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Estate in Pass-a-Grille to have a role in movie
By AMY WIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published November 29, 2000 ST. PETE BEACH -- John DaSilva, whose plans for a corporate retreat in Pass-a-Grille have brought a dose of controversy to the island, now hopes to bring it some fame. DaSilva is the executive producer and financier of a film called The Bitter Truth, a dark comedy about the unfortunate lives of Hollywood actor wanna-bes. Portions of the movie will be filmed at the old Anheuser-Busch estate in Pass-a-Grille that DaSilva owns. He founded a production company, Caribbean Pictures, about four years ago and has been seeking a good project ever since, DaSilva said. He expects the film's budget to hold to six figures and thinks the movie will be rated "R." "It's about a fellow in L.A. who takes his own life because he can't get anywhere with all the acting classes," DaSilva said. "He hangs himself from the letter "o' in Hollywood. His brother comes out to L.A., sees how all these people in despair can't get a break. The brother tells the no-talents to go home. It's very funny." The film will be St. Pete Beach's second big-screen appearance in as many years. The Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa was featured in the movie Forever Mine this year, though the hotel went by a different name and was supposedly in Miami. Critics deemed Forever Mine, which starred Joseph Fiennes, Gretchen Mol and Ray Liotta, mediocre at best. Filming on DaSilva's picture is expected to begin in January or February. Although DaSilva has helped finance movies in the past, he has never had so much control over a project, he said. "It is truly an art project," DaSilva said. "If this movie were to work, these people would have some notoriety because of what they did here, not because of who they are." Perhaps the most notable actor in DaSilva's film is comedian Jeff Wayne, whose 1996 album It's OK to Be a White Guy put him on the map as a conservative-minded comedian who makes audiences laugh as well as think. Tampa Bay comedian Danny Bevins, who won this year's San Francisco Standup Comedy Competition, also will star in the film. Bevins got his start at Coconuts Comedy Club in St. Pete Beach, was named best new artist by HBO in 1998, and now lives in Los Angeles. DaSilva said he insisted on shooting some scenes in Pass-a-Grille, particularly some waterfront scenes involving boats and yachts. Incidentally, he does not plan to rent rooms in his controversial Busch estate to actors or others working on the film.
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