Amberock Productions Announces "The Actor" World Premiere, Rock Titan Soundtrack

Made-in-Texas Comedy/Crime Thriller Rolls Out the Red Carpet in Downtown Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amberock Productions in association with Grateful Z announced the world premiere of their third feature film, comedy/crime thriller "The Actor". A red-carpet screening of the film will take place on April 6, 2024, at the AMC Palace 9 in downtown Fort Worth, followed by a star-studded after-party at the Kimpton Harper Hotel. The film is scheduled to be released on Apple TV, Amazon, and other streaming services on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Written and directed by veteran Hollywood actor Richard Blake (NCIS: Los Angeles, Cold Case, CSI, Dragonball: Evolution, Snake & Mongoose, The Rocket) this comedy crime caper offers serious undertones and a heartfelt moral message. The actor in "The Actor" is Hunter Durbin, a talented and hard-working professional who has done the right thing all his life. Unfortunately, pleasant manners and a sweet disposition have only gotten him sidelined and disrespected in modern Hollywood, where everyone else gleefully grabs at success. When a crime involving a suitcase full of cash lands at Hunter's front door, will the actor abandon his principles and grab his own chance at success? And if he does, what will the repercussions be for his life and the lives of those around him?

Writer/director Richard Blake, who also stars as Hunter Durbin, intends the piece as a cautionary tale — but also a fun and knowing insider take on the highs and lows of the Hollywood lifestyle, inspired by his own experiences and the experiences of his friends in the industry.

Blake's Hollywood dream began in high school, where he ran the campus television station and wrote and directed his earliest movies, much like his idols Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and Brian De Palma.

"I remember telling everyone, 'One day, I'm going to do this for real.'" Blake reminisces. "And I did. I had a great career as an actor in LA, much better than the character I play in the movie. I met my wife Amber out there, and we started a production company together. The Actor was going to be our third movie.

"But then the pandemic hit, and we were faced with a choice," Blake continued. "We could stay in Hollywood where no one was working, or we could go back to Amber's hometown of Fort Worth and try to find our voice there."

In 2021, Amber and Richard Blake made the move to Texas, bringing Amberock Productions and their plans for "The Actor" to the buzzy new Cowtown film and television industry. The move to Texas soon found its way into the film's script, with Hunter Durbin transitioning between his life in Hollywood and a life outside — now clearly recognizable as Fort Worth, with local streets and scenes reflected in the film.

Shooting in Texas allowed Blake to take advantage of the talent pool available in the area, especially after Dallas-based actor/producer Major Dodge (Bomb City, Cobra Kai) came on board to help produce and bring his signature steely gaze to the role of the villain.

"I've always wanted to make a movie with a huge cast, where you take the audience on a journey and they meet lots of unique personalities," said Blake. "Once we had Major Dodge introducing us to everyone he knows in Texas — and he knows everyone — we were able to put that kind of adventure up on screen in The Actor."

Texas-born or Texas-based talent bringing their unique personalities to the production include Melissa Archer ("Natalie Buchanan" on One Life to Live and "Serena Mason" on Days of Our Lives), Sheila Houlahan (The Little Things), Donnie Boaz (The Young and the Restless, The Staircase), Phil Mendoza (Taylor Sheridan's Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Better Call Saul), and UFC fighter Steven "Ocho" Peterson, who came on board to do stunts, and stayed for some mighty fine acting.

And then there was Collective Soul.

Eight songs by the massively popular Georgia rock band, which has been putting out intense, thought-provoking hits for 30 years, are featured on the soundtrack for The Actor. And they're not just sprinkled into the end credits. The tracks are carefully chosen by Richard Blake to match the tone and impact of key scenes in the film.

"When people hear about the soundtrack for this movie, the response is always: HOW DID YOU DO THAT? Collective Soul, they can pick and choose. They're not going to license their biggest hits to just any film. So how did I do that? I learned from the role I'm playing in The Actor and I persisted, and persisted and persisted, because I knew that this band and those songs were the right thing for this movie. And eventually, the band agreed.

"It used to be that people from all over the world went to Hollywood or New York to make movies, and now people don't have to do that," Blake concluded. "You can develop your vision in your own city or town. I'm proud to be part of that shift with my production company, with this movie, and with our premiere, which is going to be right here in Fort Worth. We shot 'The Actor' here, so that's where we're putting our red carpet."

ABOUT "THE ACTOR"

Amberock Productions in association with Grateful Z presents "The Actor", written and directed by Richard Blake

Starring: Richard Blake, Major Dodge, Sheila Houlihan, Melissa Archer, Donny Boaz, with Phil Mendoza, Jake Alexander Williams, and Reid Kawakami.

Produced by: Amber Michelle Blake, Richard Blake, Major Dodge

Executive Producers: Les Zellan and Barbara Lowry

Comedy / Thriller / Crime

128 minutes

Locations: Los Angeles, New Mexico, Dallas / Fort Worth

Logline: An actor battling his own moral standards witnesses a neighbor's murder and stumbles upon a load of cash the victim was hiding. He keeps the money, and in doing so, begins the performance of a lifetime to hide who he really is.

"The Actor" explores the difficulties of staying true to yourself and your beliefs when faced with the world's brutal rejection. Filled with colorful characters, humor, conflict, violence, nostalgia — and a surprise ending — "The Actor" takes audiences on an entertaining, wild and satisfying ride.

Visit amberockpro.com for more information. For complimentary press screening tickets and information, please contact Amber Blake amber@amberockproductions.com.

ABOUT AMBEROCK PRODUCTIONS

Amberock Productions LLC was founded in 2016 by husband and wife producing team Richard and Amber Blake. In 2016, they went into production on their freshman feature film, The Rocket. That first project built a welcoming audience, and received international distribution after a select theater run.

After the financial and festival success of The Rocket, Amberock went into production on sophomore outing, Blame, directed by BJ Rayniak. Blame premiered theatrically in 2021 at Emangine Theaters in Lake Geneva, WI and followed up with a screening at The Cannes Film Festival in 2022.

Amberock Production's third project, "The Actor" will be released across streaming platforms on April 5, 2024.

Visit amberockpro.com for more information.

ABOUT RICHARD BLAKE

Richard Blake is an actor known for NCIS: Los Angeles, Cold Case, CSI, Dragonball: Evolution, the indie biopic Snake & Mongoose, and the award-winning indie film The Rocket. He continues to work as an actor while writing, producing, and directing projects with Amberock Productions, which he co-founded in 2016. Blake's next project, "The Actor" is set to release worldwide April 5, 2024.

Visit imdb.com for more information.

Media Contact

Lauren Cockerell, Amberock Productions, 1 817-405-9878, lauren@kwedarco.com, https://www.amberockpro.com/

SOURCE Amberock Productions