When Ledger tried on Engblom’s clothes from the ‘70’s and they fit him perfectly, it only added to the serendipity. But once filming started, Engblom kept his distance to let the acclaimed actor take what he had absorbed from their time spent together and create a character all his own. “Heath is a brilliant actor,” says Engblom. “He didn’t need me to tell him how to be me. It would be like standing over a great artist and telling him to add more blue in the corner of the painting. I didn’t watch one scene [being filmed] the entire time and can’t wait to see what ends up on the screen.”
To represent the outside forces descending on the Z-boys, Johnny Knoxville was cast as Topper Burkes, a wealthy heir who poaches Tony Alva from the Zephyr team, further splitting up the gang. Says Knoxville, “The guy is a complete character, dressed like Sly Stone, and remade Tony in his style and demeanor. Topper just wants to be a part of something.”
With all the testosterone that would inevitably be shooting off like sparks on screen, Hardwicke knew that they needed some prominent female roles to balance the maledominated story. Nikki Reed was brought on to play Kathy Alva, Tony Alva’s sister and the quintessential “skater chick” who gets caught in a love triangle between soft-spoken Stacy Peralta and wild child Jay Adams. Kathy Alva summed up one of Dogtown’s themes when she described growing up poor, on the wrong side of the tracks: “It was harder for us to dream.”
“Catherine and I have been friends for eleven years now, and I had such a great experience with her on Thirteen,” says Reed. “After I read the script, I knew Catherine would get the job because she has the right energy for it. This movie needs a lot of energy. And I fell in love with the Kathy Alva role so I was hooked. I called Catherine every day and kept asking her ‘how do I get this?’ So I convinced the studio and here I am!”
Rounding out the cast is Rebecca de Mornay as Philaine, Jay Adams’ mother, who was a fascinating character. She is struggling with her own problems, but loves her son fiercely.
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