towards a terrifying and sinister legacy that threatens to take vengeance on anyone who comes to believe in its power.

As Caroline begins to question her own convictions, she comes ever closer to opening the door and crossing the threshold to where simple belief becomes deadly reality.

From director/producer IAIN SOFTLEY (K-PAX) and writer EHREN KRUGER (The Ring) comes Universal Pictures' contemporary supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key, starring Kate Hudson (Raising Helen, Almost Famous), Gena Rowlands (The Notebook, HBO's Hysterical Blindness), PETER SARSGAARD (upcoming Jarhead, Shattered Glass), JOY BRYANT (Honey, Antwone Fisher) and John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Elephant Man). The film is produced by DANIEL BOBKER (upcoming The Brothers Grimm and Blood and Chocolate), Iain Softley and Double Feature Films' MICHAEL SHAMBERG and STACEY SHER (Along Came Polly, Erin Brockovich).

Joining Softley in creating the forbidding world of folklore and practices at play in The Skeleton Key are director of photography DAN MINDEL (Stuck on You, Spy Game), production designer JOHN BEARD (Thunderbirds, K-PAX), editor JOE HUTSHING (Something's Gotta Give, Almost Famous), costume designer LOUISE FROGLEY (Constantine, Man on Fire) and composer EDWARD SHEARMUR (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Wimbledon). CLAYTON TOWNSEND (upcoming The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Any Given Sunday) serves as executive producer.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

"I wanted to write a distinctly American, non-traditional ghost story," says screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who penned the hit thriller The Ring. "The South, especially Louisiana, struck me as a pure American milieu, a cultural melting pot. I thought that one way to create a unique ghost story would be to have the audience question whether or not they are, in fact, seeing a ghost story at all. I also believe that a classic Gothic notion among most human beings is a desire to find out what is behind the forbidden door. I actually wanted to find out for myself what would be behind that attic door."

The Skeleton Key, a supernatural thriller set in a contemporary setting, struck a chord with director Iain Softley. "Some of my favorite films are psychological thrillers, like Don't Look Now, Rosemary's Baby, Angel Heart. I felt that this script followed along the same lines. It was both intelligent and thematically rich, as well as really entertaining."

A cursory glance at director Iain Softley's body of work, which also includes Universal's K-PAX, an intricate meditation on the very nature of reality, seems to offer little common ground. However, on closer examination, a simple thread is found weaving through his work. He supplies, "I wanted this film to be based in reality, not too Gothic or over-stylized, and make full use of the authenticity and the flavor that is unique to this area. What haunts me about pictures like this is the possibility that these worlds still exist. I think audiences are hungry to be scared in the real world of today.

"I thought the script was a wonderful page-turner, and it was so evocative of sense of place-New Orleans and the Deep South-but it also had a wonderful mood. I also thought that it dealt with aging, which is something that makes a lot of people uncomfortable, in a very interesting way. I've always been drawn to psychological horror because it deals with our perceptions, what we imagine to be going on. Oftentimes, that is far scarier than anything that is actually represented," adds Softley.

Producer Daniel Bobker-who brought Kruger's script to Softley and then to Universal, where producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher came aboard-came to The Skeleton Key on the heels of the enormous task of producing the upcoming Terry Gilliam film, The Brothers Grimm. He sees his latest project as "lushly atmospheric and haunting, which I think the best ghost stories are. You want to feel someone breathing behind your neck and Iain Softley is the ideal kind of director for this material. He's a naturalist who brings great reality, an almost unnerving quality to what he's shooting. He's a director with a tremendous eye for detail and atmosphere and suffusing that with tension and dread. Iain has a gift for getting the dramatic weight out of not only performances, but places, designs, music and textures."

The filmmakers and Softley-who counts among his credits films in varying genres, from The Wings of the Dove, the four-time Academy AwardR-nominated adaptation of the Henry James novel, to the intriguing drama K-PAX-assembled a cast of powerful award-winning actors to portray the rich characters that inhabit the foreboding Louisiana mansion at the center of The Skeleton Key.

Kate Hudson, nominated for an Academy AwardR for her luminous performance as Penny Lane in Almost Famous, plays Caroline Ellis, a hospice worker who has recently arrived in New Orleans and is hired by Violet Devereaux to care for her ailing husband, Ben. Hudson, who appears in almost every scene, was selected to create the central character of Caroline early on in the process.

"Kate was the first actress we thought of for the role," says Softley. "After Daniel Bobker brought the script to me, it went very quickly to Universal. When Kate first saw it, she loved it and was cast. But then, we were hit with a bombshell-Kate became pregnant. We were more than willing to put the production on hold for almost a year until she was ready to begin work. It turned out to be a good decision because I think that the birth of her baby has given her the maturity and added life experiences that have definitely helped give extra layers to what she has brought to the film."

Daniel Bobker comments, "Kate was such an inspired choice for the role. She's always has tremendous appeal as an 'everywoman,' which in a horror film makes the suspense and scares that much more visceral and compelling. Kate's an actress who audiences want to go on a journey with, and this story really shows her range beyond the lighthearted fare she's shined in previously. We all found her an uncanny fit for Caroline, and her performance energized the entire production."

The Skeleton Key spotlights Kate in a role she's never played before. "This is not a lighthearted Kate Hudson," says Michael Shamberg, producer and partner with Stacey Sher in Double Feature Films. "She's more mature, a little darker. Kate has a magical quality of being incredibly available to the audience. She's put into a really scary situation-and someone as relatable as Kate is inspires great empathy, and that makes it even scarier."

Reflecting on the serious nature of her character, Hudson says, "Caroline is a serious girl which I found intriguing. It was nice not to have to smile all the time. She's a curious, strong young woman who becomes increasingly isolated as the story unfolds. She want to be a nurse, so she's a person accustomed to science and the explainable. It takes a great deal to get her to question her beliefs. And nothing about this story is unbelievable, which gets Caroline questioning. That believability is what makes the story so disturbing."

Hudson, who did all her own stunts, reveals that she loved the physicality of it. "I think the stunt coordinator was surprised to find out that my coordination was pretty good," laughs Hudson. "I got to break windows, climb up a two-story trellis and crawl through mud in the pouring rain. One day I looked down at my knees and they were black and blue, just like when I was a kid and played soccer. At one point I was actually soaking wet for 15 hours. I loved it. Nothing like going home after a long day's work with war wounds. It was so much fun."

Peter Sarsgaard, honored with a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Shattered Glass and critically acclaimed for his searing performance in Boys Don't Cry, was signed to portray the affable southern estate lawyer Luke Marshall, who works for the Devereauxs. "One is never sure if he's being ingenuous…or not," describes Sarsgaard of his mysterious character. "He's a little over his head in a job that becomes increasingly difficult as the story unfolds. He is a nonbeliever and it's only after he begins to believe that things start to get really frightening."

Legendary actors with OscarR and Golden Globe nominations and Emmys to their credit, Gena Rowlands and John Hurt play Violet and Ben Devereaux, an enigmatic couple whose surface appearance belies an unspoken and mysterious subtext.

Bobker offers, "The truly classic horror films are often grounded with illustrious actors who make the story feel both immediate and real, in a way that allows the audience to believe in it all. We were extremely lucky to land master thespians like Gena Rowlands and John Hurt to play the Devereauxs, as they provide the Louisiana setting and culture with a layer of exquisite richness and authenticity."

Producer Stacey Sher comments, "Working with distinguished actors the caliber of Gena Rowlands and John Hurt is like going to acting school for everybody. Gena is so compelling in her part that she looks like she's lived in that house all her life. And John, who barely has a word of dialogue in the entire film, brings tremendous sympathy to a central role at the crux of the mystery of the house. He is able to drive the movie's mood and atmosphere and narrative pace without even uttering a word. Who can communicate more without words than John Hurt?"

Gena Rowlands portrays Violet, a faded southern belle living with her husband in a decaying mansion deep in the Louisiana bayou. It soon becomes clear that their relationship is not all that it first appears to be.

Reflecting on her role, Rowlands says, "I play a very spooky old lady who works at keeping Kate's character, Caroline, off-balance. Violet spends much of her time in her garden because, like Violet herself, a garden transforms itself every year. I can relate to this."

For the role of Ben Devereaux, whose character is largely confined to a wheel chair, Softley cast the distinguished English actor John Hurt. Well known for his classic role in 1980 film The Elephant Man, Hurt explains what he feels comprise the right ingredients for a good thriller: "Every thread of the story has to be kept visible all the way through…and then paid off neatly. The clues may be disguised a bit, but they must be evident in the end to make the story work. Ehren Kruger has created such a script."

Joy Bryant-who was featured as the female lead in director Denzel Washington's acclaimed directorial debut Antoine Fisher-plays Jill, Caroline's best friend and her voice of reason.

Producer Sher comments, "Joy brings an effervescent quality to her role. In some ways, she speaks for the audience, the one who warns Caroline, 'Don't go into that room.'"

"There were many things that attracted me to this project," says Bryant. "The cast, Iain and his team, the story, the location-it's this great mix of just the right amount of everything. In that way, it's kind of like New Orleans itself. There is just so much going on and everywhere you look, there are stories. When you're there, it doesn't even really feel like you're in the States-it's definitely its own place."

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Giving full reign to their imaginations, Softley and his accomplished team of creative and technical artists fashioned an astonishing backdrop upon which the haunting story plays out, all amidst a fascinating and slightly foreign world of decaying and exotic beauty prevalent in New Orleans and the surrounding bayou.

"I love making a film that could only have taken place here," says Softley. "I wanted to create an atmosphere that had a gritty, rich photographic look, but at the same time felt a bit strained. I believe that the mood of a place is what creates intrigue and draws in the audience. Kate's character is a hospice worker-her job is to help people die. This is a central theme to the story and I feel it's interesting to set a story like that in a place like New Orleans, a place rich in history, where you could say that so much has died in the past. This part of the South has a limpid, rainy quality that is always changing, which give us the opportunity to show the characters in different lights."

In creating the mystical world of The Skeleton Key, Kruger had included as its centerpiece a particular kind of magic known as Hoodoo, still practiced by some in the bayous and rural areas and utilized for a variety of purposes-healing, control, good (or bad) luck. The practice, to the unschooled, is easily confused with the far better known religion of Voodoo, brought to New Orleans by Haitian slaves in the early 1800s-the religion became so popular there that the Catholic church issued an edict banning all non-Catholic practices within the city limits; the followers of "Voudoun" then moved their ceremonies to Congo Square (now Louis Armstrong Park).

Screenwriter Kruger explains, "While doing research on the supernatural I stumbled on the term Hoodoo, which is essentially an American system of folk magic beliefs. It's not a religion, whereas Voodoo is a West African Haitian religion. Hoodoo is much more secular and can incorporate numerous religious belief systems. Hoodoo is primarily witchcraft, root work, spells, potions and conjurations. It was brought to this country by slaves from Africa and intermingled with Native American botanical knowledge and European Christian, Jewish and pagan folkloric systems which, when they all came together in this melting pot of a country, created a uniquely American sort of folk magic. It's an amalgamation of many beliefs."

Hoodoo, also called "conjure," emphasizes personal power. Practitioners create a spell (called "conjure," "trick," "fix" or "hurt") in order to heal, protect, attract or, sometimes, harm others. These conjures call for a variety of botanicals, oils, spices, candles and music. The presence of the practice of Hoodoo and the Voodoo religion in New Orleans has become deeply ingrained in the local culture. In a place where many of the worlds' religions have intermingled and evolved and where the dead are never far away (because of the city's high water table, coffins are not buried but entombed in above-ground crypts), an aura of superstition abounds. A mere belief in a Hoodoo curse or the power of Voodoo is often enough to bring about the aims of the conjures-the belief is more powerful than the supposed magic itself.

Delving into the world of Hoodoo required a lot of research on the part of not only the screenwriter, but the director, producers, production designer John Beard and set decorator Beauchamp Fontaine.

"We began looking for spells, wish tails and all kinds of creepy gris gris bags," explains producer Stacey Sher. "We actually found original Haitian recordings and real conjures, until all of a sudden our lives were filling up with animal bones and skulls. Frankly, it all started to really creep me out. I began to feel I needed to see a witch doctor just to protect myself."

Set decorator Beauchamp Fontaine, who holds a Master's degree in cultural anthropology, immersed herself in local culture and folklore. "Our team's aim was to create a powerful representation of accuracy, which entailed a great deal of research and digging. We found New Orleans author Catherine Yronwode, who wrote Hoodoo in Theory and Practice. We went over the script with her, scene by scene, to ensure accuracy. We even painted the underside of the roof in the Devereaux house blue, because that's what they do in the South, to keep the birds from nesting and roosting up under the eaves. Even if the audience is not aware of these details on a conscious level, it creates a mood that will make it worthwhile."

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Louisiana was the site for the first half of principal photography. Felicite Plantation, which stands in for the fictitious Devereaux house, the dark heart of the film, was chosen for the first three weeks of filming after it was spotted during location scouting among scores of plantations in Louisiana.

Even without assuming the guise of a home full of secrets, the Felicite Plantation house comes with its own back story. Located deep in St. James Parish, in the Village of Vacherie, halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans along the mighty Mississippi, the plantation was built in 1847 by the wealthiest man in the state, Valcour Aime (often referred to as the Louise XIV of Louisiana), who had it constructed as a wedding present for his daughter, Felicite. (His other daughter, Josephine, was the lucky recipient of another plantation a couple miles down River Road from Felicite). After the Civil War, both plantations changed hands. The faded white Greek Revival house, which first appears onscreen through a canopy of enormous oaks, is a home that clearly suggests old-fashioned Southern sensibilities.

Producer Michael Shamberg credits executive and line producer Clayton Townsend with discovering Felicite for the film company. He recalls, "As soon as we saw it we knew it was our mansion. While driving through the area, Iain quickly instructed, 'Stop the car! This is it! We are there.' Clayton jumped the fence, approached the owners and they surprisingly said yes. We were told that filmmakers had been trying unsuccessfully for 25 years to use Felicite, so I guess timing is everything. We found several beautifully restored plantation houses in the area, but this one had everything we needed. It offered the right age, patina and feel. And it certainly had the history."

Producer Bobker comments, "We had been scouting and hadn't found just the right house. There was even talk of building the exterior back here in Los Angeles, and just shooting in New Orleans for a month and a half and then doing the house scenes here. But then we found Felicite, and even if we could have constructed something like it, there is no way we could have reproduced the feeling that you get from just walking in a place that was built more than 150 years ago. We talk about atmosphere-it's built-in here, which truly enriches the actors' performances and elevates the film."

Irma and Stan Waguespack, who are in their nineties, are the present residents at Felicite Plantation, where they have lived most of their lives. "My grandmother used to pass by the place a lot of times and always said she wanted to live in a house like this," recalls Stan, now married to Irma for 62 years. "Finally, my grandfather got a chance to buy it and we've been here ever since. I came here as a young child and grew up on this land."

Production designer John Beard, who marks The Skeleton Key as his fourth film with Iain Softley, added all the bits and pieces into the environment that the script required. "Iain and I share a similar sensibility," explains Beard. "The swamp, which doesn't exist in the back of Felicite, had to be built. It's a specific part of the story for which Iain had a distinctive vision. It ended up taking quite a bit of time to get right. Whereas before, there was only grass and trees leading to a sugar cane field, there is now a meandering overgrown garden leading into a two-foot swamp. We moved trees, filled in water, built a shed-which also needed to hold water-and created the garden where Violet spends much of her time and where Ben can maneuver his wheel chair. It is here that Caroline, in a key scene, escapes from the house by canoe. It's relatively easy to fake architecture, but much more difficult to fake nature."

Hudson remembers, "When we were filming that scene in the canoe, I was sitting there, waiting to shoot, and all around me was this swamp-with mosquitoes like you've never experienced and crocodiles. And right before we were to shoot the scene, it got incredibly quiet. I felt utterly alone and terrified…just like Caroline. It was amazing-you can't re-create that kind of stuff. Even with all the physical demands and the challenges of being on location in the swamps, sometimes I had the easiest job in finding Caroline because everything was right there…all that history bearing down on you."

The first three weeks of principal photography were executed in the swamps in scenes that called for rain-both real and man-made were utilized. Since New Orleans and the surrounding bayous are situated below sea level, the delta is home to swampy conditions and epic amounts of mud. The presence of stagnant water also gave rise to Biblical-scale swarms of mosquitoes, referred to among locals as the "national bird." The crew dressed in camouflaged netting for protection and the subject of the most effective insect repellants was almost as well-researched as the Hoodoo featured in the film.

British-born director Softley says, "This was my first visit to this city. I was struck by how truly evocative New Orleans is. I never knew how close the swamp encroached into town, or how vast and beautiful it is. Even though it is largely set in one plantation house out in the Louisiana bayou, I thought the film would have more authenticity if we added some of the wonderful elements and flavors that are unique to this city, including the amazing music."

The ever-present music-whether gospel, blues, hip-hop or zydeco-is a kind of oral history of the city and sustaining force among its citizens…another type of soul food, if you will. Softley and his team seized several opportunities to exploit this rich aural tapestry and included New Orleans scenes set in local clubs and one that featured source choral music. The famous local hangout of the Half Moon Club was turned into a bounce club (i.e. New Orleans hip-hop), where Caroline and Jill party for a night. The legendary Maple Leaf Club also plays home to the homegrown Rebirth Brass Band in another scene.

Hudson offers, "One of the reasons, I think, Caroline finds a home in New Orleans is the music-she loves rock and roll and blues. From my two months here, I can see how someone who's musically inclined can fall madly in love with the city and never leave…it's such an inspiring and musical place."

Before moving to New Orleans, however, production set down along atmospheric sections of road leading from the historic city to the outlying areas-where Caroline stops for gas and first witnesses evidence of the localized use of Hoodoo.

"The contrast between the vibrant, all-day and all-night energy of New Orleans and the wide-open, somewhat mysterious plantations and swamps that surround it is really intriguing. So much of the plantations' history is dark, and I think putting Caroline in that place makes her all the more vulnerable. It's a vast and lonely place," adds Hudson.

While shooting the club scenes back in the city, as well of those that show Caroline in her apartment, filmmakers thoroughly availed themselves of New Orleans' color, feel and architecture. The next three weeks the production moved into New Orleans with its distinctive areas marked by varying architectural styles. Caroline's apartment stands on Magazine Street, a young, hip area of town that is reputedly named for the warehouse for items awaiting export or magazin built by Spanish governor Esteban Rodriguez Miro y Sabater in the late 18th century. An office in Jackson Square-the open area at the heart of the French Quarter famed for the St. Louis Cathedral, a statue of Andrew Jackson (hero of the Battle of New Orleans) and picturesque Spanish architecture-was used for Luke's legal office.

Cast and crew then crossed over the 24-mile, Huey Long Bridge to the Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville, Louisiana, which served as the rural nursing home where Caroline first works.

"There is no substitute for being on a location like this one," says producer Daniel Bobker. "It gives the kind of production value and atmosphere you can never get in Hollywood. It helps the actors with their preparation and understanding of their characters, and fortunately for us, Iain sensed the texture of this place. There is no question that all of this contributes to a richer, more authentic film."

Universal Pictures Presents A Shadowcatcher Entertainment / Double Feature Films Production of An Iain Softley Film: Kate Hudson in The Skeleton Key, starring Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant and John Hurt. The music is by Edward Shearmur. The costume designer is Louise Frogley. It is edited by Joe Hutshing, ACE. The production designer is John Beard; the director of photography is Dan Mindel. The executive producer is Clayton Townsend. The Skeleton Key is produced by Daniel Bobker, Iain Softley, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. The film is written by Ehren Kruger and directed by Iain Softley.

c2005 Universal Studios. www.theskeletonkeymovie.com

ABOUT THE CAST

Golden Globe Award winner and Academy AwardR nominee KATE HUDSON (Caroline) made her studio film debut in 200 Cigarettes, co-starring with Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Christina Ricci, Jay Mohr, Dave Chappelle, Martha Plimpton, Paul Rudd and Gaby Hoffman. Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia, Kate's performance in the comedy-set in New York's East Village on New Years Eve, 1981-was singled out by critics across the boards.

Next, Kate co-starred with Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck and Brendan Sexton III in Morgan J. Freeman's Desert Blue, centered around a toxic chemical scare in a remote tourist trap in California. She co-starred in Warner Bros.' Gossip, a psychological drama about the deadly power of rumors set on a college campus, featuring James Marsden, Norman Reedus and Joshua Jackson.

Kate's performance in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous won the hearts of critics and moviegoers around the world and her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award, an Academy AwardR nomination as Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA nomination, amongst numerous other honors and recognition, including the Broadcast Film Critics' Award for Breakthrough Performance. The Golden Globe Award winner for Best Movie (Musical or Comedy) about the world of 1970's rock has won rave reviews for the film and it's gifted cast, including Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Patrick Fugit, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Lee, Anna Paquin and Fairuza Balk. Almost Famous appeared on over 115 Top 10 lists for the year, including over 30 critics and organizations, which named it the best picture of the year.

Critics were unanimous in their praise of Kate's touching portrayal of "Band Aid" Penny Lane: "Her work is delicate, authentic and accomplished…" (Los Angeles Times); "A phenomenal debut…" (Wall Street Journal); "Hudson signals with her radiant turn here that she's ready for major stardom…" (People Magazine); and "A nuanced, star-making performance…" (New York Post).

Kate played Richard Gere's daughter in Robert Altman's Dr. T and the Women, part of an all-star cast, including Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern and Liv Tyler. She was seen next in About Adam, playing an unlucky-in-love singer/waitress who falls for a charming young man who mesmerizes her entire family. Co-starring Stuart Townsend and Frances O'Connor, the Miramax romantic comedy was written and directed by Gerard Stembridge. Kate also appeared in the period epic The Four Feathers, which she filmed in London opposite Heath Ledger and Wes Bentley for director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth).

Kate starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in the hit romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which surpassed $100 million at the domestic box office. She starred in Alex & Emma for director Rob Reiner, opposite Luke Wilson, and was part of the all-star ensemble cast in Merchant-Ivory's contemporary comedy Le Divorce, appearing with such international co-stars as Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Sam Waterston, Leslie Caron and Stephen Fry.

Most recently, she starred in the title role of Garry Marshall's Raising Helen for Disney.

Since her debut in 200 Cigarettes, Kate has been featured in People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue twice and on numerous magazine covers, including two Vanity Fairs (the celebrated Hollywood Issue, as part of the magazine's Class of 1999, as well as a solo cover in October, 2000), Vogue, Rolling Stone, Harper's Bazaar, Jane, Interview, InStyle, Cosmopolitan and many others around the world.

As a teenager, Kate participated in the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival in Pennsylvania.

GENA ROWLANDS (Violet) is recognized as an actress of rare accomplishment and talent. She is also one of the entertainment industry's starts who is constantly in demand in theater, film and television.

She recently starred in the highly successful film The Notebook, a New Line Cinema production directed by Nick Cassavetes. She was an Emmy Award winner (2003) as Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series for HBO's Hysterical Blindness. A recent Emmy nominee for Showtime's Wild Iris, she has also starred in The Incredible Mrs. Richie for New Line and Charms for the Easy Life for Showtime.

Prior to this, Gena received an Emmy nomination for her starring role in CBS' The Color of Love: Jacey's Story, and starred in The Weekend, a film for Strand Releasing, as well as Hallmark's Hall of Fame's Grace & Glorie and The Mighty, Playing by Heart, Hope Floats and Paulie.

The recipient of a Doctorate of Performing Arts from the American Film Institute and tributes from American Cinematheque and Sundance Film Festival's Piper-Heidseick Award, she has received several other film festival awards, the most recent being one from the Montreal International Festival, October 2002.

Past film credits include a number of films directed by and/or co-starring her late husband, John Cassavetes: A Child Is Waiting, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence (Golden Globe Award as Best Actress, Academy AwardR nomination as Best Actress, National Board of Review Award, San Sebastian Film Festival Award), Gloria (Academy AwardR nomination as Best Actress, Golden Globe nomination, co-winner of the Golden Lion-the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award), Opening Night (Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear Award as Best Actress) and Love Streams (Taormina Film Festival Gold Award, Best Actress). Among her many other films are Lonely Are the Brave (now a minor classic), Woody Allen's Another Woman and The Tempest.

Gena's notable television credits include Thursday's Child, A Question of Love, Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (with Bette Davis), An Early Frost (Golden Globe and Emmy nominations as Best Actress), The Betty Ford Story (Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Mini-Series and Golden Globe as Best Actress), Face of a Stranger (Emmy Award as Best Actress) and Crazy in Love (Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress).

Her stage debut was on Broadway in The Middle of the Night, opposite Edward G. Robinson. After some years, she returned to the stage in Cassavetes' Love Streams, The Third Day Comes and Woman of Mystery. She appeared with Ben Gazzara in A.R. Gurney's Love Letters in three sold-out month-long engagements. Later she starred in The Substance of Fire at the Mark Taper Forum.

Gena was born in Cambria, Wisconsin on June 19. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and was seen by Cassavetes then at the beginning of his notable career. They were married shortly after. He died in February, 1989. They had three children: Nicolas, actor/writer/director; Alexandra; and Zoe.

For Nicholas, who is pursuing a successful career as writer/director, she starred in Unhook the Stars and made a cameo appearance in She's So Lovely.

An actor noted for his ability to access what is behind the often complicated facades of the characters he plays, PETER SARSGAARD (Luke) will add to his burgeoning reputation with roles in several projects due for release over the next year.

He most recently completed production on Jarhead, Sam Mendes' adaptation of Anthony Swofford's best-selling Gulf War memoir. Sarsgaard plays Troy, an air marshal who befriends and mentors writer Swoff. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx co-star. Jarhead is currently slated for a November 11, 2005 release by Universal Pictures.

Sarsgaard's forthcoming projects also include the psychological thriller The Dying Gaul for writer/director Craig Lucas, starring Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott. Sarsgaard plays a fledgling screenwriter involved in a complex three-pronged relationship with a studio executive and his beautiful wife. The Dying Gaul premiered in the Dramatic Competition section of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Sarsgaard also recently completed the Disney/Imagine Entertainment-produced thriller Flightplan, co-starring Jodie Foster. Directed by Robert Schwentke, the film follows an FBI agent who tries to help a woman find the daughter who has mysteriously disappeared during flight. Disney will release Flightplan on September 23, 2005.

Sarsgaard last co-starred to much critical acclaim in the biopic Kinsey. Written and directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters), and starring Liam Neeson as the legendary sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and Laura Linney as his wife Clara, Sarsgaard plays Kinsey's young protégé and earned both a Critics' Choice Award nomination and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his supporting role.

In 2004, Sarsgaard co-starred in Zach Braff's independent hit Garden State. Written, directed and co-starring Braff, the Fox Searchlight release follows the travails of a young man who returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade. Sarsgaard plays Mark, a friend of Braff's character, who helps the confused young man find himself during the chaotic visit. Also starring Natalie Portman, the film was an audience favorite at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Sarsgaard received an official stamp of critical approval for his portrayal of New Republic editor Charles Lane in Billy Ray's Shattered Glass. For his performance, Sarsgaard garnered awards from the Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Toronto and National Society of Film Critics, as well as Golden Globe and Spirit Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

He is perhaps best known for his role as Teena Brandon's friend, then tormenter and rapist, in Kimberly Pierce's Boys Don't Cry. Starring opposite Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny, Sarsgaard received critical praise for his searing portrayal of the violent ex-con ill-equipped to deal with a startling discovery.

Other roles include Kathryn Bigelow's submarine thriller K-19: The Widomaker, opposite Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson; D.J. Caruso's The Salton Sea, opposite Val Kilmer; Empire, opposite John Leguizamo; and Wayne Wang's controversial The Center of the World, opposite Molly Parker. Sarsgaard first gained notice as Leonardo DiCaprio's rival and John Malkovich's son in The Man in the Iron Mask. He also appeared in Larry Clark's Another Day in Paradise and Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, with Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon.

On the small screen, Sarsgaard starred in Showtime's acclaimed feature Freak City, produced by Michael Stipe and Sandy Stern's Single Cell Pictures.

A member of Douglas Carter Beane's New York-based theater company, The Drama Department, Sarsgaard appeared last year in their off-Broadway production of Kingdom of the Earth, opposite Cynthia Nixon and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. He was also seen on stage in 2003 in the Signature Theatre Company's acclaimed revival of Lanford Wilson's Burn This.

Sarsgaard attended the Actors' Studio Program at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, after which he was cast in Horton Foote's Laura Dennis at the Signature Theatre Company off-Broadway.

Destined to become one of the most talented young actresses of her generation, JOY BRYANT (Jill) has made an impressive transition from the runway to the big-screen. In 2002, she achieved her breakthrough performance in Denzel Washington's Antwone Fisher, which garnered praise from critics and the attention of the public.

In addition to completing The Skeleton Key, Bryant recently wrapped the independent film London, directed by Hunter Richards. The ensemble cast includes Jessica Biel, Jason Statham and Chris Evans. Following London, she will begin production on Jim Sheridan's highly anticipated film Locked and Loaded, loosely based on the life of rapper 50 Cent, who will also appear in the film.

In 2004, Bryant appeared in the El Camino Pictures' adventure/drama Haven; the film, which co-starred Bill Paxton and Orlando Bloom, centers on the story of two businessmen that flee to the Cayman Islands to avoid federal prosecution. Haven screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2004. In the same year, Bryant appeared in Three Way Split; directed by Scott Ziehl, the film is a sexy noir-thriller based on Gil Brewer's 1963 pulp novel Wild to Possess, about murder, kidnapping, blackmail and sexual deception. Bryant co-starred in the Hyperion Pictures independent feature alongside Gina Gershon, Dwight Yoakam, Ali Larter and Desmond Harrington. In 2004, Bryant also appeared with Nia Long and David Alan Grier in director Mario Van Peebles' Badasssss! The film, purchased by Sony Pictures Classics, received rave reviews at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

In December 2003, Bryant co-starred with Jessica Alba and Mekhi Phifer in Universal Pictures' and director Bille Woodruff's music-driven coming-of-age drama Honey. Bryant portrayed the best friend of an inner-city woman (Alba) who fulfills her dream of becoming a successful video choreographer until she is confronted with unexpected setbacks.

Bryant was featured as the female lead in the 2002 critically acclaimed film Antwone Fisher, the directorial debut of Denzel Washington. Bryant portrayed the love interest of the film's title character, played by Derek Luke, who helps Fisher confront his painful troubled past. The Fox Searchlight Picture, written by Antwone Fisher, is loosely based on his life experiences.

Bryant made her onscreen debut in the MTV original production of Carmen: A Hip Hopera, opposite Beyonce Knowles and Mekhi Phifer, followed by a small role in the Warner Bros.' comedy Showtime, which starred Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro.

While enrolled as a full-time student at Yale University, Bryant was discovered by a modeling scout from Next Models Management. For several years, Bryant pursued a career as a fashion model in Paris and subsequently signed an exclusive contract with Tommy Hilfiger. Bryant continues to model between films as a cover subject for Victoria's Secret and in a number of prestigious print campaigns, such as the Fall 2003 GAP ads.

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Bryant attended Westminster High School in Connecticut on a full scholarship. She is an avid supporter of the Fieldston Enrichment Program under the umbrella of A Better Chance Public School Program, an organization that reaches out to minority talent to enrich their academic opportunities.

Bryant spends her time between Los Angeles and New York with her beloved pit bull named Nana.

Born in 1940, the son of Arnold Herbert (an Anglican vicar) and Phyllis Massey (an engineer and amateur actress), JOHN HURT (Ben) attended schools in Kent and Lincoln. He was a stage hand with the Lincoln Repertory and studied Art at St. Martin's School, London before winning a scholarship to RADA.

John Hurt is one of Britain's best known, critically acclaimed and most versatile actors. He made his West End debut in 1962 and went on to take the 1963 Critics' Award for Most Promising Actor in Harold Pinter's The Dwarfs. For the stage, John has also appeared in Pinter's The Caretaker, O'Casey's Shadow of a Gunman, Stoppard's Travesties (for the RSC) and Turgenev's A Month in the Country. The year 2000 saw his greatly acclaimed performance in Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape in London's West End.

John's impressive body of television work commenced in 1961 and has included such notable roles as Caligula in I, Claudius, Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment and, most memorably, as Quentin Crisp in the autobiographical The Naked Civil Servant (for which he received a Best Actor Emmy and a BAFTA Best Television Actor Award), which led Crisp to opine that "John Hurt is my representative here on Earth."

It was his defining film roles as Max in Midnight Express (1978) and as John Merrick in The Elephant Man (1980) that thrust him into the international spotlight with OscarR nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, respectively. His other film work includes a trio of roles in 1984 which rewarded him with the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for that year: 1984, The Hit and Champions. His many films include A Man For All Seasons, The Field, Scandal, Rob Roy and John Boorman's Two Nudes Bathing (the latter for which he received a Cable Ace Award in 1995), and an acclaimed performance in Richard Kwietniowski's Love and Death on Long Island. John was also seen as Dr. Iannis in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, directed in John Madden.

In 1999 John filmed Beckett's Krapps Last Tape, directed by Atom Egoyan, and Tabloid TV, directed by David Blair in 2000. 2001 was spent filming Miranda, directed by Mark Munden; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, directed by Chris Columbus; and Owning Mahony, directed by Richard Kwietniowski.

In 2002, John won the Variety Club Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Play (alongside Penelope Wilton) for their performance in Brian Friel's Afterplay. This was followed by the film Hellboy, directed by Guillermo del Toro for Revolution Studios, and The Alan Clark Diaries for the BBC, which received great critical acclaim. More recently, John filmed Shooting Dogs, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and The Proposition, directed by John Hilcote.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

IAIN SOFTLEY (Director/Producer) has aimed to carry audiences into unfamiliar terrain, from the pre-history of The Beatles to the sexual politics of post-Victorian Europe.

His most recent film, Universal Pictures' K-PAX (2001), featured commanding performances from Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Softley's unique ability to bring the written word to life was first demonstrated in 1997 with The Wings of the Dove for Miramax, a bracingly accessible adaptation of the Henry James novel starring Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache and Alison Elliott. It became one of the year's most critically acclaimed films, earning four Academy AwardR nominations and garnering Bonham Carter honors from the Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Toronto Film Critics Association and the London Film Critics Circle.

Born and raised in West London, Softley took an early interest in painting, photography and music. He went on to study English literature at Cambridge University, where he began directing local theater productions. After graduating in 1979, Softley spent the next six years as a filmmaker for Granada Television and the BBC, directing a range of documentaries about the arts, music and popular culture. He left the BBC in 1986 to concentrate on writing, but continued as an independent music video and television director, winning a Gold Hugo Award for an arts documentary at the 1991 Chicago Film Festival.

Softley made a memorable feature debut in 1993, writing and directing Backbeat, a refreshingly atmospheric account of the Beatle's early phase in Germany and the love triangle that developed between John Lennon (Ian Hart), bassist Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee).

That was followed in 1995 by MGM's Hackers, a visually ambitious romantic thriller about a group of anarchic young computer hackers, starring Johnny Lee Miller, Fisher Stevens, Lorraine Bracco and, in their first major film roles, Angelina Jolie and Matthew Lillard.

EHREN KRUGER (Written by) is a native of Alexandria, Virginia, and a 1993 graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting in 1996 for his original screenplay Arlington Road, which was subsequently produced by Sony Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment, directed by Mark Pellington and starring Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins.

Kruger's most recent original screenplay to have been filmed is the upcoming The Brothers Grimm, directed by Terry Gilliam, staring Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Peter Stormare, Jonathan Pryce and Monica Bellucci, produced by Dimension Films and MGM and scheduled to open in August 2005. Future projects for Kruger include the big screen adaptations of: Annette Curtis Klause's novel of horror and romance, Blood and Chocolate; the Stephen King / Peter Straub blockbuster novel The Talisman; and the Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction/fantasy John Carter of Mars.

His other feature film writing credits include the worldwide hit The Ring, directed by Gore Verbinski, and the sequel The Ring 2, directed by Hideo Nakata, both starring Naomi Watts and produced by DreamWorks Pictures; Reindeer Games, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron; the final installment in the popular series Scream 3, directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette; and Imposter, which he co-wrote, directed by Gary Fleder, starring Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe.

Kruger is a resident of San Francisco.

DANIEL BOBKER (Producer) has teamed with screenwriter Ehren Kruger on several current and upcoming projects, including The Brothers Grimm, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and Monica Bellucci; the motion picture adaptation of Annette Curtis Klause's novel Blood and Chocolate, starring Agnes Bruckner for Lakeshore Entertainment; and The Skeleton Key.

Bobker began his career in book publishing, where he cultivated relationships with numerous book and magazine editors and writers in both New York and London. This background provided prime access to distinct literary material well suited for feature films. Editorial stints at prominent publishing houses Farrar, Straus and Giroux and HarperCollins included work on an unusual combination of both adult and children's titles, as varied as William Steig's new ubiquitous favorite Shrek! and Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney's Collected Poems.

MICHAEL SHAMBERG (Producer) is a partner in Double Feature Films with Stacey Sher. He has produced such Academy AwardR-nominated films as Erin Brockovich, The Big Chill and Pulp Fiction. Earlier this year Shamberg and Sher released Be Cool, the sequel to Get Shorty. They are currently in pre-production on Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank, which is written and will be directed by Richard LaGravenese. Shamberg is also an executive producer of Reno 911 on Comedy Central.

In 2004, Shamberg produced the hit comedy Along Came Polly, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, as well as Garden State, starring Natalie Portman and Zach Braff.

In 2003, Michael and Stacey produced the critically acclaimed feature Camp by writer/director Todd Graff.

Shamberg's other credits include Out of Sight, Reality Bites, Eight Seconds, Get Shorty, Sunset Park, Fierce Creatures, Matilda, Feeling Minnesota, Gattaca, Living Out Loud, Man on the Moon, The Caveman's Valentine, How High and A Fish Called Wanda.

STACEY SHER (Producer) is a partner in Double Feature Films with Michael Shamberg. She has produced such Academy AwardR-nominated films as Erin Brockovich and Pulp Fiction. Earlier this year Sher and Shamberg released Be Cool, the sequel to Get Shorty. They are currently in pre-production on Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank, which is written and will be directed by Richard LaGravenese. Sher is also an executive producer of Reno 911 on Comedy Central.

In 2004, Sher produced the hit comedy Along Came Polly, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, as well as Garden State, starring Natalie Portman and Zach Braff.

In 2003, Michael and Stacey produced the critically acclaimed feature Camp by writer/director Todd Graff.

Sher's other credits include Out of Sight, Reality Bites, Get Shorty, Man on the Moon, Living Out Loud, Gattaca, How High, Feeling Minnesota and The Caveman's Valentine.

CLAYTON TOWNSEND (Executive Producer) is one of the film industry's most respected hands-on and creative producers, having shepherded numerous motion pictures in every genre from pre-production through post-production and on locations around the world.

In addition to The Skeleton Key, Townsend most recently produced the upcoming comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring Steve Carell and Catherine Keener.

Among his many other credits, Townsend served as executive producer on the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Joel Schumacher-directed Bad Company, starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock; and the MGM comedy Heartbreakers, starring Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Gene Hackman,

Previously, he continued a longtime collaboration with director Oliver Stone as producer of the hit football epic Any Given Sunday. Townsend's longstanding association with the filmmaker has resulted eight film collaborations over a span of 12 years. He served as associate producer on Talk Radio, Born of the Fourth of July and The Doors; co-producer on JFK and Heaven & Earth; and producer on Natural Born Killers, Nixon and U Turn. For these films, Townsend utilized his considerable logistical and organizational skills on locations as diverse as Thailand, the Philippines and the farthest reaches of the Navajo Reservation, assisting Stone in re-creating a wide range of historical and contemporary events.

Townsend's other producer credits include Abel Ferrara's The Blackout and Where's Marlowe?, directed by Daniel Pyne. In addition to feature films, Townsend has produced several high-profile television pilots for Paramount Television over the years. including the 2003 telefilm Homeland Security.

Townsend entered the motion picture business in 1979 when he joined the production team on the Warner Bros./Paul Simon film, One Trick Pony, segueing into a position of location manager on such features as The Loveless, Beat Street, 9 1/2 Weeks, A Chorus Line and Angel Heart. He served as production manager of Legal Eagles, A New Life, Three Men and a Baby, Homeboy and Jacob's Ladder before beginning his association with Stone.

DAN MINDEL (Director of Photography) most recently lensed the Matt Damon/Greg Kinnear comedy Stuck on You, directed by the Farrelly brothers, and the Universal blockbuster thriller The Bourne Identity, also starring Matt Damon. He has also enjoyed a long relationship with Tony and Ridley Scott, having worked with the directors on Spy Game, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide and The Fan for Tony, and White Squall and G.I. Jane for Ridley.

Mindel's other feature credits include Shanghai Noon, Killer Pink and Sand. His television credits include Dangerous Minds and Red Shoes Diaries. He also produced and directed the BBC documentary Paso Horse and has shot numerous music videos, commercials and short films.

JOHN BEARD (Production Designer) most recently designed the productions of the children's fantasy adventure Thunderbirds and the Stephen Woolley-directed chronicle of the co-founder of the Rolling Stones entitled Stoned. Prior to that, he collaborated with director Iain Softley on K-PAX, starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. He also collaborated with Softley on his films The Wings of the Dove and Hackers.

Other credits as production designer include Michael Apted's Enigma; Chris

Menges' The Lost Son; Mike Figgis' The Browning Version; Robert Young's Splitting Heirs; Vincent Ward's Map of the Human Heart; Erik the Viking, directed by Terry Jones; Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ; Mary Lambert's Siesta; Julian Temple's Absolute Beginners; and the OscarR-winning short Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life.

In the 1980s, Beard began a long association with director Terry Gilliam, serving as art director on their first collaboration, The Life of Brian, followed by Brazil; he then designed Gilliam's short The Crimson Pearl Assurance and served as the production designer on the director's never completed Don Quixote. Other credits as art director include Nicolas Roeg's Eureka and Bad Timing.

In addition to working in feature films, Beard has been a successful production designer in the music video field, having worked with directors including Steve Barron, David Fincher, Neil Jordan and Julien Temple on videos for such artists as David Bowie, the Rolling Stones and U2. Prior to his career in the entertainment business, Beard studied interior design at Kingston Art School in London.

JOE HUTSHING, A.C.E. (Edited by) is a two-time Academy AwardR winner for his innovative work on Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July and JFK, and received OscarR nominations for Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. More recently, he won an Emmy for his work on the HBO film Live from Baghdad.

After serving as assistant editor on Valley Girl, Hutshing was summoned by Stone to be an associate editor on Wall Street and, subsequently, co-editor of Talk Radio. Hutshing served as an editor on Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors and JFK, and also worked on such films as Adrian Lyne's Indecent Proposal, Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss, John Woo's Broken Arrow, Martin Brest's Meet Joe Black and Crowe's Vanilla Sky. Hutshing was also an additional editor on Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich. Most recently, he edited the hit comedy Something's Gotta Give for writer/director Nancy Meyers.

Hutshing was the recipient of the American Cinema Editors Eddie Award for JFK and Almost Famous, and received Eddie nominations for Born on the Fourth of July and Live From Baghdad. He also won a BAFTA Award for JFK.

LOUISE FROGLEY (Costume Designer) has lent her design talents to the world of film and television for over twenty years. Her recent credits include Francis Lawrence's Constantine; Tony Scott's Man on Fire and Spy Game; HBO's telefilm Live From Bahgdad; Stephen Gaghan's Abandon; and Steven Soderbergh's The Limey and Traffic, for which she was nominated for a CDG Award in 2001.

Frogley's other feature costume designing credits include Stigmata, U.S. Marshals, Speed 2, Executive Decision, Pie in the Sky, The Cure, The War of the Buttons, Wilder Napalm, Warlock, Heart Condition, Three Men and a Little Lady, Breaking In, Bull Durham, Defense of the Realm, Mona Lisa and Another Time, Another Place. Her first film assignment was as an assistant costume designer on Hugh Hudson's Academy AwardR-winning Chariots of Fire.

Frogley began her career working in London and Paris as a costume designer and set decorator for various commercial companies including RSA, which was headed by a group of vibrant young filmmakers-including Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Adrian Lyne and Hugh Hudson-all of whom later made their mark in feature films.

Her upcoming projects include Stephen Gaghan's Syriana for Warner Bros. Pictures and Section Eight Films.

Composer EDWARD SHEARMUR (Music by) has created music for a lengthy list of impressive feature film and television projects. His scoring work was recently heard in the Sandra Bullock sequel Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous; the intriguing independent film Nine Lives; the science fiction fantasy Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, starring Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow; and the romantic comedies Wimbledon (starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany), Laws of Attraction (starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore) and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (with Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace and Josh Duhamel). His score for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle garnered him a BMI Film Music Award.

His additional feature film credits include Peter Howitt's Johnny English, Roger Kumble's The Sweetest Thing, Iain Softley's K-PAX, Rob Bowman's Reign of Fire, Kevin Reynold's The Count of Monte Cristo, McG's Charlie's Angels (BMI winner) and Donald Petrie's Miss Congeniality (BMI winner). His work was also heard in the motion pictures Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, Blue Streak, Jakob the Liar, Cruel Intentions, The Very Thought of You, The Governess, The Wings of the Dove, Let Him Have It and Sleeping with Fishes.

Shearmur has also composed the scores of television's The Hunchback, Heart of Darkness, Shot Through the Heart and The Heart Surgeon. Shearmur has served as a keyboardist for such artists as Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Bryan Adams, Sting, Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox, and has played on the recordings of Echo & the Bunnymen, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd and Roger Daltrey, to name a few.

-the skeleton key-

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