COME next Tuesday, cameras will roll in Montego Bay on a television series being helmed by American actress Victoria Rowell.
Best known to Jamaicans for her long-standing role in the television soap opera The Young and the Restless, Rowell and her team will be in the island for a few days to film segments of a new prime-time soap opera television movie, The Rich and the Ruthless.
“I have always loved Jamaica… been going there since the 1980s and the beauty of the island is seen in its music, dance, visual and culinary arts, as well as the beauty of the country has always intrigued me,” she told the Jamaica Observer, as she took a shooting break in Los Angeles yesterday. “I always knew that I would be able to use this for cinematic purposes one day… timing is everything.”
Jamaica’s comedy king Oliver Samuels is also part of the cast for this series, which includes Alesha Renee, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Chrystale Wilson, Michael Colyar, Elizabeth Carlisle, Shadoe Stevens, Valenzia Algarin, Starletta Dupois, and Michael Tucci.
While on set in Jamaica, Rowell will utilize a heavy concentration of local talent behind the camera, noting she has long recognized the breadth of talent which exists locally to satisfy the technical needs of a production.
Victoria Rowell
“There is such a depth of talent in Jamaica, when you think of line producers like a Natalie Thompson, the capabilities of Phase 3 and others, we know we are in good hands.”
Her co-producer John Michael Reefer told the Observer that the production will also provide employment for a number of people.
“We are utilizing key technical personnel in addition to the on-camera talent. These include a script supervisor, sound technicians, make-up artists, hair stylists, as well as other areas such as ground transportation.”
There is no definitive date on when The Rich and the Ruthless will be released, as Rowell revealed the negotiations are at a delicate stage at this time. However, she hinted at a possible end-of-year theatrical release and possibly a Jamaican premiere.
Film Commissioner Renee Robinson said Jamaica Promotions Corporation welcomed the news of the The Rich and the Ruthless production and the partnership with Victoria Rowell.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be facilitating Victoria’s project and to see the progression of this initiative. Victoria connected with us last year through the inaugural Jamaica Film Festival and has been working alongside the film commission ever since. This is an excellent example of how features can be expedited in Jamaica, and we hope this will open a door to future opportunities for the local film industry,” she said.
Renee Robinson
The Rich and the Ruthless will bring viewers into the powerful and competitive world of the Barringer family. Led by businessman and producer Augustus Barringer (Richard Brooks), the company’s long-running daytime soap opera is evicted from its Hollywood sound stage after 20 years. Augustus makes the pertinent business decision to move production to the family’s sleek villa in Montego Bay. His wife Kitty (Rowell), a retired soap opera actress and socialite battling addiction, isn’t keen on the change, but eventually agrees.
Rowell hopes to convert The Rich and the Ruthless into a series which would see more of the filming being done in Jamaica.
This project is not out of the way yet and Rowell already has her eyes fixed on another.
“I am also completing the preliminary work on another project, Jacqueline and Jilly, a drama which will look at the growing pandemic of prescription drug addiction. We should begin shooting this in Jamaica later this year or early next year,” said Rowell.
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