The action comedy “Get Smart” sends CONTROL agent Maxwell Smart (Steve

Carell) on his most dangerous and important mission: to thwart the latest plot for world

domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS.

It also happens to be his very first mission.

When the headquarters of secret U.S. spy agency CONTROL is attacked and the

identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his

ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside

his idol, stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the

only other agent whose identity has not been compromised: the lovely-but-lethal veteran

Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway).

As Smart and 99 get closer to unraveling KAOS’ master plan—and each other—they

discover that key KAOS operative Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his sidekick, Shtarker (Ken

Davitian), are scheming to cash in with their network of terror. With no field experience and

little time, Smart—armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled

enthusiasm—must defeat KAOS if he is to save the day.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a

Mosaic Media Group / Mad Chance / Callahan Filmworks Production of a Peter Segal Film:

“Get Smart,” starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence

Stamp and James Caan. The film is directed by Peter Segal and was written by Tom J. Astle

& Matt Ember, based on characters created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Andrew Lazar,

Charles Roven, Alex Gartner and Michael Ewing are the producers, with Peter Segal, Steve

Carell, Brent O’Connor, Jimmy Miller, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman serving as

executive producers.

The creative team includes Academy Award-winning director of photography Dean

Semler (“Dances with Wolves”), production designer Wynn Thomas (“A Beautiful Mind”),

Academy Award-nominated editor Richard Pearson (“United 93”) and Academy Award-

winning costume designer Deborah Scott (“Titanic”). Music is by Grammy Award nominee

Trevor Rabin (Yes music video “90125 Live”).

“Get Smart” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros.

Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. It is rated

PG-13 by the MPAA for some rude humor, action violence and language. Soundtrack album

on Varèse Sarabande.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

It’s Agent Maxwell Smart’s first day on the job and the fate of

the free world has never been in more capable hands.

“Would you believe?...”

Director Peter Segal approached “Get Smart” as both a filmmaker and a fan. “This

was an iconic show from the 1960s, a true classic and one of my favorites,” he says. “I loved

it. It was smart, irreverent and hilarious.”

Says producer Charles Roven, “We didn’t want to recreate it but to contemporize it—

to make it work for our time with a modern perspective and action sequences that aren’t only

there to punctuate the laughs but are worthy of any thriller. We wanted to bring this world of

super-spies into a new era with the scale and scope it truly deserves on the big screen.”

Segal discovered that just imagining the familiar characters and some brand new ones

in today’s headline-worthy situations sparked a thousand ideas and jokes, inspired by the

same savvy humor that made the series—the brainchild of comedy mavericks Mel Brooks and

Buck Henry—so memorable.

“Our goal was to embrace the spirit of what Mel and Buck created and bring it to a

new generation. The movie pays homage to the touchstones of the series; its irreverence,

political satire and some of the catchphrases that are now part of our culture,” says Segal, “but

with a fresh story, a 2008 point of view and a style and energy all its own. The idea was to

make a movie that offers as much to new viewers as longtime fans and, bottom line, to just

make it funny as hell so it doesn’t matter if you know the history or not.”

Producer Alex Gartner credits Segal with “the ability to blend smart comedy [pun

intended] with serious action, neither of which is easy and certainly not easily meshed, but it’s

something at which Peter excels and why we wanted him to direct. There’s a lot of physical

humor here, but played against a realistic backdrop.”

Steve Carell, who stars as Maxwell Smart and also serves as an executive producer,

sums it up this way: “I’d say it’s 80% comedy, 20% action, 15% heart, 35% romance, 10%

adventure and probably less than 1% horror. Put that all together and you have more than

100%, which is more, really, than you can expect from any movie.”

Not surprisingly, notes producer Andrew Lazar, “Steve Carell as Max was the most

important part of the puzzle in putting this project together. His involvement triggered

everything and his ideas about how to play the character informed the entire piece.”

“What first attracted me to the project was Steve,” acknowledges Segal, who

committed on the strength of Carell’s casting even before seeing a script. “In my mind, there

was no one else who could do justice to this role, and if you don’t have the right Max it’s not

worth doing.”

“We were able to tailor the script to Steve’s immense comedic talent, which gave us

free range to take it to places other people might not be able to go,” offers producer Michael

Ewing. “Together with screenwriters Tom Astle and Matt Ember, Peter and Steve worked on

developing the character, as well as some of the plot points.” Bringing with him a wealth of

improv experience honed during his days with the famed Second City, Carell often

brainstormed with the filmmakers and his fellow actors to come up with alternate jokes and

angles on a scene.

To give the property its 21st-century launch, Segal and the producers decided first to

take “Get Smart” back a step. Citing another of Roven’s recent producing efforts, the 2005

hit “Batman Begins,” Segal explains, “I liked the way that film reinvented the Batman

franchise by telling an origin story in a way that hadn’t been previously explored. With that

in mind, we start from the beginning and show how Maxwell Smart came to be an agent, how

he met 99, and his first encounter with KAOS villain Siegfried—all those elements already in

place when the show aired.”

“From this point forward, he’s the Max many of us know and love, but this movie tells

us how he got there. It’s a great introduction for new viewers and offers fans what they love

and remember about their favorite secret agent,” says screenwriter Tom J. Astle.

As the movie opens, Max is hard at work deciphering suspicious international chatter

from surveillance tapes and preparing voluminous reports for his CONTROL colleagues. He

is such a valuable analyst that his boss, the Chief, is regrettably unable to offer him the one

thing Max wants most in life and has been training for so diligently: to become a field agent.

Says Carell, “Max is incredibly earnest and dedicated at what he does but wants

desperately to prove himself in the field.”

“In this aspect, as in all his comedies,” notes Segal, “Steve brings a measure of

humanity into play so that you genuinely feel for him. His Max is a man who sees this

opportunity as his final shot, and that fuels a lot of his decisions and the subsequent action.”

“His secret fear, like that of many people, is that he may have missed his chance, that

it’s just never going to happen for him,” adds screenwriter Matt Ember. “Then circumstances

catapult him into his fantasy career overnight. He gets a new lease on life.”

When longtime CONTROL nemesis KAOS attacks the agency’s headquarters and

exposes the identities of its key operatives, the Chief has no choice but to upgrade Max’s

status to Agent 86 and dispatch him on the kind of dangerous mission that would challenge

even a veteran.

Even though it’s under the worst possible circumstances, Max can’t help being

ecstatic.

“Clearly he has a lot to learn and he makes mistakes,” Lazar admits. “But just as

clearly he has his own talents that emerge as the action progresses and he comes through in

unexpected ways that even surprise his reluctant partner, Agent 99. Max is not only by-thebook,

but he knows the book better than anyone else.”

Still, as Roven points out, “Although Max has studied the agents’ manual and passed

all the tests, he’s never been in a situation where people are actually, well, shooting at him.”

There’s no easing in, no learning curve; he has to hit the ground running. Literally.

Max is partnered, by default, with Agent 99, the only top CONTROL operative whose

identity was uncompromised by the recent breach. Says Anne Hathaway, who stars in the

role, “99 is disappointed, to say the least, about working with a rookie, and everything he does

in the first five minutes of their meeting only confirms her worst fears. So not only does Max

have to prove himself to his boss, he has to prove himself worthy of working alongside this

strong-willed woman who is obviously not going to take it easy on him.”

Segal asserts that the accident-prone but tenacious secret agent was never meant to be

a bungler. “Rather, the humor here springs from Max’s unbridled enthusiasm, combined with

a woeful lack of practical experience.

“But he’s quick to recover. His mind is always working and he’s confident that

everything he does is right even when it sometimes goes awry,” the director adds.

Such is the charm of Maxwell Smart, as described by Leonard Stern, who was an

executive producer and Emmy Award-winning writer on the original series and has a cameo

in the film as a bewildered pilot yanked from his plane in the name of national security. “You

root for Max. You want him to do well. He’s indomitable. For every fall he takes he gets up

immediately and ignores it, dusts himself off with aplomb and attacks the problem another

way.”

“Watching the show I always got the impression that Maxwell Smart was no fool,”

says Carell, a longtime fan. “I saw him as a resourceful, capable guy who had principles he

was willing to fight for. He didn’t always take the route others might have taken but still,

even if it was counter-intuitive, he managed to come out on top.”

By presenting Max as a newly minted agent whose abilities haven’t yet been tested,

Carell begins from a different place than series star Don Adams, of whom he says, “Don was

so distinctive, there was no realistic way to recreate his approach and his cadence, and I didn’t

want to do an impersonation. Instead, I wanted to tap into the essence of the character and the

show’s rich template and, without taking anything away from that, create something new and

fresh in a way that honors the original but also stands on its own.”

Regarding CONTROL, the covert agency to which Maxwell Smart has devoted his

life, and KAOS, the group it has vowed to obliterate, part of the “Get Smart” mystique is in its

depiction of the ongoing struggle between these rival spy agencies whose very existence is

unknown except at the highest levels of government.

“CONTROL was conceived as a secret American spy agency focused solely on

defeating KAOS, an international organization committed to doing everything they can to

create, well, chaos,” offers Ewing. “The two are eternally opposing forces that, in the larger

sense, represent good and evil.” And, in the “Get Smart” sense, represent myriad

opportunities for comedy.

In a world defined by CONTROL and KAOS, you never know if a pen is just a pen or

possibly also a dart gun. Phone booths become elevators. There are convoluted passwords

and secret codes, fantastic devices that would baffle James Bond and undercover agents who

can pop up when and where you least expect it.

“The show aired during the Cold War and Vietnam and reflected some of those

concerns. We likewise took inspiration from today’s headlines,” says Segal, in reference to a

pervasive public consciousness of clandestine events occurring worldwide. “With the CIA,

FBI, Homeland Security and potentially more than a hundred similar agencies operating in the

U.S. alone, the idea that underground organizations such as CONTROL and KAOS could

exist doesn’t seem so far-fetched. There’s still a lot going on politically to satirize and

skewer.”

“In other words, in the 40-some years since ‘Get Smart’ aired in an atmosphere of

international tension and suspicion, not much has changed,” quips Stern.

Clearly, we need Maxwell Smart now more than ever.

“THE OLD…finding-actors-who-can-deliver-clever-lines-while-

fighting-assassins-on-the-roof-of-a speeding-car TRICK.”

“Get Smart” reunites Maxwell Smart with familiar key characters while introducing

several new ones.

“There’s fantastic interaction between the personalities that really blossoms because

of the casting,” notes Gartner. “You see the rapport and the rivalry between Max and 99,

Siegfried and his assistant, and the almost paternal relationship between the Chief and Max.”

The ever-capable Agent 99 is played by Anne Hathaway. Just as series star Barbara

Feldon inhabited the fan-favorite role as the epitome of a liberated woman of her time,

Hathaway’s portrayal presents her as a confident, consummate professional, then takes it a

logical step further.

“She was a girl who could keep up with the boys,” agrees Hathaway. “Now, she just

as often sets the pace. But she never sacrifices her femininity, which is another carryover

from the series—that, and her Chanel obsession. She revels in being a woman who can run

and fight in high heels, who makes no apologies for being a woman nor asks for special

treatment.”

Segal enlisted Oscar-winning costume designer Deborah Scott (“Titanic”) to create for

99 a look Hathaway describes as “appropriate for battling Ninjas while walking down the

runway. It’s classically elegant but fun, modern but with a little 60s swing, efficient and

undeniably feminine”—like the lady herself.

Notes Lazar, “It’s tough to trust people when you’re a spy, and 99 did not get this far

in her career by opening up to people. Still, she’s also a woman with a personal history and

the kinds of concerns everyone can relate to, and Anne allows that warmth to shine through.

It’s at the heart of the banter between Max and 99, despite their differences.”

Hathaway claims to have won the role because “I managed to hold it together five

seconds longer than the other actresses who read with Steve. He is not easy to keep up with.

But he taught me a lot about comedy and ad-libbing and he and Pete made me feel very

protected from both sides of the camera.”

The filmmakers cast Dwayne Johnson in the newly created role of the invincible and

impossibly charismatic Agent 23, whom Max had hoped to be partnered with, knowing that

the actor’s sense of humor would shine through as CONTROL’s reigning superstar.

Together, they worked on developing and introducing 23 to the “Get Smart” world as Max’s

mentor and idol.

“The great thing about Dwayne is that he has a tremendous action resume but he is

also outrageously funny and has a great warm personality, all of which he brings to the part,”

states Roven. “Agent 23 needs to be not only the epitome of cool, the guy everyone wants to

be, but at the same time has to be Max’s benevolent big brother in a way, always encouraging

him to pursue his dream of becoming an agent.”

The best way to describe him, offers Johnson, is that “He’s simply the greatest agent

on the planet, the star quarterback, the absolute best at what he does. He loves his work and

loves himself and he’s not afraid to let people know it…but in a nice way, which only makes

him more likeable. He also cares a great deal for his would-be protégé, Max, and always

defends him when the office bullies get after him.”

Keeping the office bullies and everything else at CONTROL in line is the Chief,

played by Alan Arkin, who sees his character much like “the principal of a high school in a

difficult neighborhood. He’s earnest, under enormous pressure and often frustrated but is

overall a good and effective boss. His genuine affection for Max notwithstanding, his

allegiance to the agency comes first.”

It was Carell who suggested Arkin for the role, having worked so memorably with him

on the acclaimed 2006 comedy “Little Miss Sunshine,” for which Arkin earned an Academy

Award.

Arkin was in the first company of Chicago’s famed Second City improv troupe, at the

forefront of a performance tradition in which Carell and fellow “Get Smart” actors Masi Oka,

Nate Torrence and David Koechner have shared. “Improvisation is in my blood,” he says.

“Even when the script is cooking, if you do several takes something just starts happening and

Pete was happy to allow it.”

Acknowledging that Arkin imparts his own inimitable comic rhythms to the role,

Ewing says, “The Chief has an active and formidable presence, someone who you can believe

has been running this agency for 30 years and can still kick butt with the best of them.”

Adds Segal, “Being a great dramatic actor as well as a comedian, he can play it with

absolute gravity as if the world is truly in peril, which only makes everything funnier.”

Representing the Chief’s biggest problem is Oscar-nominated actor Terence Stamp as

notorious KAOS arch-villain Siegfried.

“Terence’s delivery is so dry,” says Segal. “He’s really convincing as someone who

would be very comfortable with world domination.”

Siegfried also manages to elicit a measure of sympathy because, as undeniably corrupt

as he is, the man is trying to get his work done while hobbled and confounded from every

direction, not only by CONTROL but by the incompetence of his own staff. “In that way, he

is relatable to everyone who works in an office,” the director remarks.

Stamp drew inspiration from Malvolio of “Twelfth Night” in making Siegfried “a

pompous and pretentious figure, always looking down his nose at everyone. To him,

everyone is an underling. We all know people like that, who unfortunately find themselves in

positions of power and cannot afford to acknowledge other people as individuals.

“It’s always a treat for me to play comedy,” he continues. “It’s something that has

happened later in my film career, although I did comedies previously in the theater. Pete

liked the way I approached the Zod role in the ‘Superman’ films so I aimed for that kind of

laconic delivery with Siegfried.”

His long-suffering assistant Shtarker is played by Ken Davitian of “Borat” infamy,

which Carell acknowledges by joking, “Ken came to our first table read completely naked.”

Well, maybe not. But Davitian’s entrance did have an unexpected element. As Segal

recounts, “He came to his audition with a thick accent and pretended he didn’t understand half

of what I was saying.” The California-born actor originally read for another part before

breaking into his natural voice and asking about the Shtarker role.

Segal says, “The only reason I hadn’t considered him for it was that I didn’t think he

spoke much English. He’s actually a perfect Shtarker and the visual pairing of him with

Terence is funny on its own. Of course, once he got the part I asked him to restore the accent

because KAOS is an international, equal-opportunity employer.” That his accent is

completely different from Siegfried’s is even better.

Absolutely subservient to Siegfried, Shtarker obeys his every maniacal order but in a

way that makes it known to anyone paying attention that he would gladly push his boss under

a bus if he thought for a second he could get away with it. “He’s been waiting so long for an

opening in the mailroom and it hasn’t happened,” says Davitian. “Meanwhile, he has to do all

of Siegfried’s dirty work—kill people, wash his car, whatever he wants. It’s a terrible job. I

feel sorry for the guy.”

Meanwhile, largely oblivious to the threat KAOS poses to the fate of the world is the

U.S. President—played by the Oscar-nominated James Caan, the only actor among the “Get

Smart” cast who can boast of having once guest-starred on the series.

Caan’s portrayal is that of an amiable if not entirely on-the-ball leader, whose refusal

to take the KAOS menace seriously causes the CONTROL Chief considerable frustration that

he just barely manages to conceal. “But it’s the President’s sloppy pronunciation skills that

really drive the Chief crazy,” Segal admits.

While the clock ticks and Max and 99 cross the globe to locate and disarm the KAOS

network, CONTROL staffers Bruce and Lloyd of the high-tech weapons lab, together with

remaining agents 91 and Larabee, keep things running smoothly at the agency’s headquarters.

Emmy nominee Masi Oka (“Heroes”) and Nate Torrence (“Studio 60 on the Sunset

Strip”) star as Bruce and Lloyd—two engineering geniuses who make up in loyalty, energy

and creativity what they may lack in certain interpersonal and office skills.

Says Oka, “They’re the gadget guys, like Q to Bond. Bruce and Lloyd are passionate

about their creations and proud of their service to their country. They get no respect from the

other agents, of course, but between the two of them they know the truth: they’re the real

heart of this operation. Without their technical know-how those hotshot agents would just be

empty suits.”

“They’re nerds,” Torrence admits. “Plus, Lloyd has a severe aversion to blood, threats

or danger, and has a tendency to faint when faced with any of those things.”

Both Second City alums, Oka and Torrence had not met prior to “Get Smart” but

struck an immediate rapport on and off the screen, fine-tuning their roles as they went.

“Originally Bruce was the bossier and more sarcastic one and Lloyd was the follower, but as

production progressed we fell into our own rhythm and it evened out. Now they just bicker

like siblings,” observes Torrence, prompting Oka to add, “It’s an odd-couple thing.”

Agents 91 and Larabee, played by Terry Crews and David Koechner, are also a team,

of sorts, but not one you’d necessarily want on your side. To extend the schoolyard analogy, if

Agents 23 and 99 are the popular jocks, and Bruce and Lloyd the nerds, then, says Segal,

“Larabee and 91 are the bullies.”

With CONTROL under lockdown following the surprise KAOS attack that

inadvertently begins Max’s field career, 91 and Larabee are pressed into clerical work and

they’re not happy about it. Consequently, and with regular target Max suddenly out of their

sights and Agent 23 not always around for protection, they torment Bruce and Lloyd more

than usual.

On the other side of the street, Siegfried and Shtarker are aided by the charming and

deadly KAOS agent Krstic—also a helluva good dancer—played by David S. Lee, and their

stoic bodyguard/hit man/chauffeur Dalip, played by towering powerhouse Dalip Singh.

“Missed it by that much…”

The “Get Smart” production traveled from Washington, DC, to Moscow to shoot in

practical locations that included an atmospheric night shoot staged in Red Square.

Regarding the action in this action comedy, Dwayne Johnson says, “I don’t want to

give too much away but there is one pivotal scene that includes a helicopter, a tractor, golf

clubs, a train, people hanging from an airplane banner…and, oh yeah, a swordfish. There’s a

swordfish involved.”

In fact, great care was taken to craft the action for serious impact.

“If the situations appear truly dangerous and credible, the stakes become higher and

the humor, in turn, is sharper,” Segal posits. “We never wanted the cast to feel as if they were

acting in a comedy because it was their earnestness that would make the joke. Everything had

to be played straight and that included the action scenes.”

Veteran stunt coordinator Doug Coleman (“The Longest Yard”), marking his third

collaboration with director Segal on “Get Smart,” coincidentally earned his SAG card

doubling for Don Adams in 1980’s “The Nude Bomb, the Return of Maxwell Smart,” so now

comes full circle. He says, “The series included an occasional fight or stunt but this film takes

it to a whole new level. It’s loaded. It opens with a bang and ends with a bang and touches

on every facet of stunt work—fire, fights, wire work, cars, aerial, even underwater work.”

Describing one sequence that took six weeks to design and execute, Coleman says,

“Max drops from a plane onto a vehicle in traffic and starts wrestling with the driver. Once

the fight starts no one is driving, so we have to simulate the car going 75 miles an hour,

bouncing off the guardrail and other cars while they climb in and out of it, trying to kill each

other and hang on at the same time. Did I mention that they crash onto a railroad track, the

dashboard is on fire and there’s a train coming?”

Amidst such mayhem, notes Gartner, “Steve managed to remain fully grounded. He

never overplays it physically. No matter what situations he gets into he always remains

connected to reality in some way and brings it all back to the comic throughline, and I believe

that’s what makes him so relatable and why audiences genuinely respond to him.”

For the hand-to-hand clashes, Coleman enlisted renowned fight coordinator James

Lew (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”), who states his claim to fame is “having

been beaten up by everyone in Hollywood.” Lew helped train the main cast to peak

condition, got them accustomed to harness work and customized their moves to match each

character’s personality.

“Max is like the Energizer Bunny,” says Lew. “That’s part of his charm, that he has

such passion for being an agent he just won’t give up. No matter how many times he gets

knocked down, he comes back tougher and more determined and with another angle.”

Segal, who wanted the cast to do as much of their own stunts as possible, recalls

running through some of the key scenes with Carell early in production. “I said, ‘Okay,

Steve, you’re going to dive out of an airplane, then you’re on top of a speeding car having a

fight. You’re good to go with this, right?’ Meanwhile he’s nodding and we’re fitting him

with a harness and he’s probably wondering what he’s getting himself into. Then, when he

met Dalip Singh, with whom he has a major fight scene, I think some of the color drained out

of his face right then.”

Carell offers his own perspective on meeting his onscreen opponent, the 7’2” power-

lifting champion and two-time winner of the Mr. India bodybuilding title, known in pro

wrestling circles as The Great Khali. “Dalip is, I’d say, about eight feet tall and his biceps are

bigger than both my thighs put together. His fist is essentially a honey-baked ham. At one

point we both moved to hit each other at the same time. He pulled back, but his fist was so

close to my head I realized it could replace my head on my body; I would be just a torso with

his fist in place of my head. Yeah, he’s a formidable force—an extremely nice guy, to be fair,

but still someone I wouldn’t want to mess with.”

Like Carell, Anne Hathaway makes her action debut in “Get Smart” and proved an

equally quick study, comparing the experience to “a ballet recital and a soccer game at the

same time. Steve and I have to be two of the unlikeliest action heroes you’ll ever see, but

with the help of our stunt doubles and the wonderful team supporting us and all that training,

we actually ended up doing a significant portion of our own stunts and I was really shocked at

how much fun it was. Ironically, the one thing that I’m naturally good at—falling—wasn’t

so easy when it had to be done on cue. But riding on top of that SUV was like being on an

amusement park ride.”

Hathaway’s challenge was heightened, so to speak, by Agent 99’s propensity for high

heels, which, of course, could never impede her alpha-female combat skills. Notes Coleman,

“Anne had to aim her kicks higher than normal to make contact with the goliath Singh, and

those kicks had to snap with the same believable speed and power.”

Speaking of speed and power, it’s a fair assumption that Dwayne Johnson is one actor

who arrived on set camera-ready for his fight scenes as Agent 23. In fact, explains Lew, it’s

generally more difficult for an experienced athlete to dial it down on screen, but Johnson was

the exception to that rule. Lew, who worked with him on a 2000 episode of “Star Trek:

Voyager,” says, “We had almost zero rehearsals for Dwayne. Anything you want to try,

anything you need him to do, he can do flawlessly. Plus, he’s safe. He knows how to make it

look like he just broke your neck, but in fact it was only a harmless slap.”

In keeping with Agent 23’s super-spy image of virtual indestructibility, Lew’s strategy

was for Johnson to subdue his physical inferiors—meaning, just about everyone—without

breaking a sweat. Whether in fights or in CONTROL training drills, Johnson moves as if

encased in invisible armor, casually deflecting blows like brushing lint from his shirt.

Interconnecting the comedic timing with the action timing took great precision.

It all came down to beats, as Lew illustrates. “If we plan a fight sequence as a

rhythmic series of punches, we would have a ‘bump, bump, bam’ or a ‘bump, bump, smack.’

We can slot in a punchline instead of a physical hit. The rhythm accentuates the joke and it

becomes ‘bump, bump, joke’ with the verbal jab as the knockout or a joke immediately

followed by the last physical beat that essentially ends the conversation.”

Understandably, that imposed a moratorium on ad-libbing and other impulsive

departures by the cast of incorrigible improv artists—if only for a moment.

Says Carell, “As much as we enjoyed the freedom Peter fostered on set, this was one

area in which all bets were off in terms of anything else we might want to try. When you’re

having a fight on top of a moving vehicle and you have to deliver three lines before you get

smacked by a swinging crane, that’s where it gets technical and you stick to the script.”

Swiss Army Knife with a flamethrower attachment.

…What, you don’t have one of these?

“It wouldn’t be a spy story without gadgets,” says Roven.

“The show was famous for its gadgets and we have a lot of them,” Segal avows,

noting that the film pays homage to certain old-school props while introducing a number of

equally improbable gizmos to help our heroes meet the modern challenges of surveillance,

communication and destruction—although not necessarily in that order.

“The shoe phone will make an appearance and the Cone of Silence is back in a new

2008 design, as well as cutting-edge equipment that spies like Max and 99 would need,” he

says. “As hard as it is to believe in this day and age when every kid has a cell phone, the shoe

phone was an amazing concept in the 1960s; the very idea of mobile communication then was

really ahead of its time. Taking off your shoe and putting it to your ear to take a call doesn’t

seem so innovative now but, c’mon, how can you make a ‘Get Smart’ movie without it? It’s

such a definitive image, we figured out a fun way to work it in.”

Also, several distinctive sports cars from the series will make drive-on cameos. Fans

will spot the red Sunbeam Tiger, the gold Opel GT and the blue Karmann Ghia.

Property master Tim Wiles met with renowned Hollywood memorabilia collector

Danny Biederman to examine some of the show’s original props, including the shoe phone,

that have become icons of American pop culture and were recently on display as part of the

Treasures of Hollywood exhibit at Washington, DC’s International Spy Museum.

Like kids with toys, there is always an undercurrent of rivalry among the field agents

when it comes to the gadgets they employ, each trying to one-up his colleagues with the

latest-and-greatest and a casually dropped, “What? You don’t have this?” Soon after Max

demonstrates his radiation-detector wristwatch, 99 coolly reveals a roll of explosive dental

floss; later, following 99’s introduction of a molar-mounted radio, Max breaks out the cufflink

bombs.

Other debuting items from CONTROL’s fantastic crime-fighting arsenal are a pocket

compact smokescreen and Max’s specially equipped Swiss Army knife that includes, beyond

its standard attachments, a flame thrower, a blow gun and a miniature titanium-threaded

grappling hook.

With all this state-of-the-art equipment being tossed around, veteran producer Leonard

Stern wouldn’t be surprised if the Feds came calling…again. With a trace of decades-old

incredulity, he recalls how he and his production team were actually approached by the FBI in

the series’ heyday with questions about how they happened to come up with some of the

devices featured on the show. “Apparently some of our creations were close enough to

reality, and it was unnerving to them at the time to think that comedy writers could just dream

this stuff up.”

Finally, new and dedicated fans alike will be glad to see that some things never

change. Says Wiles, “The Cone of Silence is now completely digital, with a sophisticated

hand-held activation system and multiple ports.” Still, even after 40 years of Research &

Development, fans would probably be disappointed if it actually worked.

Incorporating familiar favorites while propelling spy-tech gadgetry into a new century

exemplifies the kind of balance Segal and the filmmaking team sought overall in bringing

“Get Smart” to the big screen.

“As a filmmaker, you want to present something fresh,” he says. “With a property this

revered the question was, how much do you embrace the source material and how much do

you make it your own? I tried to keep the audience in mind every step of the way so that first-

time viewers as well as longtime fans would simply find it funny and that those like us who

loved the show would also feel that it was treated with respect.”

###

ABOUT THE CAST

STEVE CARELL (Maxwell Smart/Executive Producer) has emerged as one of the

most sought-after comedic actors in Hollywood. First gaining recognition for his

contributions as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy Award-winning “The Daily

Show with Jon Stewart,” he has successfully segued into prime-time television and above-thetitle

status in the film world.

Carell’s first feature leading role was in the comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” which

he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow. The surprise hit of 2005, it opened at number one

and led the box office for two straight weekends, going on to gross more than $175 million

worldwide with #1 openings in twelve countries. To date, the film has generated over $100

million in DVD sales in North America alone. It earned an AFI Award as one of The 10 Most

Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year, took home the Best Comedy Movie honors at the

11th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards and earned Carell and Apatow a nomination for Best

Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America.

Carell currently stars in the Americanized adaptation of the acclaimed British

television series “The Office.” In its fourth season, the show continues to flourish in the

ratings and has earned Carell an Emmy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy. In

2006, Carell earned a Golden Globe Award® for Best Performance by an Actor in a

Television Series—Musical or Comedy, for his portrayal of Michael Scott, the pompous and

deluded boss of a Pennsylvania paper company. He also won a Writers Guild Award for Best

Comedy Series in 2007.

In 2006, as part of an ensemble, he starred in the black comedy “Little Miss

Sunshine,” which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and won the SAG

Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He also recently starred

opposite Juliette Binoche in the romantic comedy “Dan in Real Life,” and in the comedy

“Evan Almighty.” Earlier this year, Carell was the voice of the Mayor of Whoville in the Dr.

Seuss classic “Horton Hears a Who,” co-starring Jim Carrey.

His previous film credits include “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,”

“Bruce Almighty” and “Bewitched.”

Born in Massachusetts, Carell now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Nancy

Walls (NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”), whom he met while at the Second City Theater Group

in Chicago, where both were members. He is the proud father of a daughter and a son.

ANNE HATHAWAY (Agent 99) shot to stardom opposite Meryl Streep in the 2006

hit “The Devil Wears Prada.” She was most recently seen in the title role of Jane Austen in

the biopic “Becoming Jane,” starring opposite Maggie Smith and James McAvoy.

Hathaway will next be seen in several vastly different films: the drama “Passengers,”

with co-star Patrick Wilson, directed by Rodrigo Garcia; the Jonathan Demme comedy

“Dancing with Shiva,” with co-star Debra Winger; and the romantic comedy “Bride Wars,”

with Kate Hudson, directed by Gary Winick and set for a 2009 release.

Hathaway’s prior film credits include a role in Ang Lee’s drama “Brokeback

Mountain,” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, for which she

shared a 2005 IFP Gotham Award for Best Cast Ensemble, as well as a 2006 Screen Actors

Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The film and

its director and cast garnered numerous additional accolades, including seven Golden Globe

and eight Academy Award nominations, the most received by any film that year.

Hathaway also lent her voice to the highly successful animated feature “Hoodwinked,”

with fellow cast mates Glenn Close, Andy Dick, Anthony Anderson and Jim Belushi. She

earned a 2002 Teen Choice Award nomination for her starring role in Garry Marshall’s “The

Princess Diaries” and reprised the role in its much anticipated sequel, “The Princess Diaries 2:

Royal Engagement.” Her additional film credits include the independent drama “Havoc,”

directed by Barbara Kopple; “Ella Enchanted,” based on Gail Carson Levine’s celebrated

novel and directed by Tommy O’Haver; “Nicholas Nickleby,” directed by Douglas McGrath;

and “The Other Side of Heaven,” directed by Mitch Davis.

In January 2005, Hathaway traveled to Cambodia on behalf of the documentary “A

Moment in the World,” directed by Angelina Jolie, which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film

Festival. Additionally, she has dedicated time and effort to community service on this side of

the globe. She has been involved with the Step Up Women’s Network, created to strengthen

community resources for women and girls, served as host for the group’s inaugural

Inspirational Awards in April 2007 and was honored by them in June. She is also on the

advisory board for Lollipop Theater Network, an organization that screens movies in hospitals

for pediatric patients suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

Hathaway first gained Hollywood’s attention for her acclaimed turn in the series “Get

Real,” for which she was nominated for a 2000 Teen Choice Award for Best Actress in a

Drama. She studied acting at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey and at the award-

winning Barrow Group in New York City, where she was the first and only teen ever admitted

to their intensive acting program. In April 2005, she was honored for her achievements by the

Barrow Group. She also studied in the musical theater program with the Collaborative Arts

Project, CAP 21, affiliated with New York University. In high school, Hathaway was

nominated for the Rising Star Award, sponsored by the Paper Mill Playhouse, for the best

high school performance by an actress in the state of New Jersey.

Her theater credits include the Lincoln Center Encore series presentation of

“Carnival,” for which she won the prestigious 57th Annual Clarence Derwent Award; Andrew

Lloyd Webber’s workshop of “Woman in White”; and “Forever Your Child.” In 2004-2005,

she participated in the Encores Concert Gala as well as the Stephen Sondheim Birthday Gala.

Hathaway is also an accomplished dancer who studied at the Broadway Dance Center

in New York City. Additionally, she is a first soprano and has performed in two concerts at

Carnegie Hall as a member of the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus.

As the new face of Lancome, Hathaway will front an advertising campaign by the

cosmetics giant for a new fragrance to be launched this year.

DWAYNE JOHNSON (Agent 23) most recently starred as a bachelor NFL

quarterback who discovers he has a young daughter in the Disney family comedy hit “The

Game Plan,” which grossed more than $92 million in the United States and nearly $150

million worldwide.

He has demonstrated his wide range in a number of recent features, including the

gritty, critically acclaimed drama “Gridiron Gang,” directed by Phil Janou and based on a true

story about a correctional facility counselor who forms a football team of inmates, and

“Southland Tales,” directed by Richard Kelly and co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy

Moore and Seann William Scott, which was selected for competition at the 2006 Cannes Film

Festival.

Johnson previously appeared alongside John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Vince

Vaughn in “Be Cool,” for director F. Gary Gray; starred in the 2004 remake of “Walking

Tall,” as a sheriff who returns from the Army to find his hometown corrupted; and starred in

“The Rundown,” the acclaimed action comedy, directed by Peter Berg and co-starring Seann

William Scott, Rosario Dawson and Christopher Walken, a role which solidified his action

hero status.

He has numerous projects in development, among them the action adventure “Race to

Witch Mountain,” directed by Andy Fickman, which advances the plot of the 1975 favorite

“Escape to Witch Mountain.” The film is set to open nationwide March 13, 2009.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hawaii, Johnson excelled as a high school All-

American and star defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes, helping lead his

team over huge hurdles to become National Champions. After a stint in the Canadian

Football league, he considered a different career after suffering a shoulder injury.

Upon graduating from the University of Miami, Johnson followed in the footsteps of

both his WWE Hall of Fame father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, Samoan High Chief

Peter Maivia, by joining the competitive sports entertainment world of the WWE. Within the

seven-year period 1996-2003, his intense passion led to an extraordinarily successful career,

simultaneously breaking box office attendance records across the U.S. and setting pay-perview

buy rate records. Johnson’s character creation of “The Rock” became one of the most

charismatic and dynamic characters the industry has ever seen.

A desire to branch out subsequently led him to appear on “Saturday Night Live” in

March 2000, surprising many with his comedic talent and helping earn the show’s highest

rating of that year.

Johnson was subsequently cast by Stephen Sommers in “The Mummy Returns,” his

feature film debut, which grossed more than $400 million worldwide. His character was so

well-received that it led to a film based on him, “The Scorpion King,” which in 2002 broke

box office records with the biggest April opening of all time.

Johnson’s autobiography, The Rock Says, became #1 on The New York Times

Bestseller List shortly after its publication in January 2000.

He is a devoted father to six-year-old daughter Simone Alexandra and devoted partner

to Dany Garcia Johnson.

ALAN ARKIN (The Chief) has long been recognized as an actor of great talent and

versatility on stage, screen and television. He won the 2007 Academy Award for Best

Supporting Actor, the 2007 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2007 SAG Award

for Best Motion Picture Cast Performance and the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best

Supporting Male for his performance in “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Most recently, Arkin starred in “Rendition,” opposite Reese Witherspoon, Jake

Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep, and in “Sunshine Cleaning,” with Emily Blunt and Amy

Adams, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. He will next star

opposite Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in the comedy “Marley & Me,” for director

David Frankel, and “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” for director Rebecca Miller.

Born in New York, Arkin launched his career with the Chicago improvisational revue

Second City. This led to his first part on Broadway, the lead in Carl Reiner’s “Enter

Laughing,” for which he won a Tony Award. The following year, he appeared again on

Broadway in Murray Schisgal’s hit, “LUV.” In 1998, he directed, co-wrote (with Elaine

May) and starred in the hit production of “Power Plays” at the Promenade Theatre. Arkin

began directing for the stage with the much acclaimed “Eh?,” starring Dustin Hoffman, at

Circle in the Square, after which he won an Obie Award for directing Jules Feiffer’s “Little

Murders,” which he followed with Feiffer’s “The White House Murder Case”; the three

shows kept Circle in the Square tied up for several years. These productions were followed

by “The Sunshine Boys,” on Broadway; “Rubbers and Yanks Three,” at the American Place

Theater; “Joan of Lorraine,” at the Hartman in Stamford; “The Sorrows of Stephen,” at the

Burt Reynolds Theatre, starring his son Adam Arkin; and “Room Service,” at the Roundabout

in New York.

Arkin’s first feature, “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” earned

him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor as well as an Oscar nomination. He received a

second Oscar nomination and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for his performance in

“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” A second New York Film Critics Circle Award followed for

his role in “Hearts of the West.” Arkin’s film credits include roles in “Catch 22”; “Little

Murders,” which he also directed; “Joshua: Then and Now”; “The In-Laws”; “Edward

Scissorhands”; “Havana”; “Glengarry Glenn Ross”; “Four Days in September”; “Mother

Night”; “Slums of Beverly Hills”; “Gattaca”; “Steal Big Steal Little”; “Jakob the Liar”;

“Grosse Pointe Blank”; “America’s Sweethearts”; “Thirteen Conversations About One

Thing”; and “The Novice.”

He has written and directed two short films, “T.G.I.F.” and “People Soup.” The

former opened the New York Film Festival, while the latter received an Oscar nomination for

Best Short Subject.

Arkin starred in the highly acclaimed A&E series “100 Centre Street,” written and

directed by Sidney Lumet. Other television appearances include his Emmy Award-nominated

performances in “The Pentagon Papers,” for FX, and “Escape from Sobibor.” He guest-

starred as the father of real-life son Adam on “Chicago Hope,” which earned him another

Emmy nomination, and appeared in Showtime’s “Varian’s War.” He was recently seen in

HBO’s “And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself,” with Antonio Banderas, for director Bruce

Beresford.

He directed the television adaptation of the Broadway play “Twigs,” with Carol

Burnett, and “The Visitor,” with Jeff Daniels, Swoozie Kurtz and Julie Haggerty, which won

multiple international awards.

Arkin also devotes his time to music and writing. He has written six books published

by Harper/Collins, and his children’s book entitled “Cassie Loves Beethoven” was published

by Hyperion. An earlier work, “The Lemming Condition,” has sold steadily for 20 years and

was honored by the Booksellers Association of America with placement in the White House

Library.

TERENCE STAMP (Siegfried) was born in Bow, London. He made his motion

picture debut as the title character in Peter Ustinov’s “Billy Budd,” the 1962 adaptation of

Herman Melville’s classic novel, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination and

international attention.

Following this success, Stamp collaborated with some of the cinema’s most revered

filmmakers. He starred in William Wyler’s “The Collector,” adapted from the John Fowles

novel, opposite Samantha Eggar, and in “Modesty Blaise,” for director Joseph Losey and

producer Joe Janni. Stamp re-teamed with producer Janni for two more projects: John

Schlesinger’s Thomas Hardy adaptation “Far From the Madding Crowd,” co-starring Julie

Christie, and Ken Loach’s first feature, “Poor Cow.”

After journeying to Italy to star in Federico Fellini’s “Toby Dammit,” a 50-minute

portion of the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation entitled “Spirits of the Dead,” Stamp made the

country his home for several years, during which time his film work included Pier Palo

Pasolini’s “Teorema,” opposite Silvana Magano.

His subsequent film credits include Alan Cooke’s “The Mind of Mr. Soames”;

Richard Donner’s “Superman” and Richard Lester’s “Superman II,” as Kryptonian super-

villain General Zod; Peter Brook’s “Meetings with Remarkable Men”; Stephen Frears’ “The

Hit”; Richard Franklin’s “Link”; Ivan Reitman’s “Legal Eagles”; Michael Cimino’s “The

Sicilian”; and Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street.” “Prince of Shadows,” in which he starred for

director Pilar Miro, was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Stamp also

starred with Guy Pierce and Hugo Weaving in the comedy “The Adventures of Priscilla,

Queen of the Desert,” for director Stephan Elliott.

In 1999, Stamp’s lead role in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Limey,” which debuted to

widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, earned him nominations for Best

Male Lead at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards and Best British Actor at the London

Critics Circle Film (ALFS) Awards, and introduced him to a whole new generation of

moviegoers.

Stamp can also be seen in George Lucas’s global blockbuster “Star Wars, Episode I:

The Phantom Menace,” Frank Oz’s “Bowfinger,” “Red Planet,” the French comedy “My

Wife is an Actress,” “The Guest,” Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion” and “Elektra.”

Later this year, Stamp will star opposite Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in the

highly anticipated feature “Wanted,” and with Tom Cruise in “Valkyrie,” for director Bryan

Singer, based on the real-life plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He recently wrapped

production on the comedy “Yes Man,” opposite Jim Carrey, scheduled for a December 2008

release.

Stamp is also an accomplished writer. He has published three volumes of memoirs,

including Stamp Album, in tribute to his late mother, as well as a novel entitled The Night and

a cookbook, co-written with Elizabeth Buxton, that provides alternatives to those who are

wheat- and dairy-intolerant.

JAMES CAAN (The President) is one of the most versatile actors in motion pictures,

best known for his Academy Award-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in “The

Godfather” and his Emmy Award-nominated portrayal of football star Brian Piccolo in

“Brian’s Song.”

Appearing in more than 50 feature films over the course of his career, Caan also

earned great recognition starring in Rob Reiner’s highly successful and critically acclaimed

film “Misery,” a psychological thriller based on the novel by Stephen King, and in “For the

Boys,” a romantic drama co-starring Bette Midler. He was equally praised for his

performance as a brain damaged football star in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rain People,”

garnering him the Best Actor Award from the San Sebastian Film Festival. He also received

the Actor of the Year honor from the National Association of Theater Owners for his role in

“The Gambler.”

Born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, New York, Caan knew early on that he did

not want to follow in his father’s footsteps and work in the family meat business. He entered

Michigan State University at age 16 to study economics and play football. Caan transferred

to Hofstra University to study law, and during a spring break was interviewed by and

accepted to Sanford Meisner’s Neighborhood Playhouse. He then won a scholarship to study

with Wynn Handman, and went on to get the first four jobs he auditioned for in the theater.

Caan began his career on stage in the 1961 off-Broadway production of “La Ronde.”

He followed with a powerful slate of guest appearances in virtually every major television

series of the day.

Caan’s additional film credits include “Cinderella Liberty,” “Funny Lady,” “A Bridge

Too Far,” “Thief,” “T.R. Baskin,” “Slither,” “Silent Movie,” “Rollerball,” “The Killer Elite,”

“Another Man, Another Chance,” “Comes a Horseman,” “Gardens of Stone,” “Alien Nation,”

“Flesh and Bone,” “The Program,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “Eraser” and “Mickey Blue

Eyes.”

He also starred in “The Yards,” opposite Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and

Charlize Theron, and “The Way of the Gun,” with Benicio Del Toro. He directed, as well as

starred in, the critically acclaimed film “Hide in Plain Sight.”

Caan was most recently seen in the mega-hit comedy “Elf,” in which he co-starred

with Will Ferrell, and Lars von Trier’s “Dogville,” co-starring Nicole Kidman. He also

recently starred in the NBC drama “Las Vegas.”

MASI OKA (Bruce) has earned Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his

role in the NBC hit ensemble drama “Heroes” as Hiro Nakamura, a Tokyo nonconformist

computer/anime geek who develops a way to pierce the space-time continuum and move back

in time through sheer willpower.

Concurrent with the feature release of “Get Smart,” Oka will also star with Nate

Torrence in the companion DVD release “Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control,”

slated for a June 2008 release.

His additional feature film credits include memorable roles in “Along Came Polly”

and “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

On television, Oka has had recurring roles on NBC’s “Scrubs” and Fox’s “Luis,” and

has guest-starred on the series “Without a Trace,” “Joey,” “Reba,” “The Loop,” “All of Us,”

“Still Standing,” “Will & Grace,” “Yes, Dear” and “The Gilmore Girls.”

With a background in improvisation, Oka has graced the stages of The Groundlings,

ImprovOlympics, Second City and TheatreSports, and his improvisational expertise has

been showcased with guest appearances as various characters on “Punk'd,” “Reno 911!” and

“The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.”

After graduating from Brown University with degrees in Mathematics and Computer

Science and a Theatre Arts minor, Oka pursued an acting career while taking his first job at

George Lucas’ Oscar-winning special effects house Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Today,

despite his successful career as an actor, he has continued to provide ILM with technology for

groundbreaking effects for more than 30 films.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Oka moved to Los Angeles at age six. He is fluent in Japanese

and proficient in Spanish. He is the spokesperson for One Laptop Per Child, a charity

dedicated to providing children around the world with new opportunities to explore,

experiment and express themselves.

NATE TORRENCE (Lloyd) began his career within the commercial industry,

appearing in over 40 national and regional spots, most notably as David Spade’s sidekick

Chubsy in the Capital One “What’s in Your Wallet?” campaign.

Soon after, he began breaking into television with guest star appearances on several

shows, including “C.S.I.,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Las

Vegas,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “House,” and, in 2006 landed the recurring role of Dylan

Killington on NBC’s critically acclaimed “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”

Torrence continues to perform sketch/improv shows in area venues including The

Second City Studio Theater in Los Angeles.

He will soon be seen alongside Kate Hudson and Dane Cook in the feature comedy

“My Best Friend’s Girl” and in a leading role in the romantic comedy “She’s Out of My

League,” as well as the upcoming season of “Reno 911!” He will also recreate his “Get

Smart” role in the concurrent DVD release “Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control,”

slated for June 2008.

KEN DAVITIAN (Shtarker) is currently in production on director Malcolm D. Lee’s

comedy “Soul Men,” alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Coolidge and Sean Hayes. He is

also slated to star opposite Bernie Mac in the new Fall 2008 FOX comedy “Starting Under.”

Davitian wrestled his way into the Hollywood spotlight as Azamat Bagatov, opposite

Sacha Baron Cohen in the critically-acclaimed 2006 blockbuster comedy “Borat: Cultural

Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Knowing the role

was that of a foreigner, he arrived at his audition in character, speaking only broken English

in a thick Armenian accent and had Cohen and the producers fully convinced before revealing

himself as an American.

Although audiences worldwide thought they learned everything there is to know about

Davitian after experiencing “Borat,” they are discovering that the Los Angeles native has

been acting for 15 years, with guest-starring television roles in “The Closer,” “Boston Legal,”

“Six Feet Under,” “Boomtown,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Becker,” among others, and more

recently on “ER” and “Ghost Whisperer.”

On the big screen, Davitian most recently starred in the comedy spoof “Meet the

Spartans.” He also appeared in the Curtis Hanson drama “Lucky You” and the independent

drama “South of Pico.” His feature credits include “S.W.A.T.” and Disney’s “Holes.”

Davitian lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 30 years, Ellen, and their two sons. He

co-owns an LA-based French dip sandwich chain called The Dip.

TERRY CREWS (Agent 91) was a professional football player for the L.A. Rams,

San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins before making the transition to acting, and has

quickly amassed an impressive resume of film and television roles.

He recently wrapped the feature “Game,” starring opposite Gerard Butler. The

thriller, slated for a 2009 release, is set in a future world where humans can control other

humans in a mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environment.

In April of this year, Crews starred with Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker in the

crime drama “Street Kings.” His other recent feature appearances include roles alongside

Eddie Murphy and Katt Williams in the comedy “Norbit”; in the acclaimed Mike Judge

comedy “Idiocracy,” with Luke Wilson and Dax Shepard; and a notable cameo in the thriller

“Harsh Times,” starring Christian Bale. He has also appeared in “Balls of Fury,” “The

Longest Yard,” “White Chicks,” “Baadasssss!,” “Malibu’s Most Wanted” and “Friday After

Next.”

This past fall, Crews reprised his role as Julius Rock for the third season of the CW hit

comedy “Everybody Hates Chris,” inspired by the childhood experiences of comedian Chris

Rock, who narrates the series.

Crews was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. In high school, he won an art

scholarship to Interlochen Art Academy and was then awarded the Art Excellence

Scholarship to attend Western Michigan University, with a plan to become a special effects

artist in Hollywood. He went on to play All Mid-American Conference defensive end,

winning the Mid-American Conference championship in 1988.

He lives in California with his wife of 18 years and their four daughters and one son.

DAVID KOECHNER (Larabee) studied political science at Benedictine College in

Atchison, Kansas, then transferred to the University of Missouri. After college, he moved to

Chicago, studied improvisation at the IO (formerly the ImprovOlympic) with Del Close and

Charna Halpern and went on to become an ensemble member of Second City Northwest.

Koechner spent one season in the cast of “Saturday Night Live” before moving to Los

Angeles, where he landed guest appearances on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Reno 911!”

and played a recurring character on “Still Standing.” He also co-starred in the independent

features “Dill Scallion,” “Waking Up in Reno,” “Dropping Out” and “Run Ronnie Run,”

while turning in solid performances in studio comedies such as “Out Cold,” “My Boss’s

Daughter” and “A Guy Thing.” Concurrently, Koechner developed and performed, along

with Dave “Gruber” Allen, “The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show” on stage at Club Largo in

Los Angeles. The show later became a Comedy Central series.

His major film break came when he was cast as Champ Kind in “Anchorman: The

Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Since then, he has been seen in a variety of studio and

independent films, such as “Daltry Calhoun”; “The Dukes of Hazzard,” with Johnny

Knoxville; “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”; “Waiting”; “Let’s Go to Prison”;

“Snakes on a Plane”; the animated feature “Barnyard”; the family comedy “Yours, Mine and

Ours”; the critically acclaimed “Thank You for Smoking,” opposite Aaron Eckhart and Maria

Bello; and the recent comedy “Semi-Pro.” He can also be spotted in cameo roles in “The 40

Year-Old Virgin,” “Balls of Fury” and “Reno 911!: Miami.”

Koechner continues to play the recurring character Todd Packer on NBC’s “The

Office.” He recently starred in the feature comedy “The Comebacks” and can next be seen in

“The Goods: The Don Ready Story.” He is currently in production on the comedy “Tenure,”

alongside Luke Wilson.

Koechner lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.

DALIP SINGH (Dalip) made his American acting debut in the 2005 sports comedy

“The Longest Yard,” for “Get Smart” director Peter Segal.

A professional wrestler known as The Great Khali, he has appeared in more than 60

episodes of the popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) shows “Smackdown,”

“Monday Night Raw” and “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in the past two years, as well as

other programs on the wrestling circuit, including “Wrestlemania” and “Extreme

Championship Wrestling.”

Born into a poor family in the Dhirana village in Himachal Pradesh of Punjab, India,

Singh began working at a young age as a roadside stone breaker to help provide for his

family. In 1993 he joined the police force. This allowed the naturally athletic 7’2” Singh to

also pursue his interest and training in bodybuilding, and he subsequently went on to win the

title of Mr. India in 1997 and 1998. His success led him to train as a wrestler in the U.S. in

1999, where he developed the skills necessary to compete on a global stage, enabling him to

win numerous wrestling titles in Japan, where he is currently a very popular figure.

Singh is an active mentor to young people, encouraging them to stay away from drugs

and urging them to seek discipline, health and success through sports.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

PETER SEGAL (Director/Executive Producer) most recently directed Adam Sandler

and Chris Rock in 2005’s “The Longest Yard,” which became the highest worldwide grossing

sports comedy in history. He previously teamed with Sandler on the comedy blockbusters

“50 First Dates,” which also starred Drew Barrymore, and “Anger Management,” with Oscar

winner Jack Nicholson.

Segal made his feature film directorial debut in 1994 with “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The

Final Insult,” starring Leslie Nielsen. His other credits include the 2000 hit comedy “Nutty

Professor II: The Klumps,” starring Eddie Murphy; the critically acclaimed “My Fellow

Americans,” starring screen legends Jack Lemmon, James Garner and Lauren Bacall; and the

hit comedy “Tommy Boy,” starring Chris Farley and David Spade.

A USC graduate, Segal began his career directing for television, with an extensive

resume including eight Emmy Awards, a Cable ACE award for Best Director and two

National Association of Broadcasters’ Service to Children Awards.

In 1995, he formed his production company, Callahan Filmworks, along with longtime

producing partner Michael Ewing. In 2002, he created the NBC comedy series “Hidden

Hills.” Currently, Callahan’s development slate includes DC Comics’ “Captain Marvel”;

“Goblins,” based on Brian Froud’s acclaimed book; and “I, Thalus,” a comedy about the first

Olympiad.

ANDREW LAZAR (Producer) formed the Warner Bros. Studios-based production

company Mad Chance in 1995 with a mandate to focus on smart, intriguing material in every

genre and budget range. It debuted with the Shakespeare-influenced teen comedy “10 Things

I Hate About You,” starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

The past few years have been wide-ranging and productive for Lazar, currently in

production on the unique comedic love story “I Love You Phillip Morris,” for writer/directors

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.

Lazar has many projects in development and pre-production at several studios,

including a feature film version of the 70’s hit TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter,” with Ice

Cube attached to reprise the starring role of the inner city teacher; “Cats & Dogs 2,” the

highly anticipated sequel to the 2001 live action/CGI international box office hit; “Jonah

Hex,” written by “Crank” directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor; “Akira,” a live-action

remake of the revered anime of the same name; the madcap art heist comedy “The Great

Mortedecai Moustache Mystery”; and “Fleming,” based on the life of James Bond creator Ian

Fleming. He is also developing “Namath,” a retelling of acclaimed football legend Joe

Namath’s story with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star.

His previous feature releases include the critically acclaimed “Confessions of a

Dangerous Mind,” starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and George

Clooney, and the pre-teen caper “Catch That Kid.” Lazar also produced Danny DeVito’s

black comedy “Death to Smoochy,” starring Edward Norton, Robin Williams, and Catherine

Keener; Clint Eastwood’s “Space Cowboys,” an inspirational adventure about retired NASA

astronauts, starring Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones; and Nora Ephron's lottery comedy

“Lucky Numbers,” starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow. He also produced the

independent dramedy “Panic,” starring William H. Macy and Neve Campbell, which debuted

at the Sundance Film Festival; the Wachowski brothers’ directorial debut, “Bound,” a film

noir thriller starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly; “The Astronaut’s Wife,” starring

Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron; and his producing debut, Richard Donner’s “Assassins,”

starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas.

Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Lazar discovered his passion for

film while attending New York University. After making several student films, he got his

first break working for Academy Award-winning producer Richard Zanuck. He joined Dino

De Laurentiis Communications as a file clerk and ascended the ranks to become Executive

Vice President of Production. Lazar earned his first major film credit serving as executive

producer on John Dahl's provocative “Unforgettable,” starring Ray Liotta.

CHARLES ROVEN (Producer) is distinguished by over two decades as a producer

of independent and studio-based motion pictures. He is co-founder of Atlas Entertainment

and its affiliated company Atlas/Third Rail Management, which in 1999 became part of

Mosaic Media Group, an integrated multimedia film, television and management company

where he serves as a founding principal.

Roven is a producer on the July 2008 release “The Dark Knight,” the follow-up to

“Batman Begins,” directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine,

Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman. He

also serves as producer on “The International,” starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts under

the direction of Tom Tykwer, set for August. Among his upcoming projects is a film

adaptation of the DC Comics character “The Flash.”

Most recently, Roven produced the critically acclaimed film “The Bank Job,” starring

Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows and directed by Roger Donaldson, which opened at

number one at the UK box office in its opening week. He produced “Batman Begins,”

directed by Christopher Nolan and featuring an all-star cast including Christian Bale, Michael

Caine, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Ken Watanabe,

which was number one at the U.S. box office two weeks in a row with a worldwide gross of

over $370 million. Additionally, Roven produced “Live!,” written and directed by multiple

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Guttentag and starring Eva Mendes; the musical

“Idlewild,” directed by Bryan Barber and starring Outkast’s Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000)

and Antwan Patton (Big Boi); and the Terry Gilliam-directed “The Brothers Grimm,” starring

Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. Previously, Roven produced the $275 million-plus

worldwide box office hit “Scooby-Doo,” followed by its sequel, “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters

Unleashed.”

Roven is one of the industry’s most diverse filmmakers, having served as the producer

on such films as the Oscar-nominated “Twelve Monkeys,” “Fallen” and the $200 million

fantasy romance “City of Angels,” as well as the highly acclaimed post-Gulf War tale “Three

Kings.”

Roven began his career as a talent manager, subsequently bringing an attuned

sensibility for working with artists to the realm of production.

In 2008, he was honored with the ShoWest Producer of the Year Award for his

prolific contributions to the film industry.

ALEX GARTNER (Producer) has worked in the entertainment industry for over a

decade both as a producer and as a senior executive at two major studios, most recently

concentrating on producing.

In 2004 Gartner joined Atlas Entertainment as a producing partner with Mosaic

partner and Atlas Entertainment founder Charles Roven. Last year, he served as a producer

on the comedy mockumentary “Live!,” written and directed by Bill Guttentag, the multi

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, and starring Eva Mendes.

Gartner also produced the critically acclaimed “The Upside of Anger,” directed by

Mike Binder and starring Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood,

Alicia Witt and Keri Russell, and “Barbershop 2: Back in Business,” which starred Ice Cube

and Cedric The Entertainer, and was executive producer on “Out of Time,” starring Denzel

Washington, Sanaa Latham and Eva Mendes.

Previously, Gartner was President of Production at MGM Studios, where he

supervised the entire production slate, including such movies as “Die Another Day,”

“Barbershop,” “Legally Blonde,” “Heartbreakers” and “Windtalkers.”

After producing “Indecent Proposal” in 1993, Gartner became Executive Vice

President at Fox 2000, having started the division with President Laura Ziskin. At Fox 2000

he worked on such films as “Soul Food,” “Fight Club,” “Courage Under Fire,” “Men of

Honor” and Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line.”

MICHAEL EWING (Producer) is partnered with Peter Segal in Callahan Filmworks

and oversees the development of numerous feature film and television projects for the

company. Most recently, he executive produced the box office hits “The Longest Yard,”

starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds, and “50 First Dates,” starring Adam

Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and co-produced “Anger Management,” starring Adam Sandler

and Jack Nicholson. All three films were directed by Segal.

Ewing began his career in New York studying with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg at

the Actors Studio. He went on to direct and co-produce John Rechy’s off-Broadway play

“Tiger Wild,” before turning his attention to feature films.

His first feature was “The Naked Gun,” starring Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley.

He returned as associate producer on the next two successful sequels, “Naked Gun 2 1/2: The

Smell of Fear” and “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult,” on which he first worked with

director Peter Segal. Ewing went on to serve as associate producer and co-producer,

respectively, on the director’s next two features, the hit comedy “Tommy Boy,” with Chris

Farley and David Spade, and the critically acclaimed “My Fellow Americans,” starring Jack

Lemmon, James Garner, Dan Aykroyd and Lauren Bacall. He then co-produced Eddie

Murphy’s box-office hit “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.”

Ewing’s next venture as producer is the John August script of the classic Marvel

comic “Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam,” to be directed by Segal.

TOM J. ASTLE (Screenwriter) and screenwriting partner Matt Ember previously

wrote the screenplay for the hit romantic comedy “Failure to Launch,” and before that worked

for many years in television as solo writer-producers. They are currently working on another

script for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Astle’s television credits include “Coach,” “The Hughleys,” “Stargate” and many

others. He created the long-running Disney Channel series “So Weird” and, before that, won

an Emmy Award for writing another children’s series, “Adventures in Wonderland.”

He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s film school and lives in Sherman Oaks

when he isn’t sneaking away to go fishing in his native Montana.

MATT EMBER (Screenwriter) is currently working on another script for Warner

Bros. Pictures with his “Get Smart” screenwriting partner Tom J. Astle. The two previously

collaborated on the hit romantic comedy “Failure to Launch,” starring Matthew

McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Ember’s television writing credits include episodes of “Becker,” “Titus,” “The Drew

Carey Show” and “Grace Under Fire.”

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Ember lives in Sherman Oaks.

BRENT O’CONNOR (Executive Producer) most recently served as executive

producer on the inspiring drama “We Are Marshall,” starring Matthew McConaughey and

Matthew Fox, and the Harrison Ford thriller “Firewall.”

Previously, O’Connor was an executive producer on the 2005 action thriller “Elektra,”

starring Jennifer Garner, and the 2004 family adventure “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters

Unleashed.” His co-producing credits include “K-19: The Widowmaker,” starring Harrison

Ford and Liam Neeson, and “Bulletproof Monk,” starring Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William

Scott.

Among his current credits is the long-anticipated “X-Files” feature sequel, “The X-

Files: I Want to Believe,” set to debut in theaters July 2008.

Early in his career, O’Connor served as an electrician and business agent. He went on

to serve as production manager on a variety of feature films, including the Arnold

Schwarzenegger thriller “The Sixth Day”; the comedic romp “Rat Race,” starring Cuba

Gooding Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson; Gus Van Sant’s Academy

Award-winning “Good Will Hunting,” starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams and Ben

Affleck; and “Seven Years in Tibet,” with Brad Pitt; as well as “Eye See You,” “Jumanji,”

“Deep Rising,” “Disturbing Behavior” and “Andre.”

JIMMY MILLER (Executive Producer), founder of The Miller Company and

currently a principal in Mosaic Media Group, manages some of the most sought-after comedy

talent in the industry, including actors Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen.

He has also helped shape the careers of some of the most talented writers and directors

in the comedy genre, such as Jay Roach of the “Austin Powers” trilogy, “Meet the Parents”

and “Meet the Fockers”; Judd Apatow, of “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up” and

“Superbad”; Adam McKay of “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and

“Anchorman”; and Steve Rudnick and Leo Benvenuti of “The Santa Clause” trilogy and

“Kicking & Screaming.”

Miller's film producing credits include “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky

Bobby,” “Elf,” “Semi-Pro” and the upcoming comedy “Step Brothers,” with Will Ferrell and

John C. Reilly.

He is currently in production on the adventure comedy “Land of the Lost” and the

romantic comedy “She’s Out of My League.”

DANA GOLDBERG (Executive Producer) is President of Production at Village

Roadshow Pictures. She is currently executive producing the upcoming romantic drama

“Nights in Rodanthe,” starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

Since joining the company in 1998, Goldberg has been involved with Village

Roadshow Pictures’ entire slate of films, including “Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequels, “The

Matrix” trilogy, “Training Day,” “Mystic River,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Rumor Has It…” and

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” She has also served as an executive producer on the

blockbuster “I Am Legend,” starring Will Smith; the drama “The Brave One,” starring Jodie

Foster under the direction of Neil Jordan; the Oscar-winning animated feature “Happy Feet,”

directed by George Miller and featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany

Murphy, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman; “The Lake House,” starring Keanu Reeves and

Sandra Bullock; “The Dukes of Hazzard,” starring Johnny Knoxville and Seann William

Scott; and “Taking Lives,” starring Angelina Jolie.

Prior to joining Village Roadshow Pictures, Goldberg spent three years with Barry

Levinson and Paula Weinstein at Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures, where she was Vice

President of Production. She began her career in show business as an assistant at Hollywood

Pictures.

BRUCE BERMAN (Executive Producer) is Chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow

Pictures. The company will co-produce 65 theatrical features in a joint partnership with

Warner Bros. through 2008, with all films distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures

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 Academy Award; “Ocean’s Eleven,” starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts;

its sequels “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen”; “Two Weeks’ Notice,” pairing Sandra

Bullock and Hugh Grant; “Mystic River,” starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins in Oscar-

winning performances; the second and third installments of “The Matrix” trilogy, “The Matrix

Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”; Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,”

starring Johnny Depp; the Oscar-winning animated comedy adventure “Happy Feet”; Neil

Jordan’s “The Brave One,” starring Jodie Foster; the blockbuster “I Am Legend,” starring

Will Smith; and, most recently, the Wachowski brothers’ “Speed Racer,” starring Emile

Hirsch, Christina Ricci, and Matthew Fox.

Village Roadshow’s upcoming projects include the romantic drama “Nights in

Rodanthe,” reuniting Richard Gere and Diane Lane; the comedy “Yes Man,” starring Jim

Carrey; and “Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.

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.

DEAN SEMLER (Director of Photography) won an Academy Award for his work

on Kevin Costner's epic of the American West, “Dances With Wolves.” One of the world’s

most accomplished cinematographers, Semler has photographed a wide range of productions

in both his native Australia and the United States, as well as around the world.

Semler began his career at a local television station photographing news stories. This

led to a nine-year stint at Film Australia, where he made documentaries and anthropological

films for educational and research purposes. His first credit as a feature cinematographer was

“Let the Balloon Go” in 1976.

In Australia, Semler served as cinematographer for “Hoodwink”; the now classic

futuristic thriller “The Road Warrior,” which earned him an Australian Film Institute Award

nomination, and its follow-up, “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”; “Razorback,” for which he

won an AFI Award; “The Coca-Cola Kid”; “The Lighthorsemen”; and “Dead Calm,” for

which he received an Australian Film Critics Award nomination. His American credits

include “Young Guns” and “Young Guns II,” “Cocktail,” “Farewell to the King,” “City

Slickers,” “The Power of One,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Cowboy Way,”

“Waterworld,” “The Bone Collector,” “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps,” “Heartbreakers,”

“Dragonfly,” “We Were Soldiers,” “XXX,” “Bruce Almighty” and “The Alamo.”

More recently, Semler filmed the comedy “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,”

starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Jessica Biel; Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto,” for which

he received an ASC nomination; the romantic comedy “Just My Luck,” starring Lindsay

Lohan; and the box office hits “Click,” starring Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale and

Christopher Walken, and “The Longest Yard,” starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt

Reynolds. He also worked with director Rob Cohen on the action-adventure thriller “Stealth.”

For television, Semler photographed “Return to Eden” in Australia and “Passion

Flower” in the U.S. He also served as cinematographer and second unit director on the

television miniseries “Lonesome Dove” and “Son of the Morning Star.”

During the filming of “XXX,” Semler was the recipient of a Member in the General

Division of the Order of Australia, appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services

to the arts, an honor bestowed upon him by his fellow countrymen.

WYNN THOMAS (Production Designer) has worked with some of the film

industry’s most important directors. For director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer he

designed the Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind” and the critically acclaimed “Cinderella

Man,” both starring Russell Crowe. For director Tim Burton, Thomas designed the cult

classic “Mars Attacks!” He also designed the offbeat comedy “To Wong Foo Thanks for

Everything, Julie Newmar,” directed by Beeban Kidron; “Keeping the Faith,” for

actor/director Edward Norton; and, most recently, “Breach,” directed by Billy Ray.

Thomas has had a long-term relationship with Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Productions,

having been for many years their in-house designer. He was the production designer on “A

Bronx Tale,” directed by De Niro; “Wag the Dog,” directed by Barry Levinson and starring

De Niro and Dustin Hoffman; and “Analyze This” and “Analyze That,” both directed by

Harold Ramis and starring De Niro and Billy Crystal.

He has also collaborated with director Spike Lee on more than 10 films, beginning

with “She’s Gotta Have It” and continuing with “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Mo’

Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever,” the epic biographical drama “Malcolm X,” “Crooklyn,” “He

Got Game,” “The Original Kings of Comedy” and, most recently, the critical and commercial

success “Inside Man.”

A graduate of Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Design, Thomas began his

career designing sets for the theatre. He was resident designer with the world-famous Negro

Ensemble Company and also designed sets for Joe Papp’s Public Theatre, the Arena Stage in

Washington, DC, Great Lakes Shakespeare Company in Cleveland and the Long Wharf

Theatre in New Haven.

As an assistant art director, he worked with distinguished production designer Richard

Sylbert on “The Cotton Club,” and also art-directed or assisted on “Beat Street,” “The Money

Pit,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “The Package,” with Gene Hackman.

Thomas holds the distinction of being the first African-American production designer

to become a member of the Art Directors Guild in Los Angeles and was the first African-

American nominated for an Art Directors Guild Award, for his design work on “Mars

Attacks!”

RICHARD PEARSON (Editor) is currently at work on the James Bond film

“Quantum of Solace,” starring Daniel Craig, for director Marc Forster.

Pearson most recently served as editor on the Will Ferrell comedy “Blades of Glory,”

and shared editing duties with Clare Douglas and Christopher Rouse on writer/director Paul

Greengrass’s acclaimed historic drama “United 93.” His work on that film garnered him an

Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Editing, along with a BAFTA win for

Best Feature Film Editing and an Eddie Award nomination from the American Cinema

Editors.

Previously, Pearson edited the motion picture adaptation of the groundbreaking

Broadway musical “Rent”; the dark ensemble comedy “A Little Trip to Heaven”; and, with

Christopher Rouse, the international hit “The Bourne Supremacy.” Pearson also edited the

jungle-set action-adventure “The Rundown,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Seann William

Scott, and, with Steven Weisberg, the hit sequel “Men in Black II.” His other motion picture

credits include “The Score,” “Drowning Mona,” “Bowfinger” and “Muppets from Space.”

Pearson earned both an Emmy Award nomination and an Eddie Award nomination for

his work on the 1998 miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.” He also created the title

design for the acclaimed series.

TREVOR RABIN (Music), having scored the blockbuster hits “Armageddon” and

“Enemy of the State,” “Deep Blue Sea,” “Gone In 60 Seconds,” “Remember the Titans,”

“National Treasure” and “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets,” has secured his position in

the first rank of popular film composers.

Rabin is part of a new group of film composers who hail from the world of rock

music. A member of the group YES since 1983, he played guitar and wrote most of the

material on their best-selling album “90125,” including the number-one single “Owner of a

Lonely Heart.” He also penned the majority of the songs and served as co-producer on the

YES album “Big Generator,” which sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Additionally, he

has written or co-written the songs, played every instrument but drums, produced, and

engineered almost all of his solo work.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Rabin studied classical piano and trained as a

conductor and arranger. His first professional band performed original anti-apartheid songs

and his family was heavily involved in anti-apartheid activities—Sidney Kentridge, his

father’s first cousin, is the lawyer who pressed charges against the South African government

on behalf of Steven Biko’s family after his death. Rabin later founded the band Rabbit, which

became the most popular South African rock band in history.

Rabin’s diversity shows in his work, from the soulful score to “Glory Road,” on which

he collaborated with Alicia Keys, to the comedic “Kangaroo Jack” and “The Banger Sisters,”

as well as the spectacularly epic score for “Armageddon,” the intricate, unnerving electronic

score for the techno-thriller “Enemy of the State” and a lyrical orchestral sound for the family

film “Jack Frost.” For the documentary “Whispers,” he returned to his roots, drawing on

traditional African instrumentation, rhythms and vocal performances.

Rabin’s additional film scores include “Bad Boy 2,” “The Great Raid,” “Coach

Carter,” “Snakes on a Plane” and “The Guardian.”

DEBORAH SCOTT (Costume Designer) was honored with an Academy Award for

Best Costume Design in 1988, as well as a BAFTA Award nomination, for her work on James

Cameron’s record-breaking blockbuster “Titanic.”

Scott previously worked for director Michael Bay on last year’s science fiction action

adventure “Transformers,” as well as “The Island” and “Bad Boys II”; and for producer

Steven Spielberg on his science fiction thriller “Minority Report.”

More recently, she designed the costumes for “Reign Over Me,” starring Adam

Sandler, Don Cheadle and Jada Pinkett Smith; “Seraphim Falls,” with Liam Neeson and

Pierce Brosnan; and Andy Garcia’s directorial debut, “The Lost City.” Scott’s other feature

film credits include “The Upside of Anger,” “The Patriot,” “Wild Wild West,” “Heat,” “The

Indian in the Cupboard,” “Legends of the Fall,” “Sliver,” “Jack the Bear,” “Hoffa,”

“Defending Your Life” and “Back to the Future.”

She next re-teams with Michael Bay for “Transformers 2,” currently in production and

slated for a 2009 release.

La comedia de acción “Get Smart” envía al agente de CONTROL Maxwell Smart

(Steve Carell) a su misión más peligrosa e importante: hacer fracasar un complot de la

organización criminal conocida como KAOS, para dominar el mundo.

Casualmente esa es también su primera misión.

La central de la agencia espía norteamericana CONTROL es atacada, y las identidades

de sus agentes quedan a riesgo de ser descubiertas. El Jefe (Alan Arkin) no tiene más opción

que promover a agente a su muy entusiasta analista: Maxwell Smart. Smart siempre soñó con

poder trabajar con el incondicional agente estrella 23 (Dwayne Johnson), su ídolo. Para su

sorpresa, El Jefe lo pone a trabajar en pareja con alguien cuya identidad no quedó

comprometida tras el ataque: la hermosa y letal agente veterana 99 (Anne Hathaway).

Smart y 99 están a punto de descubrir el plan maestro de KAOS - además de a sí

mismos mutuamente – cuando descubren que el operario clave de KAOS, Siegfried (Terence

Stamp) y su compinche Shtarker (Ken Davitian), elucubran alguna cosa para sacar provecho a

través de su red de terror. Smart no tiene experiencia trabajando en el campo como agente, y

además no cuenta con demasiado tiempo. Entonces, con tan solo unos pocos artefactos

técnicos de espía y un entusiasmo imparable, él deberá vencer a KAOS y resolver el caso.

Warner Bros. Pictures en sociedad con Village Roadshow Pictures, presenta una

producción de Mosaic Media Group / Mad Chance / Callahan Filmworks, la película de Peter

Segal: “Get Smart”, protagonizada por Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan

Arkin, Terence Stamp y James Caan. El film fue dirigido por Peter Segal, y escrito por Tom J.

Astle & Matt Ember, basándose en los personajes creados por Mel Brooks y Buck Henry.

Andrew Lazar, Charles Roven, Alex Gartner y Michael Ewing fueron los productores. Peter

Segal, Steve Carell, Brent O’Connor, Jimmy Miller, Dana Goldberg y Bruce Berman fueron

los productores ejecutivos.

El equipo creativo estuvo formado por: el director de fotografía ganador del Premio de

la Academia Dean Semler (“Dances with Wolves”), el diseñador de producción Wynn

Thomas (“A Beautiful Mind”), el editor postulado para el premio de la Academia Richard

Pearson (“United 93”), y la diseñadora de vestuario ganadora del Premio de la Academia,

Deborah Scott (“Titanic”). Música de Trevor Rabin, nominado al premio Grammy (Video

musical Yes “90123 Live”).

“Get Smart” será distribuida mundialmente por Warner Bros. Pictures, una compañía

Warner Bros. Entertainment, y en territorios selectos por Village Roadshow Pictures. Esta

película ha sido clasificada PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned= Advertencia Especial para

Padres- parte del material puede ser poco adecuado para menores de 13 años) por la

asociación MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) dada sus “bromas groseras,

escenas violentas, y parte de su lenguaje”. Música original de Varèse Sarabande.

Para descargar información general y fotos de

“Get Smart” del Internet, por favor visite: http://press.warnerbros.com

SOBRE LA PRODUCCIÓN

Es el primer día de trabajo del Agente Maxwell Smart, y el destino del mundo libre

nunca ha estado en mejores manos

“¿Podrías creer?...”

El director Peter Segal vio a la película “Get Smart” desde un punto de vista tanto

como cineasta como de fanático de la serie. -“El show era un ícono en la década de 1960. Un

clásico, y uno de mis programas favoritos”- comenta –“Me encantaba. Era inteligente,

irreverente y muy gracioso”.

El productor Charles Roven dice: -“La intención no era recrear el programa, sino

actualizarlo, hacerlo funcionar en nuestro tiempo con una perspectiva moderna, y con escenas

de acción que no sólo sirvieran para acentuar las risas, sino que fueran dignas de cualquier

película de suspenso o policial. Queríamos traer este mundo de súper espías a una nueva era,

en la escala y con la perspectiva que verdaderamente merece la pantalla grande”.

Segal descubrió que con tan solo imaginar los personajes familiares y algunos otros

nuevos, y poniéndolos en situaciones de hoy, dignas de títulos de primera plana, se generaban

miles de ideas y bromas, inspiradas por el mismo sentido del humor inteligente que hizo

memorable la serie original, creada por los comediantes innovadores Mel Brooks y Buck

Henry.

-“Nuestro fin era continuar el estilo de lo que Mel y Buck habían creado, para

entregárselo a la nueva generación. Esta película es un homenaje a los pilares de la serie, a su

irreverente sátira política, y a algunas de sus frases típicas que hoy son parte de nuestra

cultura”- explica Segal -““Get Smart” del 2008 tiene una nueva y fresca perspectiva, además

de estilo y energía propios. La idea era hacer una película que tuviera algo que ofrecer tanto a

los nuevos espectadores como a los viejos fanáticos de la serie, y por supuesto, que fuera tan

graciosa como fuera posible, al punto que no importase si uno conocía o no la serie”.

El productor Alex Gartner da crédito a Segal por: -“la habilidad de mezclar comedia

inteligente con acción seria. Ninguna de esas cosas es fácil y sin duda, no son fáciles de

mezclar. Sin embargo Peter se destaca por eso, por lo que quisimos que él dirigiera el film.

Aquí hay mucho humor físico que sucede contra un telón realista”.

Steve Carell, es quien da vida a Maxwell Smart, y también fue uno de los productores

ejecutivos de la película. Resumiendo, él dice: -“Yo diría que es 80% comedia, 20% acción,

15% corazón, 35% romance, 10% aventura y probablemente menos del 1% de terror. Al

poner todo eso junto, uno obtiene el 100%, lo cual es mucho más de lo que uno espera de

cualquier película”.

El productor Andrew Lazar dice al respecto: -“Que Steve Carell interpretara a Max era

la parte más importante del armado de la película. Su presencia fue catalizadora de todo, y sus

ideas de cómo personificar al personaje dio el tono a todo el film”.

-“Lo primero que me atrajo para hacer esta película fue Steve”- reconoce Segal, quien

confiaba en la fuerza que daría Carell al film, inclusive antes de leer el guión -“Para mí, no

había nadie más que pudiera hacer justicia al personaje, y si uno no tiene el correcto Max, no

vale la pena hacer nada”.

-“Pudimos adaptar el guión especialmente para el inmenso talento cómico de Steve,

lo cual nos dio la libertad de hacer cosas que con otra gente no podríamos haber hecho”-

explica el productor Michael Ewing -“Junto con los guionistas Tom Astle y Matt Ember,

Peter y Steve desarrollaron el personaje y algunos de las escenas claves de la historia”. Dada

su experiencia ganada durante el tiempo en que trabajaba en la famosa “Second City”, Carell,

juntamente con los cineastas y sus compañeros de actuación, ideaba nuevas bromas e ideas

para las distintas escenas.

Para volver a lanzar el viejo programa al Siglo XXI, Segal y los productores,

decidieron comenzar con un paso hacia el pasado de “Get Smart”. Mencionando el exitoso

lanzamiento de “Batman Begins” en el año 2005, Segal explica: -“Me gusta la manera en que

esa película reinventó la franquicia “Batman”, contando el origen de la historia de manera

completamente distinta. Con eso en mente, comenzamos desde el principio de la historia de

Maxwell Smart, mostrando cómo él llegó a convertirse en agente, cómo conoció a 99, y su

primer encuentro con el maligno Siegfried, de la organización KAOS. Todos esos elementos

ya estaban dados en el show de televisión”.

-“De aquí en más, él es el Max que muchos de nosotros conocemos y amamos. Esta

película nos muestra cómo Max llegó a ser agente secreto. Es una buena presentación para los

nuevos espectadores, y al mismo tiempo ofrece a sus fanáticos al personaje que aman y

recuerdan, el “súper agente secreto”” – dice el guionista Tom J. Astle.

Al comenzar la película, Max está tratando de descifrar la grabación de una

sospechosa charla internacional, y preparando un enorme reporte para sus colegas de

CONTROL.

Max es un gran analista, pero su jefe, El Jefe, lamentablemente no le puede ofrecer lo

que él más desea en la vida: convertirse en agente secreto, aunque se haya estado entrenando

esmeradamente para ello.

Carell comenta: -“Max es muy dedicado y muy serio en lo que hace, pero

desesperadamente quiere intentar trabajar como agente”.

-“En ese aspecto, al igual que en todas sus comedias, Steve le da un costado humano a

su personaje, lo que hace que uno se compadezca por él”- comenta Segal -“Su Max ve esta

oportunidad como la oportunidad de su vida, y eso impulsa las decisiones y la acción que

toma”.

-“Al igual que le pasaría a cualquier otra persona, Max teme que si pierde esta gran

oportunidad, nunca más se le va a volver a dar”- dice el guionista Matt Ember -“Pero de

pronto, de un minuto al otro, el destino lo catapulta hacia el trabajo que siempre soñó tener.

Esta es su gran oportunidad”.

Cuando el viejo enemigo de CONTROL, KAOS, ataca la central de la agencia dejando

expuestas las identidades de sus agentes clave, El Jefe no tiene otra salida más que darle a

Max el cargo de Agente 86. Así, lo envía a realizar una misión peligrosa, que aún para un

agente veterano presentaría riesgos.

Si bien eso está lejos de ser la mejor de las situaciones, para Max es un sueño hecho

realidad.

-“Sin ninguna duda Max tiene mucho que aprender, y comete errores” – comenta el

productor Lazar -“Pero él tiene talento y lo demuestra cuando comienza la acción. Resuelve

las situaciones de maneras inesperadas, al punto de sorprender a su dudosa compañera. Max

no hace las cosas siguiendo las reglas, aunque las conoce mejor que nadie”.

Roven detalla: -“Aunque Max había estudiado todo el libro de reglamentos de los

agentes y había pasado todos los exámenes, nunca había estado en una circunstancia en la que

hubiera gente que lo quisiera matar a balazos”.

Max no tuvo tiempo de preparaciones ni de ensayos, pero dada la situación no le

queda otra que aprender en plena acción y corriendo. Literalmente.

Como medida desesperada, lo pusieron de compañero con la Agente 99, la única entre

los agentes tope de CONTROL cuya identidad no había quedado comprometida. Anne

Hathaway, la actriz que interpreta el papel de 99, dice: -“99 está completamente

decepcionada, porque la ponen a trabajar con un novato. Todo lo que Max hace en los

primeros 5 minutos de conocerla, confirma sus más grandes temores. Por lo tanto, Max debe

probarle a su jefe que él es la persona indicada para trabajar con esta muy decidida agente,

quien a su vez, no le va a hacer la vida nada fácil”.

Segal asegura que la intención nunca había sido que el tenaz agente con tanta

tendencia a tener accidentes, fuera torpe. -“El humor aquí sale del desenfrenado entusiasmo

de Max, combinado con su desafortunada carencia de experiencia en el campo”.

-“Pese a todo, es rápido para recuperarse. Su mente está siempre activa, y él tiene la

seguridad de que todo lo que hace siempre está bien, inclusive si a veces las cosas le salen

mal”- agrega el director.

Ese es el encanto de Maxwell Smart, describe Leonard Stern, quien anteriormente

había sido productor ejecutivo y escritor –ganador del Premio Emmy- de la serie original.

Stern tiene un cameo en esta nueva película, en el cual hace las veces del desconcertado piloto

que es arrancado de su avión en nombre de la seguridad nacional. -“Uno tira para el lado de

Max. Queremos que le salgan las cosas bien, porque cada vez que se cae, inmediatamente se

levanta y se olvida de lo sucedido. Se sacude la tierra con mucho aplomo, y encara el

problema de manera distinta”.

-“Cuando miraba el show original, yo siempre pensaba que Maxwell Smart no era

ningún tonto”- dice Carell, quien era fanático de la serie. -“A mi parecer, era un tipo muy

ingenioso capaz luchar por sus principios. No siempre elegía hacer lo que otros en su lugar

hubiesen hecho, pero aún si ningún tipo de intuición se las arreglaba para salir vencedor”.

Al presentar a Max como un agente novato, cuyas habilidades están aún por probarse,

Carell comienza desde un punto muy diferente del de Don Adams en la serie original. Sobre

él el actor dice: -“Don era muy peculiar. No hay manera de poder recrear su estilo, y yo

preferí no personificarlo. En vez, busqué representar la esencia del personaje dentro del molde

que imponía el show, y sin sacarle nada, crear algo nuevo y fresco, si bien honrando al

original”.

CONTROL es la agencia secreta a la que Maxwell Smart dedica su vida, y KAOS es

el grupo que Max ha jurado eliminar. Gran parte de la mística de “Get Smart” es la constante

lucha entre las dos agencias rivales de espías. Su existencia se desconoce, salvo en altos

círculos del gobierno.

-“La idea original era que CONTROL era una agencia de espías norteamericana, cuyo

foco único era vencer a KAOS, una organización internacional secreta de espías. Kaos hace

todo lo posible por crear… bueno, caos”- explica Ewing -“Ambas agencias son caras

opuestas, que de una u otra forma representan el bien y el mal”. En “Get Smart” sin embargo,

representan más oportunidades para la comedia.

En el mundo definido por CONTROL y KAOS, uno nunca sabe si una lapicera es

simplemente una lapicera, o tal vez una pistola de dardos. Las cabinas de teléfonos se

convierten en ascensores. Hay complicadas contraseñas y códigos secretos, aparatos

fantásticos que dejarían asombrado a James Bond y agentes secretos que aparecen cuando uno

menos se lo espera.

-“El show se transmitía durante la Guerra Fría y Vietnam y reflejaba muchas de las

preocupaciones de la época. De igual manera, nos inspiramos en los titulares de noticias de

hoy para “Get Smart””- explica Segal, refiriéndose al conocimiento público de eventos

clandestinos que ocurren alrededor del mundo. “Dada la cantidad de agencias similares a la

CIA, el FBI, Seguridad Nacional y potencialmente otros cientos del estilo, que existen en los

Estados Unidos, la idea de que organizaciones secretas como CONTROL y KAOS existan, no

es tan loca. En política aún suceden muchas cosas para satirizar y hacer reír”.

-“En otras palabras, a través de los mismos 40 y pico de años en los que “Get Smart”

se transmitió en una atmósfera de tensión y sospecha internacional, las cosas no han cambiado

demasiado” - dice Stern muy ocurrente.

Está claro que ahora más que nunca necesitamos a Maxwell Smart nuevamente.

“El VIEJO TRUCO DE… encontrar actores ocurrentes que al mismo tiempo

luchen contra asesinos, sobre el techo de un auto andando toda velocidad”

“Get Smart” junta a Maxwell Smart con personajes ya conocidos y también presenta

otros varios nuevos.

-“Hay una interacción fantástica entre los personajes que realmente resalta, y eso se

debe a la buena selección de actores”- detalla Gartner -“Uno puede ver el buen entendimiento

y a la vez la rivalidad entre Max y 99, entre Siegfried y su asistente, y la relación casi paterna

entre El Jefe y Max”.

La muy eficiente Agente 99, está interpretada por Anne Hathaway. De la misma

manera que la estrella de la serie original Barbara Feldon, daba vida al personaje favorito de

los fanáticos -que era el epítome de la mujer liberada de su tiempo - Hathaway ahora la

presenta como una mujer confiada y muy profesional. -“Ella es una muchacha que muy bien

puede competir con los muchachos”- comenta Hathaway - “Repetidamente es ella la que

marca el ritmo de las cosas. Sin embargo, nunca sacrifica su femineidad, lo cual es otra de las

cosas que identifica la serie: eso y su obsesión con la ropa Chanel. A ella le encanta ser una

mujer que puede correr y luchar en tacos altos. Ella no lamenta ser mujer y tampoco quiere

que por ello la traten distinto”.

Segal quiso trabajar con la diseñadora de vestuario ganadora del Oscar, Deborah Scott

(“Titanic”) para que creara un vestuario especial para 99, al cual Hathaway describe de la

siguiente manera”-“Era apropiado para luchar contra Ninjas, pero también para desfilar en

una pasarela. Era clásicamente elegante y divertido al mismo tiempo, moderno pero con un

toque de los años 60, ropa práctica e innegablemente femenina. Exactamente como la dama

que la usa”.

Lazar comenta: -“Es muy difícil confiar en la gente cuando uno es un espía. 99 había

llegado lejos en su carrera, no justamente por abrirse a la gente. Por otro lado, ella también es

una persona común y tiene el mismo tipo de preocupaciones que todo el mundo tiene. Ann

deja traslucir ese costado de su personaje. Y ese es el centro de las conversaciones entre Max

y 99, pese a sus diferencias”.

Hathaway dice que le dieron el papel porque: -“Pude darle la réplica a Steve 5

segundos más que las otras actrices que se postularon. No es fácil seguirle el tren. El me

enseñó ahora mucha comedia e improvisación. El y Pete me hicieron sentir muy protegida

desde ambos lados de la cámara”.

Los cineastas eligieron a Dwayne Johnson para el papel del nuevo personaje, el

Agente 23, invencible e infinitamente carismático. El es el agente del que Max quiere ser

compañero. Conociendo el gran sentido del humor de Johnson, los realizadores pensaron que

estaría estupendo en el papel de agente superestrella de CONTROL. Juntos trabajaron para

desarrollar y presentar a 23 en el mundo de “Get Smart” como el mentor e ídolo de Max.

-“Lo bueno de Dwayne es que ya tiene un currículum de acción enorme, y a la vez es

escandalosamente gracioso. Tiene una personalidad muy cálida, y todo eso junto ayuda a la

creación de su personaje” – declara Roven -“El Agente 23 no sólo es súper simpático, es el

tipo que todos quieren ser, y a la vez es como un buen hermano mayor para Max. Siempre lo

alienta a llevar a cabo su sueño de convertirse en agente”.

Por su lado, Johnson dice que la mejor manera de describir a su personaje es la

siguiente: -“Es simplemente el mejor agente del planeta, el jugador estrella que es siempre el

mejor en todo lo que hace. Ama su trabajo y se ama a sí mismo, y no teme que la gente lo

sepa… pero de buena manera, lo que hace que aún sea más agradable. Además a 23 le

importa mucho su protegido Max, y siempre lo defiende cuando los bravucones de la oficina

lo provocan”.

La responsabilidad de mantener a los matones de la oficina y todo lo demás de

CONTROL en orden, es del Jefe, interpretado Alan Arkin. El actor ve a su personaje: –

“Como al director de una escuela superior, en un barrio difícil. El es muy impetuoso, tiene

muchas presiones y se siente frustrado frecuentemente. Pero en general es un buen jefe, y

además es muy eficaz en su cargo. Pese al gran afecto que siente por Max, su lealtad hacia la

agencia está primero”.

Carell fue quien sugirió a Arkin para el papel, pues ya habían trabajado juntos en la

aclamada comedia del 2006, “Little Miss Sunshine”, por la cual Arkin ganó el Premio de la

Academia.

Arkin había formado parte de la primera compañía de la famosa troupe de

improvisadores Second City de Chicago, a la vanguardia de una tradición compartida por los

actores de “Get Smart” Masi Oka, Nate Torrence y David Koechner. -“Llevo la

improvisación en la sangre”- dice Arkin -“Inclusive cuando seguíamos el guión, si se hacían

distintas tomas de la misma escena, la improvisación salía a flote. Pero Pete lo aceptaba sin

problemas”.

Ewing reconoce que Arkin impone su propio ritmo cómico a su papel, y al respecto

dice: -“El Jefe tiene una presencia activa formidable. Es creíble que él haya sido el jefe de la

agencia por más de 30 años y aún tiene el mismo ímpetu que lo pone a la altura del mejor de

sus agentes”.

Segal agrega: -“Arkin es un gran actor dramático y también muy buen comediante. El

puede darle a su personaje la seriedad que tendría si supiera que el mundo se va a acabar, lo

cual lo hace aún más gracioso”.

Interpretando al enemigo más grande del Jefe, el su súper malvado Siegfried, de

KAOS, está el actor postulado para el Oscar, Terence Stamp.

-“La actuación de Terence es fría y seca”- comenta Segal -“el es muy convincente, y

hace muy creíble que su personaje quiera dominar el mundo”.

En parte, Siegfried se gana la simpatía de los espectadores porque pese a lo corrupto

que es, el hombre trata de hacer su trabajo en medio de toda la confusión que lo rodea. La

culpa es de CONTROL, pero también lo es la incompetencia de sus propios agentes. -“En ese

sentido, todos los que trabajan en una oficina pueden identificarse con él”- explica el director.

Stamp se inspiró en el personaje Malvolio de “Twelfth Night” para crear su Siegfried.

-“Es un personaje pomposo y engreído, que subestima a todo el mundo. Para Siegfried, todos

están por debajo de él. Todos conocemos a alguien de ese estilo, y desafortunadamente esas

personas tienen posiciones de poder, y no se pueden dar el lujo de reconocer al resto de la

gente como individuos”.

-“Para mí siempre es una alegría actuar en una comedia” – continúa diciendo Stamp –

“es algo que recién comenzó tarde en mi carrera de actor de cine. Sin embargo, he hecho

comedia en teatro antes. A Pete le gustó mi manera de interpretar al personaje Zod, en las

películas de Súperman. Por eso traté de darle ese toque lacónico también a Siegfried”.

El sufrido asistente de Siegfried, Shtarker, fue interpretado por Ken Davitian, a quien

se lo pudo ver en la serie “Borat”. Al respecto Carell dice bromeando: -“Ken vino a nuestra

primera lectura de guión completamente desnudo”.

Bueno, seguramente eso no es cierto. Pero en el encuentro con Davitian sucedió algo

inesperado. Segal dice recordando:-“Se presentó a la selección de actores haciendo un fuerte

acento al hablar, como si él no entendiera nada de lo que yo le decía”. El actor, natural de

California, se había presentado para hacer otro papel, pero luego, y con su voz verdadera,

preguntó si podía interpretar el papel de Shtarker.

Segal dice: -“La única razón por la que yo no lo había considerado para el papel de

Shtarker, era que yo creía que no hablaba mucho inglés. En realidad, él es el Shtarker

perfecto, y simplemente verlo al lado de Terence, ya es gracioso. Claro que una vez que le

dimos el papel, le pedí que vuelva a hacer su acento extranjero, porque KAOS es

internacional, una empresa que ofrece igualdad de posibilidades”. El que su acento en “Get

Smart” sea completamente diferente al de Siegfried es aún mejor.

Shtarker está completamente al servicio de Siegfried, y obedece cada manía suya. Pero

lo hace de una manera que deja ver a todos los espectadores atentos, que de muy buena gana

empujaría a su jefe bajo las ruedas de un ómnibus, si supiera que de alguna forma no sería

descubierto. -“Durante largo tiempo Shtarker esperó que se abriera una vacante en el

departamento de correos, pero nunca sucedió”- explica Davitian -“En ese lapso, tuvo que

hacer todo el trabajo sucio que Siegfried le ordenó= matar gente, lavar su auto, y cualquier

otro tipo de cosa. Era un trabajo horrible. En verdad, el tipo me da mucha lástima”.

Mientras tanto, si