Hold on to your hats, "Bachelor" franchise fans -- Gia Allemand (of Jake's season and "Bachelor Pad") has been cast as legendary screen beauty Ava Gardner in a new film about the life of actor Gianni Russo, who got his break as Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather," a role he would reprise in "The Godfather II" flashback.
Russo personally cast Gia Allemand for the film. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," says Russo, "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out."
Allemand admits, "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava. After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him until he agreed to cast me and then I immediately asked him to write our agreement on a napkin!"
"It's a Cinderella story, and to help a person like Gia makes me happy because that was me forty years ago," says Russo.
The Russo story will journey through a number of decades with a focus on the 1950s through 1970s. Amongst Russo's exclusive ring of friends were pals Frank Sinatra, Frank Costello, Carlos Marcello, and many others who plotted the rise and fall of President John F. Kennedy. Ava Gardner was married to Frank Sinatra from 1951 to 1957, hence her inclusion in the film.
"The working title is 'The Friends of Gianni Russo,' and the film will be directed by Brett Ratner and produced by George Gallo. Gia Allemand's part is a smaller role and the fact that she is a model was appealing for this part. The film will be a journey into the golden days of New York City and Hollywood ... Further information will be coming in a week or so with regard to the production and other casting announcements. Stay tuned for more news on this picture," says Penelope Jean, Allemand's publicist
What do you think, "Bachelor" fans? We don't know if she can act, but with the right hair and makeup, Gia could look an awful lot like Ava Gardner. The as-of-yet untitled piece starts filming January 2.
Credit: blog.zap2it.com
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