“Interviews Along the Red Carpet”, HBO’s Latest Original Film Series, “LUCK”, Screening at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas

I was interviewing the stars and cast of HBO’s latest film series “LUCK” along the Red Carpet at the Mandalay Bay Resort.

After watching most of Dustin Hoffman’s films since he appeared in “The Graduate”, in 1967, it was interesting to see how he evolved into an award winning actor playing such a wide variety of roles.

Dustin Hoffman was enthusiastic about “LUCK.” “This is the first time we will be seeing a film about horse racing in which it is not glamorized like the Kentucky Derby. You see the real life of the jockeys, the trainers and of the horses. It’s a brutal affair.”

Dustin’s character was Chester “Ace” Bernstein, a gangster who wanted revenge for being imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.

Nick Nolte was beaming when he walked down the Red Carpet. Not only celebrating the opening of “LUCK” but Nick had also recently been nominated for Best Supporting Actor Award in “Warrior”.

Nick explained, “There are a lot of good actors in “LUCK”. I play Walter Smith, an old man who has been a trainer for a long time. He finally got a real good horse and the best thing he can do is get out of the horse’s way!”

Dennis Farina liked his role as Gus Demitriou, Ace’s bodyguard/consigliore in “LUCK”. “It was great. The story was well written and it is always a pleasure to work with Dustin, Jill, Nick, John Ortiz, and all the guys. We had a lot of fun with it. I think people will really enjoy it.”

Dennis has many fans from his roles as Detective Joe Fontana on the television “Law & Order” series. “I have been fortunate because the roles offered to me have been very appealing.”

Remembering his role as Angelo Buono, a serial killer in “The Case of the Hillside Stranglers” (1989), Dennis explained, “That wasn’t so much fun but it was interesting to see all of the research we did on those two guys. They were a couple of bad guys”.

Gary Stevens described his role in “LUCK.” “I portray Ronnie Jenkins, an aging street-wise jockey at the top of my game, but there is a dark side because the jockey is a troubled character. It was very interesting to play Ronnie and I look forward to the future.

“LUCK” shows the beauty of horse racing and captures all of the characters that make it tick, the people behind the scenes. Executive Producers David Milch and Michael Mann tried to say ‘this is real life it is HBO, not sugar coated. What you see is what you get’. There are more characters behind the scenes with all of the passion and emotions going on outside the sport of horse racing. “LUCK” is different, not like the other pictures.”

HBO’s episodes of “LUCK” air Sundays. www.hbo.com/luck


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