Pitchfork: Will Oldham Scores Another Acting Role

Will Oldham Scores Another Acting Role
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Following his recent appearances in such obscuro indie films as Radiation, Julien Donkey-Boy and Slitch, indie-folk purveyor and lascivious ladies' man Will Oldham has lined himself up another role. The Guatemalan Handshake-- which bears no apparent relation to The Dirty Sanchez, as far as our sources can tell-- is presently in production, and follows a 10 year-old boy named Turkeylegs as he searches for his friend Donald (played by Oldham), who has mysteriously disappeared following a power failure.

Co-producer Marissa Ronca spoke to Pitchfork via email about the film, saying, "The cast is a really wild mish-mosh of people, so I'm not even sure if we know what to expect." No wonder-- even the locations in the movie are fuckin' weird. Ronca says the crew plans to shoot at "a quarry, a demolition derby (where our car, The Bitchkisser, will get smashed), a roller rink, and some gorgeous farms."

Writer/director Todd Rohal was a fan of Oldham's even before he spent countless hours designing the DVD for Slitch, a short film featuring Oldham as a sexual conquerer known only as The Surfer. He met Oldham through the director of that short, and sent him the script for The Guatemalan Handshake. Oldham read the script, liked what he saw, and signed on. Ronca explained that he "tried to cast each role with actors who were more or less like the characters Todd had created. That way, the acting can be a lot more natural and individual personalities can show through."

The Guatemalan Handshake begins filming this Friday in Eastern Pennsylvania, so if you're in the area, be on the lookout for a yellow-and-brown-striped RV traveling with a short bus filled with cast and crew. And for a more in-depth glimpse of the magic, check out the production journal on the film's website-- the latest journal entry documents Rohal's casting of a small dog trained to carry a bra.