Crawf....to be in a movie...

Hodgie15

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Crawf grabs leading role
By JACKIE EPSTEIN
18dec05

SHANE Crawford is set to realise his dream of becoming a movie star.

The former Hawthorn captain, who has made no secret of his ambitions to break into acting, will play the lead role in a feature-length film being pitched by Los Angeles-based actor Louis Mandylor.
Called The Peanut Farm, the story has been written by Melbourne-born Mandylor and is based on an AFL player sentenced to life in prison.

"It could be my big break," Crawford said.

"I've had a look at the script and it's very impressive. We had a good chat and it's all positive.

"It's not something I would do lightly. I've been informed about the project for quite some time and it sounds like the perfect mix."

Crawford sent Mandylor tapes of himself appearing on the panel of Channel 9's The Footy Show, in which he was a key character and creator of spoofs House of Bulger and Bullet and Gunn.

While he is taking one-on-one acting classes, his focus is still fixed on the season ahead with Hawthorn.

"Obviously, I have a passion to play footy for as long as possible," Crawford said.

"If anything could fit around football, that would be good. But I'm training hard with footy to have a good season.

"I've done a lot of things, but this just gives me something else and it's a good opportunity.

"Louis is a man on a mission, coming out and firing things up."

Mandylor, who was a star of the hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, has been working on the project for eight years and, while in Melbourne, has had a positive response from Village Roadshow.

Producer Peter Maniatis, a former boxing promoter who has been helping Mandylor, described Crawford as the next Robert Redford.

"The Australian market has a lot to offer," Maniatis said. "We haven't simply watched Get Shorty and just said, 'Let's do it'."

Brownlow medallist Crawford has been a target from day one, with Mandylor's brother, Costas, also a US-based actor, expected to play a role.

Discussions also have been held with Anthony LaPaglia, star of hit TV series Without a Trace, and several top female actors.

A meeting with Collingwood president Eddie McGuire will be held this week and former Hawthorn star Dermott Brereton also could be involved.

"I like his look, I like his vibe," Mandylor said of Crawford.

"It's a wonderful story about an Aussie Rules football star.

"He has the world in the palms of his hands and makes a critical mistake and goes to jail for the remainder of his natural life.

"He blames football for that and refuses to ever pick up a footy again.

"But he finds love for the game again. And I want to represent our great game worldwide -- big and beautiful. The time is right. There hasn't been an Aussie Rules-themed movie since The Club in the 1970s.

"I believe in the product and I believe in the game.

"I think it will do well in Australia, obviously, but also overseas. "It's fast and furious and I think people in the US will enjoy that."

Mandylor is in Melbourne until the end of the week trying to drum up interest.

He has his own production company, runs workshops and is also pitching a TV series called Live a Little.

"The last two weeks . . . we've created a momentum where a lot of people have come out of the woodwork," Mandylor said.



http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17598523^2902,00.html
 

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Gary Shadforth

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#4
McLeod23 said:
What does Eddie have to do with anything?

Same with Derm.
Well Dermie had a part in 'Stingers' as a toughman crook and I thought, fwiw, he was very good. And I saw an interview with Dermie, Peter Phelps and Gary Sweet where their accolades for Derm as an actor were flying thick and fast.

But I'm pleased to read where Crawf says footy comes first. In other words he is putting his day job at the top of his prorities. To be quite frank I thought his acting the part of 'Bulger' was B to C grade stuff. But then again I might be too hard as it was a Football Show junk segment he was working in

However, I know my absolute footy hero Crawf will apply himself to the craft of acting with the dedication and application he has given to his AFL career.

The day may come when No. 9 shifts house from Kooyong to Beverley Hills. Good luck to him as long as he in the brown and gold for at least a couple of more seasons.

 

LoneStar

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#7
sdb4884 said:
I think Crawf might do a Ben Graham and retire to America.
Graham has not retired...he's wearing his leg out kicking for a hapless NFL side in NY. At the rate he's kicking he might be an all-star at end of year. The Jets are 3-10 and he's kicked over 60 times for a net average of around 39 yards. Not too shabby but he's had a lot of practice this season.
 

Scribe

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#8
LoneStar said:
Graham has not retired...he's wearing his leg out kicking for a hapless NFL side in NY. At the rate he's kicking he might be an all-star at end of year. The Jets are 3-10 and he's kicked over 60 times for a net average of around 39 yards. Not too shabby but he's had a lot of practice this season.
Frankly, I think Ben Graham has a far better chance of making it big in the USA as a punter for the Jets (in fact, let's face it, he already has) then young Shane has of making it as a serious actor.

I'd happily put my hand up and admit I was wrong if he does break through, but he's going to need a stack of one-on-one work and improvement on his skills.

As it stands at the moment, Shane Crawford makes Joey Tribiani look like De Niro.

:D
 
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