J.K. Simmons To Appear in Jason Reitman Film
J.K. Simmons, who plays Assistant Chief Will Pope on the record-breaking cable series,
The Closer, will be appearing in Jason Reitman’s upcoming film,
Juno.
Other members of the dark comedy’s ensemble cast include Jason Bateman as Mark Loring, Michael Cera as Paulie Bleeker, Allison Janney as Brenn MacGuff, Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff, Olivia Thirlby as Leah and Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Loring. Simmons will portray Mac MacGuff.
The 52-year-old
The Closer star was associated with the Seattle Repertory Theater. Before he stepped into the television and film industries, Simmons worked extensively in Broadway, having appeared in such revival productions as
Guys & Dolls and
Carousel. In the small screen, he appeared in three of the four
Law & Order shows as Dr. Emil Skoda and played Vernon Schillinger on the prison drama
Oz. As for the big screen, his credits include the three
Spider-Man movies (where he played J. Jonah Jameson),
The Jackal, Cider House Rules, For Love of the Game, Autumn in New York and
The Mexican.
In an interview with the Jew Review online magazine, Reitman said that the story is “about a 16-year-old girl (Page) who gets pregnant; she decides to give her baby up for adoption, and finds a yuppy couple in their early 30’s to adopt her baby. She proceeds to have a relationship with the man in that couple.”
Reitman also described Page’s character as a “very strong, independent-minded 16-year-old girl, who, every time she has to react to something, she says or does something unexpected.”
The director also had high praises for the film’s cast. “This is an un-real cast, and it makes my job a lot easier and it makes my job a lot more terrifying because I look at all these brilliant people, and I can’t screw up,” he said.
Aside from Reitman's
Juno, which is scheduled for release late this year,
The Closer fans can catch Simmons in another upcoming movie,
Rendition. The thriller stars Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin. Simmons will appear as Lee Mayers.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: jewreview.net
(Photo Courtesy of Yahoo)