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Everyone deserves a chance to follow their dreams, but some people only get one shot. Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) is a rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks and the only thing that stands between him and an unfulfilled life are his dreams of one day making it out of there. Nora (Jenna Dewan) is a privileged ballet dancer attending Baltimore's ultra-elite Maryland School of the Arts - and the only thing standing in the way of her obviously brilliant future is finding a great dance partner for her senior showcase. When trouble with the law lands Tyler with a community service gig at Maryland School of the Arts, he arrives as an angry outsider, until his skills as a gifted street dancer draw Nora's attention. Now, as sparks fly between them, both on and off stage, Tyler realizes he has just one performance to prove that he can step up to a life far larger than he ever imagined. Featuring the directorial debut of leading choreographer Anne Fletcher, the film also stars R&B superstar Mario, Drew Sidora as well as rap legend Heavy D, Damaine Radcliff, De'Shawn Washington and Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Rachel Griffiths.
On the heels of executive producing “Mr. And Mrs. Smith,” STEP UP producer Erik Feig wanted to make the kind of classic, music-driven, character-focused movie that he and his friends had found so mesmerizing while growing up. Having been inspired by such entertainments as “Saturday Night Fever,” “Fame” and “Dirty Dancing” – and moved by recent films that ventured realistically into the hip-hop world such as “8 Mile” and “Save The Last Dance” -- Feig felt it was time to bring back the genre with a fresh, gritty take inspired by today’s youth issues and styles.
“This is an idea that I’d been thinking about for many years,” says Feig. “I remember that era when great music-oriented movies were not just aimed at girls but had a guy’s point of view, too, and that really interested me. There’s something so universal in the love of music, and I wanted to make a movie that would appeal to everyone, as much to men as to women. That’s why I liked the idea of setting STEP UP around a scrappy underdog who finds an unlikely dream and gives it his all to make it happen.” It was from a true-life, pivotal moment that the character of Tyler Gage -- who gets his one shot at a different future and an unlikely romance when he is forced to do community service at a performing arts school -- was born.
Along with his Summit Entertainment producing partner Patrick Wachsberger, Feig began to search for a director. It was then that Feig had a stroke of luck – running into renowned choreographer, director and producer Adam Shankman at his local gym. “Erik ran up to me and actually said these words: ‘Who’s the next you?’” recalls Shankman. “Why, I wondered, have I passed on? Am I done? But I came to realize that he was asking who was going to be the next great choreographer who wanted to breakout as a director, and if I knew that person."
It turns out that Shankman definitely did. He immediately had in mind Anne Fletcher, one of the contemporary film world’s leading choreographers who made her debut with the hit “Bring It On” and has gone of to choreograph key sequences for some two dozen film and television projects. "I've worked with Anne since 1990 and we were dancers together for Paula Abdul on the Oscars®. She has been one of my best friends and was my assistant when I was still a choreographer,” explains Shankman. “When I started directing movies, she sort of took over my choreography career. Then, she absolutely exploded artistically.”
He continues: “When Erik told me about STEP UP, I knew it would be perfect for Anne because it she has always been incredibly strong with actors, she’s deeply passionate and most of all, she’s a really good storyteller.”
Fletcher met with the producers and they were instantly won over by her rapidly flowing ideas and enthusiasm. Eager to work with his protégé in a whole new capacity, Shankman also came on board as a producer, bringing with him his producing partner and sister, Jennifer Gibgot.
Gibgot, who has danced all her life, fell in love with the story’s mix of music, romance and explosive cultural tension – and made a catalytic suggestion: to turn the story, then focused on a young musician, into a dance film. The final decision to do so was made in part because she felt it was important to draw upon Fletcher’s incredible knowledge of and enthusiasm for the world of dance. "I think love and dance will always be a winning combination,” she observes. “But this story also has a really modern, raw feel. It's a morality tale, a movie about a kid versus the streets, about a kid who has only one chance at a long-shot dream. I think it’s a story that appeals to both young and old because it’s about having hope and finding the strength to dig yourself out from the hole that you're in."
The filmmakers began to work with screenwriter Duane Adler, who earlier made his debut with the teen hit “Save The Last Dance” starring Julia Stiles. Also brought on board was co-writer Melissa Rosenberg, who the filmmakers sought out because of the hip, current style she had honed on the extremely popular TV series, “The O.C” – only to discover she was also an accomplished dancer herself.
Adler added his turbulent experiences growing up as an outsider to the mix. “My family moved a lot when I was a kid and I personally attended six different high schools as a teenager,” he explains. “While I wasn't a foster child like Tyler, I certainly felt misplaced and it was my discovery of the arts as a junior in high school that in many ways changed my life."
He related intensely to Tyler’s struggles to make it. Adler continues: “I always saw Tyler as someone who is very gifted but faces an uphill battle. The new world of Maryland School of the Arts school becomes his salvation, but first he has to prove himself and he also has to wrestle with his feelings of loyalty to his old friends and his old way of life, while realizing at any moment he could lose it all. That’s what makes him such a moving character to me.”
Meanwhile, Rosenberg, who majored in dance in college and danced with a small troupe before becoming a writer, brought a true dancer’s POV to the storyline. "This film was an amazing experience,” she says. “It was finally a chance to dance again, on the page if not on the floor.”
Adler and Rosenberg chose stark, urban Baltimore as the story’s location because both were familiar with it and it seemed to suit the edgier tone of the story. "It has a very rugged, blue-collar vibe, and lots of history with the old row-houses and neighborhoods,” Adler notes. “But it also has a very artistic and beautiful side. The story really contrasts those two worlds as we watch Tyler go from home to school and back again."
To bring out the rhythms and pulse of today’s most talented high school teens, Adler also spent nearly six weeks observing at a local performing arts high school. "I went to classes with the students, sat in on rehearsals and lunch breaks, and watched them prepare for their spring finale performance,” he says. “The idea was always to bring as much authenticity to this story as possible.”
When Anne Fletcher read the script, she knew STEP UP would be a tremendous opportunity for her directorial debut. “I knew I could do it because I really understand the world of dance and young artists because that’s the world I grew up in,” she says. “I loved the script and I felt that it was a chance to tell a very truthful story. But I also knew that the first priority was to hire really good people, because a director is only ever as good as her team.”
From the minute she came on board, director Anne Fletcher found herself facing a major search for a cast who could bring realism, excitement and raw talent to STEP UP. She set out on a quest for a group of young actors so gifted they could not only embody the film’s characters but also do all their own dancing and singing. To make sure the film felt utterly alive and real, she absolutely refused to use doubles or voice-overs for even a single shot. It wasn’t easy, but through a combination of luck, timing and little miracles, an extraordinary ensemble was pulled together.
"We were so lucky because I think there is an astonishing amount of talent on display in STEP UP,” comments Fletcher. “These kids are the real deal and there’s no smoke and mirrors. It’s what I always aimed for. Everyone does their own dancing and singing – so the characters feel very real and you never have to cut away from what’s happening emotionally to switch to a double. I'm excited that I succeeded in that. Finding Channing Tatum was our biggest coup, followed by finding Jenna, who is an unbelievable dancer as well as being gorgeous. Most of all, there is real magic and chemistry between them that makes the story work.”
The hunt for a young man to play Tyler began with trepidation. "That character is so complex on the page,” says Erik Feig, “we knew it would be a challenge to find someone with all those qualities. We needed someone who would be charismatic yet troubled; tough but likeable; hard-edged but romantic; and an untrained yet amazing dancer. It was a lot to hope for.”
Then Channing Tatum, who grew up in a tiny town in Alabama and emerged as a new face to watch in an edgy 2002 Mountain Dew commercial, walked in for an audition. It was a moment that changed the entire film. “As soon as we saw Channing, we knew he was Tyler,” Feig recalls. “And then we saw him dance and he moved like water. There's no other way I can explain it. He is just so fluid and exciting to watch. It was just a thrill to find him. "
Adds Adam Shankman: "Trying to force someone into the Tyler character would have been disastrous. We needed someone who you feel has too much passion, too much electricity to control, and that is who Channing is. He's also quite possibly one of the best natural street dancers I've ever seen in my life. He just has so much texture in his being."
Tatum instantly related to Tyler on a deep level. "I felt I could not have written myself any better that what Tyler is in the script,” says the young actor. “He's a carefree kid who loves to dance and have fun, but he also has a self-destructive side. I think all boys at that age are kind of crazy and destructive in their own ways. That's what being a teenager is. You mess up in order to learn.”
He continues: “I also remember what it felt like not to know what you want in life and that’s a big moment to get through. Luckily for Tyler, when he gets put in a situation where he's around all these kids who really want something in their lives, it awakens something in him. Then he really starts to fall for Nora and a whole new world opens up to him.”
Although he’s been a freestyle street dancer for years, like his character, Tatum had no formal training – which meant he had to “hit the boards” in intensive sessions with hip-hop choreographer Jamal Sims. The process was a lot tougher than anything he had expected. " I could always dance and move, but learning a structured routine was hard for me because there's so much going on and it’s entirely different than just dancing on gut instinct,” he observes. “I don't know if I would have been able to do it without Jamal there. He has the patience of a Zen master. He's one of the most creative, talented people that I've ever met. It was because he had so much confidence in me that it gave me the confidence to try it.”
Tatum also credits Anne Fletcher for bringing out the best in him. "I learned so much from her. She's so free-spirited and wild, I just wanted to be around her all the time,” he says of the first-time director. “She’s a ball of energy and a finely tuned instrument for knowing reality."
With Tatum cast as Tyler, the next crux of the production was finding a young actress with extensive enough ballet experience as well as the personality to pull off Nora. “Once we cast Channing and realized what an amazing dancer he was, the bar became extremely high for whoever would play Nora,” notes Feig. “We had to search that much harder.”
After a lengthy series of auditions, the filmmakers came across Jenna Dewan, another newcomer who has been dancing since the age of 5, has been seen in dozens of music videos and toured with P. Diddy and Janet Jackson as a dancer before breaking out into films. “When we saw Jenna, it was another great discovery,” says Feig. “We knew she had to be the kind of person that if you're Tyler Gage walking into school with a major chip on your shoulder and wanting to hate everyone, you'd stop in your tracks as soon as you saw a glimpse of her -- and would want to do everything to impress her and try to win her over. Jenna had that ineffable quality."
Like Tatum, Dewan was attracted to the story of STEP UP. “I like that it’s about two worlds coming together, and how Tyler and Nora really wind up teaching each other lessons,” she says. “I also loved that Tyler and Nora don't come together in a cliché way. Tyler’s had such a hard life and he doesn't know how to want something because every time he wants something, he feels like it goes away. But when he meets Nora, that’s all she knows how to do – to fight for something that she wants. I think that ignites a fire in him and inspires him to find out what truly matters to him. On the flipside, he shows Nora how to let go and live more and not be so rigid. He shows her what real love is. Both of their lives are changed by the other."
Also like Tatum, Dewan felt that role had been tailor-made for her. "I was so drawn to Nora because it really couldn't be written any more like me as a 15 year-old. I was Nora,” she says. “I was a true diehard about dancing. That was all I ever really wanted to do. I had that same passion – and I really didn't know what would happen if I couldn't go and pursue it.”
Things really clicked when Dewan encountered Tatum for the first time at an early reading together. "The second we met, it felt completely natural,” she recalls, “and by the time we started rehearsals it was as if we'd known each other for years. Channing’s very open and generous, plus he's an amazing dancer so just watching him develop was an inspiration to me.”
It also felt natural for Dewan to work in Baltimore – a city where she lived for several years when she was in elementary school. "I started to dance in Baltimore, and it’s where I first started doing some acting. It couldn’t have been a more exciting setting for this story.”
Surrounding Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in STEP UP is an accomplished cast of both young newcomers and award-winning stars. The adult side of the cast is headed up by Academy Award® nominee Rachel Griffiths, who plays the key role of the performing arts school’s Principal Gordon. Fresh off her critically acclaimed and long running role on HBO’s® dark drama “Six Feet Under,” Griffiths was looking to break out into something completely different. When she read STEP UP, she knew this was it.
“I was drawn to the film because I thought it would be great to be in such a youthful, vibrant, hopeful environment,” says the actress. “Plus I was a huge ‘Fame’ fan. There’s something so wonderful about people at the beginning of their lives. It’s not that there isn’t pain or struggle but there’s also this beautiful, sexy optimism and I wanted to be around that.”
Griffiths was also intrigued by the effect her character has on Tyler, an outsider to the school but someone in deep need of inspiration and direction. "I see Director Gordon as someone who is really tough but really fair,” says Griffiths. “She knows when kids are putting it on the line and she always wants to bring out the best in them. So that’s why she challenges Tyler to find in himself the kind of fight to pursue the positive. She really throws down the gauntlet and he responds. It's a great moment because nobody's ever asked that of Tyler – but she believes he can rise to the occasion.”
Anne Fletcher was thrilled to have an actress of Griffiths caliber take on such a key role. “We talked about who the character was and where we wanted to go with her – and then Rachel went off and created something fantastic,” she remarks. “As such a skilled actress, she was very exciting to work with.”
Another focus of casting became finding the ensemble of talented teens at the school, as well as Tyler’s fun-loving friends back in the neighborhood. One of the first young stars to be cast was Mario, the Baltimore-based, platinum-selling R&B artist who broke out when he himself was only 15 but has yet to make his mark in film. He read for the role of Miles, who helps to guide Tyler through the world of Maryland School of the Arts. “As soon as the doors shut after Mario left the reading, we all said “We have to hire him”. “He is so special ” says Anne Fletcher.
Mario was drawn to the realistic portrait of Miles. "He's a very cool character and he seemed very authentic to me,” he says “He came from the hood” and then to this school to make his life better. I like that the whole idea of the film is that you’ve got to persevere if you want to attain your dreams, which is true no matter where you come from.”
He also sees Miles as key to Tyler’s transformation: "Miles is real valuable to Tyler because he’s the one who can set him straight,” says Mario. “In the beginning, they’re kind of standoffish with each other because they're both from real bad places. But I think Miles understands that Tyler’s emotional issues comes from that fact that he really doesn’t know how to trust anyone yet – and he knows that can change.”
Starring as Nora’s best friend Lucy is newcomer Drew Sidora, a Chicago-born actress, dancer and singer who, without even an agent to rep her, sent a tape to the casting department at Disney hoping someone would give her a chance. “On the tape, Drew was just sitting in her living room reading lines, and it felt so natural and vibrant. Then she sang, a cappella, this beautiful song – and when we saw that, we just had to cast her,” says Feig.
Sidora says she wanted to be part of what she calls, "a love story told through dance." She continues, "Lucy is Nora's best friend, and is a really fun character who has her own transformation. She starts off as someone who goes after men who are not particularly good for her. But when she notices Miles, they connect and she realizes that love can be something really positive."
Rounding out the cast as Tyler’s shocked and dismayed friends from the old neighborhood are Damaine Radcliff, the six foot six actor who last played a basketball player in “Glory Road,” as Tyler’s best friend Mac; and De’Shawn Washington who plays Mac’s younger brother, Skinny, and celebrated his 16th birthday on the set. Ironically, both Radcliff and Washington are skilled dancers but neither one gets a chance to make a move in the film. Instead, their roles are more about the changes and rough roads that friendships go through.
Says Radcliff: “My character starts out tight with Tyler Gage, the best of buddies, sidekicks side by side. Then Mac becomes suspicious of who Tyler is becoming with all the dancing and everything kind of falls apart. We don’t hang out anymore. We aren’t hustling together anymore. And it takes awhile for Mac to realize it’s time for him to try to do something with his life, too.”
Also featured in the rousing finale of STEP UP are teenage brothers Damien and Tourie Escobar, a musical duo known as Nuttin But Stringz. Born and raised in the Southside Jamaica
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