Let The Game Begin - Adam Rodriguez Connection

"Let the Game Begin" is a mix of "Swingers" and "War of the Roses". When Max becomes a successful entrepreneur, he learns that the woman he married has always really been interested in his money more than he. After getting burnt by a gold-digger, his cousin Ricky introduces him to the world of the pickup artist. What Max learns along the way helps him gain confidence in other areas of his life, and gives him the tools he needs to find a woman who likes him for who he is. Let The Game Begin also stars Thomas Ian Nicholas, Michael Madsen, Stephen Baldwin, James Avery and Lisa Ray.

Adam plays a guy named Rowan, who is the cousin of the main character, Tripp, played by Thomas Ian Nicholas. Rowan joins Tripp's start-up company to help him with sales, but on the road Rowan calls himself Ricky and he is a ladies man... a pick-up artist, who has a special language and skills to take women from bars to bedrooms. Tripp realizes he can use Rowan's ways with women to influence people, including clients, politicians, and soon Tripp becomes the master of the boardrooms.

Directed by: Amit Gupta.

Exclusive Interview with director Amit Gupta.

Q: How did you come up with the concept for "Let the Game Begin?"

A: "Just like that"...with a snap of a finger. I've lived enough to know the games people play in life, business and relationships. I wanted to challenge the divorce law in the U.S. the law of Equitable Distribution. Which means...if you marry someone, and that person married you for money, from day 1 of marriage, you're at risk...you could lose 50% or more of your money and the law favors women...when it comes to the division of property, and child custody.

You already know how the Paul McCartney divorce happened. For 4 years of marriage, $86 mil. If you think fashion magazines set an example of how women should be "thin and beautiful" imagine that such a law, encourages women to be "thin and beautiful so they can marry rich to get a big pay day". So, I researched lots of "true" stories of how men got taken advantage of by women for money and support and I found some great stories that are now in the film. To balance the film (I didn't want to say, women are bad, men aren't)....I researched how men play games with women and I found lots of materials on websites that teach men how to pickup women. So I came up with the concept: in the old days, men and women used to live in a hunter-gatherer society- men hunted for animals and women gathered food and bore children....that society is moving more and more towards Men hunting for women, and women gathering gold., which is the baseline concept in the movie....

Q: WOW! So how long has the film been in the making?

A: Well...34 years of my learning’s + 1 year of writing.

Q: Tell us a little more about Adam’s character.

A: I wanted to talk about a dark subject (love problems, relationships, and business troubles in the dotcom days) in a comedy, so both Lisa Ray's character and Adam's character were written as comedy - Adam is the Pickup artist....Lisa Ray, the Gold Digger. And that's where the war begins. And Max is caught in the middle of it.

Adam's character (Rowan (real name), but Ricky, his pickup artist name) is the cousin of Tripp (real name) but Max when he becomes a pickup artist to learn Ricky's game. Tripp learns Rowan's game because he thinks the way Rowan talks to women, is the way Tripp should talk to business clients.... that way he can close deals and make money. So they go to go to clubs, bars etc to learn the game. It’s funny because of all the ways Rowan talks to women, and tells them stories to create attraction, then when Tripp uses the same method in business… it's funnier because of the way he talks to clients.

Yahoo Group: How did you approach Adam for the role of Ricky/Rowan?
Amit: Casting director brought up his name, he seemed to have the perfect look to be a womanizer… Cuban flavor, dark skin, coarse voice.

Q: Not only are you the writer/director of LTGB, you are also heavily involved with production, the movie’s official website and Facebook page. How do you find the time!?

A: You find the time when you love someone or something.

Q: The majority of the movie was shot on location in Montréal, Canada. What was the reaction from the press and local people? Did you completely take over the town!?

A: Yes completely! As you can probably tell from Facebook, every time I come here, it’s a run of meetings after meetings with people from the crew, actors, location owners where we filmed...all who have become friends. It was Montréal and Québec City. Other locations are LA...and 2nd unit from 5 other cities, basic city shots.

Q: I know from our conversations a little bit about your background, but for those that do not know; how did you get into the Hollywood industry?

A: By knowing people, will, drive, and do-it attitude...and keep your head straight. I’m not a filmmaker...I’m an entrepreneur.

Q: LTGB has an impressive cast list. Describe some of their characters.

A: The movie is structured like a game (video game) with 6 levels.
Level 1: A man Tripp, who has no game, gets taken by a Gold digger.
Level 2: Tripp's cousin is a pickup artist, with a game he plays with women. Tripp begins learning this for business.

Level 3: Tripp plays the business game to win a big client deal....
Level 4: When his company is worth money, the gold digger wife starts to pursue the money...this is when James Avery and Stephen Baldwin come in and Tripp gets a little "advice" from Michael Madsen, who plays Dr. Turner...another doctor that the gold digger wife Eva, tried to trap once.

Level 5: Is where Tripp and Eva try to fight for the money (the gold)...this is when Peter Gallagher, Ken Davitian come in. Natasha Henstridge is an investor who helps Tripp and his partner Lochlyn Munro get a big deal. So the irony becomes, a woman helps Tripp get money, and another woman, take it away! Caroline Neron is bait that Tripp sets up to beat Eva...
Level 6: Is where Tripp realizes to find love, he really needs no game.