For the role of Karen, Roth immediately thought of Edie Falco, star of the Emmy award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos.” “When I came to New York and met with Donna Cutugno (the model for Karen), I just felt Edie was ideal for the part,” he recalls. Like Cutugno, “Edie has this hypnotic quality to her and great power.” The Brooklyn-born actress says she was immediately comfortable with her reallife counterpart. “Meeting Donna Cutugno was great because she reminds me a lot of my family members,” explains Falco.
Both Karen Collucci and Donna Cutugno are strongly determined mothers who are expert in finding children and counseling the parents of the missing, according to Falco. “I think Karen is very effective at what she does. She has a personal emotional stake in the situation and I think she knows how to get things done.” (Unlike Cutugno, the character of Colluci in Freedomland is herself the mother of a missing child).
Roth cast Ron Eldard, the recent star of the series “Blind Justice,” in the role of Danny Martin, Brenda’s pugnacious brother and a Gannon cop. Even though he has a troubled relationship with his sister, Danny’s main concern is to defend his family and his turf — whatever the impact on the town of Dempsy.
“He’s a guy who really believes in protecting his people,” says Eldard. “I picture Danny as being like a shark who, once he gets in the water, smells blood and refuses to leave. He’s not gonna quit, he’s not gonna sleep, he’s just going to keep circling and, eventually, he’s gonna find out who did it.”
For the role of Boyle, Lorenzo’s long-time friend and partner on the police force, the filmmakers cast William Forsythe, a character actor known equally for his villainous parts (such as Al Capone in the television series “The Untouchables”), as for his comedic ability, (such as his classic turn in Raising Arizona). Forsythe describes Boyle as “one of those people that you meet in life who don’t speak a lot, but when he does, he has something to say.” When emotions are high and Armstrong Houses are on the verge of rioting, Boyle is “the voice of reason,” according to the actor.
For the role of Reverend Longway, a local agitator who leads the protests against police harassment at Armstrong — and becomes a thorn in Lorenzo’s side — the filmmakers cast Clarke Peters, a classically trained actor who has made his name directing and acting in England. LaTanya Richardson Jackson, whose credits include films such as Losing Isaiah and The Fighting Temptations, is Marie, a Friends of Kent searcher.
For the crucial roles of Billy and Felicia, a young black couple whose troubles are a distraction to Lorenzo, the filmmakers cast two up-and-coming stars: Anthony Mackie, who recently starred Off-Broadway in “McReele,” and was seen in Million Dollar Baby, assumed the role of Billy. Aunjanue Ellis, who had a leading role in Ray, opposite Jamie Foxx, portrays Felicia. “Anthony Mackie is a guy who we’ll be talking about for a long time,” says Roth, who is equally effusive about Ellis, recently cast to star in “The E-Ring,” a television drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “They are two truly outstanding New York-based actors.”
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