Casting BERNIE for SAVING FRANK - Narrative Short Film: Bernie, a retired competitive weightlifter, lives in isolation after a career-ending injury. Everyone he once trusted has used and abandoned him — everyone except Frank, his loyal best friend and pet hamster. When Frank is diagnosed with a life-threatening tumor and needs expensive, life-saving surgery, Bernie must risk everything by returning to the sport that broke him, fighting not just for redemption, but to save the only companion who ever truly cared for him. Character Description: Bernie is a competitive weightlifter —a gentle giant. He's massive and burly, but beneath all that muscle lies a surprisingly tender, emotional soul. He cares deeply what others think of him, and carries out everyday actions with the utmost of kindness. If it weren't for his gift with a barbell, you'd find him tucked away in a comic book shop, lost in superheroes and dusty westerns. Still, deep inside, there's a rage he doesn't even know exists—something primal that flickers only when he hoists the heaviest iron. When his best friend Frank is taken from him, that hidden man comes roaring to the surface, and Bernie transforms into a relentless machine, ready to tear through anything in his path to bring him back. Shooting in Los Angeles 2026: 1/23 - 1/25 1/30-2/1 2/7-2/8 Rehearsals beforehand.
