A Letter from Harold Perrineau Jr..

A CAST MEMBERS LETTER

June 10, 2003


Dear Friends,

Recently more minority themed projects are succeeding on a large scale than in our past history.  I am writing this letter to shed light on one section of Hollywood that is still far behind the curve.  As you may know, it’s tough to get any part in a film with hundreds of actors auditioning for everything from a “one-line part” to the “lead roles.”  In the last couple of years Hollywood has been slowly opening up to more people of color allowing actors such as Michael Clarke Duncan, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and more recently Halle Berry to play parts originally written as “white” roles.  The studios are more supportive of Black Americans in lead roles both in front and behind the cameras.

However, in the independent sector of filmmaking, “Black themed” projects are still in short supply and most parts are still heavily slanted to white actors unless it is a gangster film or some other stereotypical theme.  Non-white actors are given even less opportunities in non-Black themed projects because there is a perception in Hollywood that Black actors don’t fill seats.  As an actor, I have built up a resume by being cast in supporting parts in large studio pictures such as “Romeo + Juliet,” “The Edge” and more recently “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “The Matrix: Revolutions” by directors more interested in talented actors than the color of their skin.  Following my work on the HBO series “Oz” and the above-mentioned films, I have finally achieved enough recognition that filmmakers will consider me for lead roles in independent films.

There is a perception in Hollywood that Black Americans only like commercial or mainstream films aimed at the lowest common denominator.  This is an opinion I’d like to change by showing Hollywood that Black Americans will support independent films and actors with Black Americans cast in the lead roles.  So I am writing to alert everyone to my newest film, “ON_LINE” which will open in NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN JOSE AND TORONTO on June 27, 2003.  It will open in the following weeks in CHICAGO, SEATTLE, ST. LOUIS, HONOLULU, BOSTON and PORTLAND, among other cities.

As with any small independent film, the distribution company marketing the film has a limited budget, but I am proud of the fact that they have been using images of both myself and of Vanessa Ferlito to sell the film.  I am one of very few Black Americans headlining independent films and need your support to make sure that this film finds an audience.  Please find time in your schedule to support this independent film by passing along this email to your friends and buying a ticket on the opening weekend in your city.  The release of this film can set a benchmark for the support by Black Americans of quality independent films.

In closing I will include a quick synopsis.

ON_LINE is a sometimes comic and often erotically charged exploration of the relative anonymity, convenience and dramatic possibilities of sex on the Internet, starring Harold Perrineau ( HBO’s “Oz,” “Matrix: Reloaded”), Josh Hamilton (“The House Of Yes,” “Urbania”), Vanessa Ferlito (“25th Hour,” “Spider Man 2”), John Fleck, Eric Millegan and Isabel Gillies.  Set and shot in New York City, the film’s lively mix of digital technology, split screens and streaming webcams tells the story of interconnecting characters whose electronic couplings lead to vibrant explosions of color and heavy breathing, as well as moments of conflict and, ultimately, surprising intimacy.  The film centers on two friends and roommates, John (Hamilton) and Moe (Perrineau), who operate Intercon-X, a live erotic Website that hosts this diverse array of relationships: gay and straight, for-pay and for-real, exploitative and empowering.

Thank you,

Harold Perrineau (“MOE”)