MANATEE -- Armand Assante won an Emmy Award for playing the titular mafia kingpin in the HBO movie “Gotti.”
He shared the screen with Demi Moore in “Striptease,” battled Sylvester Stallone in “Judge Dredd” and more recently appeared in the acclaimed Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe drama “American Gangster.”
Assante’s latest project brings him to Manatee County this month to play a wealthy patriarch with a horse farm here in the thriller “Blind Pass.”
Filmmaker Steve Tatone said that after signing on for the project the world-famous actor told him, “I just want you to know this is one of the most suspenseful and scary scripts I’ve ever read.”
Principal photography for “Blind Pass” is scheduled to take place in Sarasota and Manatee counties Dec. 3-18, with additional shooting taking place next month in Italy and Ireland.
It’s the second feature film by writer/producer/director Tatone. His musical drama “Beautiful Noise” enjoyed an unprecedented six sold-out screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival earlier this year and starred Bradenton resident Danielle White.
A past winner of Fox’s “American Juniors” reality show, the 19-year-old actor/singer/songwriter returns to star as the troubled lead in “Blind Pass.”
“She’s a very complex character,” White said. “It’s a true portrait of a human being and very often films fail to capture that and portray people as one-dimensional.”
The talented teenager is also serving as coproducer on the picture.
“I really love it,” White said. “It’s a good distraction from me putting too much pressure on myself as an actor.”
Chris McKenna co-stars as her psychologist, with the pair spending about 80 percent of the film together, according to Tatone. He’s best known for his appearances on the CW series “90210.”
Veteran Hollywood character actor Ed Lauter (“Leaving Las Vegas,” “The Longest Yard,” “Seabiscuit”), Mike McGlone (“The Brothers McMullen,” “She’s the One”), Tampa-based Mary Rachel Dudley (“Dear John,” “Free Ride”) and up-and-coming child star Sydney Rouviere, a South Florida native whose appearances include “The Glades” TV series, are also appearing in “Blind Pass.”
“I’ve never seen an independent film with this caliber of cast and locations,” Tatone said. “Everybody signed on despite our small budget.”
Wade Tatangelo, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-745-7057. Visit heraldbuzzworthy.blogspot.com.
