Showbiz News

Daughter of owner of Dallas' Cane Rosso pizza stars in Lifetime TV movie

Sophie Grace and Ella West Jerrier in Terror in the Woods.

Photo courtesy of Lifetime

Dallas has no shortage of talented locals getting their crack at the entertainment industry big-time — and now the latest is ready for her moment in the spotlight.

Ella West Jerrier, who's already earned notice in the North Texas dance world, has a starring role in Terror in the Woods, a Lifetime movie inspired by true events that will premiere on October 14.

Ella, who is 12, is the daughter of Jay Jerrier and Karen Lynn Smith, known by local foodies as the owners of Cane Rosso, the successful Neapolitan pizza chain with a dozen locations across Texas.

Jerrier, who has documented her rising star via pithy posts on Facebook, is learning what it's like to be a "showbiz dad," following her from auditions for Broadway plays in New York to film roles and voiceovers in Los Angeles.

"Ella had danced for years, when one of her instructors suggested she sign up with an agency," he says. "She's auditioned for all sorts of things and gotten a few, including commercials for H-E-B and Stoneyfield Yogurt. She's had many good opportunities — but this Lifetime movie is the biggest. Usually, you'd expect to get a few minutes of dialog in a show or maybe a supporting role, but she and the other two girls are in 99 percent of the movie as the leads."

Ella plays Rachel, who with her friend Kaitlyn (Sophie Grace), attack a third friend Emily (Skylar Morgan Jones). Sony recently did a movie called Slender Man about two friends who try to stab their friend to death, but Lifetime insists it's not the same story, saying that Terror in the Woods raises questions about mental health and kids' use of the internet.

To see a one-minute video preview, click here.

Either way, it represents a big showcase for Ella that is likely to lead to other things, and Jerrier has temporarily moved to Los Angeles with her to help make that happen.

There are dance and acting lessons, improv sessions, and meetings with agents. There are karaoke nights with other tweens and their guardians — "grizzled vets who've been out here for years," Jerrier says — and auditions for guest roles in TV series.

With network TV, it's not easy to break in unless you're a known name; but these days, there's an entire alternative world of opportunities.

"It used to be limited to shows on networks, but now you have all of the cable and digital platforms — Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, even some of the brands are launching their own channels like DC Comics," Jerrier says.

He and his wife have been supportive of both of their daughters' pursuits — their other daughter, Emma, is big into lacrosse — but it's not a case of them pushing their kids into something they don't want to do.

"I’m living vicariously through Emma in lacrosse, and Karen lives vicariously through Ella's dancing," he jokes. "But Ella has always been 100 percent on. She has always been an entertainer. This is what she wants to do. Entertain people, make people laugh. She likes to be on the stage with the spotlight on her. She has driven a lot of this. I think kids these days are way more in tune with what they like."

One other factor that has persuaded them to pursue has been the unsolicited encouragement they've received from people in the industry.

"You see some kids and then you see her, and she's actually good," Jerrier says. "We've had multiple unbiased third parties give us feedback that she can do this, and that we ought to cultivate it. From acting coaches to casting agents who see a lot of kids, they've all said, 'This kid can do it.'"

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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