“The great thing about working with young actors,” says Harlin, “is that they are so eager and so excited and so passionate about what they’re doing. They don’t go back to their trailer and hang out, talk on the phone with their managers and get yoga lessons. They’re actually on the set with you, they’re excited about the whole process of filmmaking and they never get tired of trying new things. That really builds a kind of a family feeling.
“I needed really talented young actors who were on the brink of stardom. From hundreds and hundreds of candidates we found a group of actors who have the talent to pull these characters off. Actors who have made movies before, but haven’t really broken out…yet.”
It was producer Tom Rosenberg who brought actor Steven Strait to the attention of Harlin and Screen Gems’ president Clint Culpepper for the role of Caleb. “I think Steven Strait is about to be a movie star,” says Rosenberg.
Strait’s career trajectory so far seems to bear out that assessment. In just a few short years, Strait has segued from a guest spot on the hit series Third Watch to playing Warren Peace in the Disney family superhero action comedy Sky High, alongside Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston, to a starring role in Roland Emmerich’s upcoming prehistoric epic 10,000 B.C.
Strait says the fact that THE COVENANT was inspired by a graphic novel was a big part of his attraction to the role: “I collected comic books for years—hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of comic books as a kid. It’s always interesting when you get absorbed into this world that is hard to fathom, but you’re there anyway. It’s a really great escape. Reading a good comic book takes you out of whatever you’re thinking for a while. I think that’s what this movie will do too.”
Strait describes his character, Caleb Danvers, as “the leader of the pack. He’s got a sense of responsibility and has seen what powers have done to his family. And he doesn’t want to abuse his powers. He’s mature for his age and in some ways I relate to that. I guess you can say he’s a caretaker.”
The person Caleb cares for most, of course, is Sarah Wenham, played by Laura Ramsey, a busy young actress who was discovered a few years ago fresh out of a Rosendale, Wisconsin high school in classic Hollywood style – while waiting tables at a Sunset Boulevard restaurant.
After a stint as a series regular on the ABC hour-long series The Days in 2004, Ramsey landed her first feature role in Catherine Hardwicke’s 2005 skateboarding drama Lords of Dogtown, starring Heath Ledger, Nikki Reed and Rebecca De Mornay. Later that year she starred in the horror thriller Venom alongside Agnes Bruckner, Bijou Phillips and Method Man, as well as Cruel World with Edward Furlong and Jamie Pressly. Earlier this year she appeared with Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum in the DreamWorks/Lakeshore Entertainment comedy She’s the Man, a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
“My character Sarah is the new girl in school,” explains Ramsey. “This is a really prestigious school where all the kids are rich. I’m the new girl from Boston Public, so I don’t have any money, but my character believes that going to this school will help her fulfill her dream of going Harvard.”
Ramsey sees similarities between herself and her character, parallels she says Harlin encouraged her to explore. “For example, I dress like her. She’s kind of crazy and wild, and sometimes I’m crazy and wild. And she likes Steven Strait… I think he’s cute too!”
Harlin has high praise for the actress: “Laura doesn’t even know how good she is. She was such a harsh critic of herself that I decided to show her some of the dailies so she could see for herself how well everything was working. I can’t even imagine how good she’s going to get!”
The cast also features award-winning actress Wendy Crewson (“Sex Traffic,” “The Many Trials of One Jane Doe”) as Caleb’s mother Evelyn Danvers. “She’s a bit ‘Norma Desmond,’” says Crewson of her character, referring to the bitter, over-the-hill screen siren played by Gloria Swanson in the Billy Wilder classic, Sunset Blvd. “I’m very mean and dark. That’s been very fun to play.”
“Evelyn is the glue of the family,” Crewson continues. “But even though she’s still mourning her husband and she’s worried that her son’s going to go the same way, she looks good all the time! She has fabulous hair and she’s always in her nightgown.”
Strait, with whom Crewson shares the screen in virtually all of her scenes, was effusive in his admiration of the seasoned veteran. “Wendy is such an incredible actor and such an incredible person,” he says. “It’s very heartening to see someone that accomplished, who’s done so much great work, be so down to earth… just someone that you can hang out with, talk to and learn from. Her focus during the scenes and right before is really incredible. She’ll be eating something, hanging out, whatever, and once it’s time to go, she’s right back into character.”
For Crewson, the most challenging part of the project were the shots that involved acting in front of a “green screen” – a process by which computer generated images are later added to the scene. “I’m better at a kitchen sink with a tea towel, crying,” she laughs. “It’s just that’s what I do best… that’s my comfort zone. Everything I do in this film depends on a special effect. They’re CGI-ing all my expressions and everything. The only thing that’s real is my hair—well, even that’s not real.”
Despite these high-tech challenges, Crewson has high praise for Harlin. “He had a lovely vision of what the picture would be,” she says. “In his office he had all the pictures up of what it was going to look like and everything, so you really knew where you fit in. That was terrific. I really liked working with Renny.”
In casting Caleb’s nemesis Chase Collins, the filmmakers chose actor Sebastian Stan, whose big screen credits include the role of Isabella Rossellini’s son in the 2006 independent film All Fall Down as well as parts in the critically acclaimed Red Doors and Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding, based on the longest running theatrical comedy in history.
“My character is introduced early on and there’s sort of an ambivalence about him,” says Stan. “Nobody really knows what he’s about. But he shows up and wants to befriend this group of guys, particularly Caleb, and basically just fit in.”
Stan has no problem identifying with that aspect of Chase’s character. “We moved a lot when I was growing up, so I was always the new kid in school, trying to be cool and whatnot. I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to explore this part. I think we’ve done a good job establishing the idea that we’re really young people at a school. Sure, some of the characters have special powers, but we have emotions too. We’re young people and it’s kind of nice to express the innocence and insecurity that goes along with that.”
Also joining the ensemble were Taylor Kitsch (Snakes on a Plane, TV’s “Friday Night Lights”) as Caleb’s best friend, volatile, motorcycle riding Pogue Parry; Vancouver-born Jessica Lucas (She’s the Man, “The L Word”) as Kate Tunney, Sarah’s rich, beautiful roommate; Toby Hemingway (“Bones,” “Summerland”) as blond troublemaker Reid Garwin; and Texas-born Chace Crawford as Tyler Sims, the youngest of the four Sons of Ipswich.
Harlin says he used a variety of techniques to help his young cast inhabit their characters and the dark, dangerous world in which they dwell. “I talked with them about the script a lot. I showed them my storyboards so that they could visualize it better and get an idea of the tone and the feeling of the movie. I also use music to convey a certain feeling for the actors, so they could get the atmosphere of the scenes.”
For their part, the actors were appreciative of Harlin’s willingness to let them explore their roles. “The great thing about Renny is that he’s always got an open ear,” says Steven Strait. “He’s always open to ideas, and open to things that you feel are right for the character or for the moment. It’s a great collaborative process that goes on with him. And you just feel that you’ve got the room and the space to work and give things a chance.”
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