Actors can come from anywhere. Channing Tatum used to be a stripper. David Boreanaz was discovered while walking his dog. Heck, Brad Pitt used to wear a chicken suit to promote El Pollo Loco. But those stories have all been one-upped by 44-year-old Jason Stange, star of the upcoming indie flick MARLA MAE, which wrapped filming last week in Olympia.
In 2006, Stange was sentenced to 117 months in prison for armed bank robbery. In July 2014, a federal probation violation warrant was issued when he skipped out on a halfway house in Spokane. The police finally caught up with him when they recognized him in a newspaper photograph, discovering his location through one of the film's permits and arresting him at a nearby restaurant.
When Stange was arrested, he was still in costume for his role as Dr. Lourdes, a deranged Planned Parenthood physician. The federal officers allowed him to return his costume before taking him away. According to the rest of the crew, he was a real pleasure. Brandon Roberts, the film’s producer, said that:
[He] really nailed the audition… Jason was a great guy. Everyone really liked him a lot.
Honestly, he sounds easier to work with than Brad Pitt. Maybe that's the secret to reducing criminal behavior. Just make sure everybody on set is ditching their parole.
In MARLA MAE:
When a girl goes to get an IUD implanted by a distant relative, he commits a deranged act which has deadly implications for those close to her.
MARLA MAE also stars Katie Hemming and Lisa van Dam-Bates in addition to Stange (whose role will not be cut out of the film), and is on track for a 2016 release.