Desperados/The Sophisticates (2008-2011)
Hollywood Boulevard. Where all the stars go to die...

Lena Headey as: n/a
Other Cast: Michelle Arthur, Chad Faust, Piper Perabo, Jason Lewis, Ever Carradine, Adam Brooks, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, John Cleese
Directed By: Lena Headey
Screenwriters: Lena Headey, Hadley Klein
Studio: Freakshow Productions

 

Synopsis
Life ain't so grand for The Sophisticates, Los Angeles's most desperate group of celebrity impersonators.
From the Photo Gallery
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Trivia & Facts
× Filming Locations:
• Los Angeles, CA, USA

• Also known as The Sophisticates.

• Lena Headey starred in the movies Imagine Me & You (2005) and The Cave (2005) together with Piper Perabo as well.

• Lena Headey also starred in the movie The Jungle Book (1994) together with John Cleese.

• Lena Headey debuted as a director/writer with the original short film The Sophisticates.

• Lena Headey wrote the script while being on set of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009).

• Lena Headey originally worked on this project with the plan to make it in to a full film. She first made it in to a short film/trailer called The Sophisticates in 2008. In 2011 she told us that she's planning to make it a TV Series with circa 5 episodes, one per character. And she's trying to finance it in any way she can. The short film she financed herself.

• Lena Headey let us know in April 2011 that she has changed the name of the short film/series to Desperados.

• Lena Headey also told us in April 2011 that she is shooting two of the episodes on May 14 and May 15.
Lena Headey Quotes
• "The idea sort of born a couple of years ago and I wrote it originally as a movie."

• "As you know, directing is a long road and I've got many ideas and the movie that I've written, The Sophisticates, which is a comedy. Yeah, all these other things are exciting, but you know, I've never directed before so I need to make sure that people know that I can do it. In terms of that, The Sophisticates is a small ensemble comedy and I hope it's charming and funny. I think female directors, first timers, always seem to set out and do a drama, a two-person drama. I think, oh fuck it, I wanna make a goofy movie. And I think making people laugh is really fucking difficult. Part of the reason for me writing The Sophisticates was sort of that Wizard of Oz element. I want people to go in and have a treat, be uplifted and charmed, and have a colorful thing to stare at for a minute. And not to please this sort of short memory we've got. But you know, I get into trouble for that, for saying no to things."

Posted on her FaceBook wall in August 2010
"yes yes yes.. dirty filthy money .. that and the fact i have no prior experience directing.. its hard to convince potential investors that you are quite quite capable and up to the task..
so. .. the story so far is this ..
sophisticates is on... the back burner (though i will make it i love the characters too much to allow them to just die ) .. other things are bubbling away.. will keep you posted..
but feel free to send cash ;0"

• "It's just a sort of observation. A story about people who have a desire and drive to create and to be recognized in some way. It's about getting recognition. Whether it's through filming a scene in your living room, or playing the DVD for their friends, and them being reactive... It's about that. When you put a camera on anyone, there's always a certain curiosity to see themselves. Even if they're like 'No no no!" they still want to see themselves. And some people are like, "Ohh, I'm quite good." Or, "Oh, I'm awful."

On what sort of progress she has made?
"I experimented with it a couple of years back. And that for me was ... sort of me putting my money where my mouth is, as a wannabe aspiring director. So I went and shot it for like 5 days... but we never got to edit, and then I did a rough edit... and then it sort of fell by the wayside because life gets in the way. And I have kind of reconfigured it... I have been shooting stuff myself, I'm going to shoot the other episodes, and have been teaching myself how to edit. It's become a really funny, organic mockumentary. I've written three episodes, we're shooting two episodes the 14th and 15th of May... It's very rough. But I think that adds to the whole tragic-ness. It's really about desperation. Hence it's called Desperados."
Character Quotes
• n/a: It's me! Charlie fucking Chaplin!

• Kelly Knight: I think you look great!
n/a: Yeah like Priscilla the great drag queen.
Kelly Knight: Thank you! Seriously!
Co-Stars and Directors Quotes
• Coming Soon!