Tony Award Winner Lois Smith Joins Colin West’s ‘Outside of Cleveland’: ‘She’s an Icon’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Tony award winner Lois Smith has joined the cast of Colin West’s upcoming feature “Outside of Cleveland.” Smith’s first on-screen role was in 1955 opposite James Dean in “East of Eden.” She has appeared in such films as “Five Easy Pieces,” “Twister,” “Minority Report,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Ladybird” and “The French Dispatch.” In 2017, Smith starred as the title character in Michael Almereyda’s “Marjorie Prime,” receiving Gotham and Independent Spirit nominations for best supporting actress among other accolades. On stage, Smith was nominated for Tonys for her performances in “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Buried Child,” and she won the Tony Award for “The Inheritance.” She also has numerous TV credits ranging from “Law & Order: Organized Crime” to “Ray Donovan,” “The Americans” and “True Blood.” “Outside of Cleveland” follows Max, a jingle writer in Chicago who wonders where his life went. When his parents sell his childhood home outside of Cleveland, he drives back to help them pack. He then wakes up in the winter of 2009, aged 18. Back in his senior year, he reconnects with his neighbor Ellie, who encourages him to write his own songs. Max begins to wonder whether he has been sent back to change his past or to say goodbye to it. Smith will play Max’s grandmother Marjorie. “Lois’s character is named after my own grandmother who passed away in 2012. She was someone who always told me the truth, even when I didn’t always want to hear it. This is the same role that Marjorie fills in our film,” said West. “She isn’t there to comfort Max or make things easier; she’s there to tell him the truth. The character needed to be tough yet warm, and Lois embodies that. She had such a wonderful attitude throughout, and she brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. Having a legend like her bring my grandmother’s spirit to the screen means more to me than I can say.” “Colin wrote such a beautiful character in Marjorie. There’s an immediate familiarity to her: that combination of a grandmother’s warmth and wisdom. It’s a pivotal moment in the film, and we needed someone who could convey its emotional weight with real authenticity,” said producers Dan Erdman, Chad Simpson, Heather Francis and Drew Johnson in a joint statement. “Lois was a dream choice, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have her.” Casting director Findley Davidson added: “The word is overused, but it’s apt here: Lois Smith is an icon. At 95, she continues to work non-stop across theater, TV and film, and her dedication to the craft is remarkable.” “Outside of Cleveland” also stars Alex Wolff, Brooklynn Prince, Jim Gaffigan, Sarah Wayne Callies and Michael Ian Black. As pointed out by West, at the 2017 Gotham Awards, Prince and Smith were among the youngest and oldest nominees ever for “The Florida Project” and “Marjorie Prime” respectively. “Years later, they end up in the same movie,” he enthused. West’s film, selected for the U.S. in Progress co-production forum at Poland’s Tauron American Film Festival, is produced by Brain Scratch Productions, 1515 Films and Sub_Sequential Pictures. His previous, “Linoleum,” premiered at SXSW. “The cast always hinged on Max’s character, so that’s where we started. Alex Wolff was an immediate choice as not only is he an incredible musician, he can also convey both the world-worn weariness of adulthood and the spark of adolescence, often within the same scene,” he said. “From there, since the story moves fluidly between two timelines without relying on gimmicks, I needed actors who could make the family feel lived-in from the first frame. Jim, with whom I’d worked before, and Sarah possess that warmth and humor, and Brooklynn brings an honesty and maturity that’s rare at any age. Lois ended up being the final key to that family dynamic and I was thrilled to see it all come together seamlessly.” West isn’t hiding that the story he’s telling is very personal. “It’s always hard to put that much of yourself on screen, and there were days on set in Ohio that almost felt a little too close to home. When I entered Max’s room after our production design team had finished with it, I saw actual items from my own childhood. My art team had asked my parents for items, and it freaked me out, but also brought a smile to my face.” He added: “Making any form of art should always be part exploration and part excavation, and this was the perfect combination of the two. Once I stopped trying to hide from the personal, the film became more relatable and honest. When I watch it, I see the Ohio that I know and love. I see home. And I am deeply indebted to my team for making that happen.”