Leah Cevoli and Helenna Santos Join “The Last Beat”
Actresses round out the cast of indie drama

For immediate release - Tuesday, April 15th, 2014
Los Angeles – Leah Cevoli (Deadwood, Robot Chicken) and Helenna Santos (American Reunion, BlackBoxTV)  have been added to the cast of The Last Beat written and directed by Sundance alumnus Robert Saitzyk (White of Winter, After the Flood).

The Last Beat follows the final days of Jay Douglas, famous American rock star, in a turbulent, but exhilarating early 1970's Paris. Loosely based on the last days of rock and pop culture icon Jim Morrison, the film is not in any way a traditional biopic, but a lyrical study of a brilliant, complex, and troubled soul. Tragic and comedic, at the film's core are Jay's broken, but passionate relationships with the two women in his life -- Clemence, a glamorous Countess, and his professed "soul-mate," Valerie Eason, an earthy red-haired beauty from golden California.

The Last Beat stars Shawn Andrews (Dazed and Confused) as Jay Douglas, Cameron Richardson (Shameless, Alvin and the Chipmunks) as Valerie, with Martha Higareda (Street Kings), Kevin Corrigan (The Mentalist), and Seymour Cassel (Heist).  

Cevoli and Santos have signed on to play supporting roles in the film, Cevoli as Jay Douglas’ publicist Bebe Markham, and Santos as Layla, Valerie’s best friend.

As Santos stated: “I’ve been a singer my entire life, and music has always been a very important part of who I am. I’ve also been a fan of The Doors and Jim Morrison since I was a young teenager, so I jumped at the chance to be a part of a project that’s influenced by such iconic musicians. This film really is one of a kind and Robert is a very talented filmmaker. I think that working with him will put us all in the middle of truly innovative storytelling.”

Cevoli added: “I was born in the mid-70’s, my Dad played in a wedding band, and most photos of my Mom in her 20’s are barefoot. My first real involvement in the entertainment industry was an internship, on a 2 month tour with 80’s rock band Poison. Not a single soul that knows me will be surprised with my involvement in this film; it is the perfect merging of my passions as an actress, my love for music and musicians, and my often attraction to the tragic loneliness that befall some of the most creative of geniuses. I am thrilled to take this ride with Robert, Shawn, and the entire cast and crew.”

In addition to the beautiful storyline, The Last Beat’s soundtrack will be performed and composed by the actor/musicians, some of whom will play “The Riders”  (Shawn Andrews (vox), George Adrian (guitar), Jason Mezilis (bass/piano),and Stephen Hines (drums).  The original music is a collaborative effort, being written and recorded under the musical direction of George Adrian.  

The Last Beat is currently crowdfunding on indiegogo at http://www.RIDEWITHTHEBEAT.com

Links:

The Last Beat official website:  lastbeatmovie.com
Video - 45 second teaser trailer: http://youtu.be/rxcK1_nRu_I
Helenna Santos: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1921747
Leah Cevoli: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1859539