LOS ANGELES - Jan. 31, 2019 - PRLog -- Brothers Richard and Alexander Davis, both award-winning actors, star as brothers in the feature film "Ride" directed by Alex Ranarivelo ("American Wrestler: The Wizard," "Dirt," "Pray for Rain"), which is slated for a worldwide release later this year.
Profiling the life story of Glasgow BMX pro rider John Buultjens, played by Shane Graham from the AMC series "The Son," "Ride" depicts Buultjens' incredible life story, which he wrote about in his 2017 autobiographical book "Ride: BMX Glory, Against All the Odds."
Raised by a white-supremacist family, Buultjens spent most of his youth in a juvenile detention center until he is taken in by an interracial foster family headed by Eldridge Buultjens, who's played by actor and Grammy Award winner Ludacris ("2 Fast 2 Furious," "Hustle and Flow," "Crash"). The Buultjens, who ultimately become John's adopted family, help him work through his issues with racism that were instilled from his birth family, the McCords, and ultimately put him on the path towards BMX glory.
Actor Alexander Davis plays the young version of John Buultjens, and Richard Davis plays the young version of Rory McCord, John's older brother. Alexander Davis' knockout performance in "Ride" earned him the Joey Award for Best Actor in the Principal or Supporting Role in a Feature Film 8-9 Years category. In 2018 Alexander, now a four-time Joey Award winner and Young Artist Award winner, also earned the Joey Award for Best Supporting or Principal Actor in a Short Film for his performance in the film "Re: Possessed Homes," as well as a Joey Award and Young Entertainers Award nomination for his role in the multi-award winning series "NCIS."
"Alexander [Davis] was amazing... how he was able to get the emotions over on camera was beyond me, especially for someone so young," said John Buultjens. "I even found some of his shoots distressing so had to step away. I was watching myself go through the tortures of my childhood for real. It was not something I was expecting to affect me, but it did."
Alexander's older brother Richard Davis, a two-time Joey Award winner and four-time Young Artist Award nominee, who plays a young Rory McCord in "Ride," has been widely celebrated for his performances in the films "Full Out" and "Brothers," as well as the series "Good Dog," "Murdoch Mysteries" and "Kid's Town." In stark contrast to the more light-hearted and comedic roles he's become known for, Richard's role as Rory, a high-profile gang member, created an interesting challenge for him as an actor acting opposite of his own brother.
"My brother Alex playing my on-screen brother lent itself to having chemistry on screen," explained Richard. "Since he is my brother in real life, it felt a lot more real for me, which was a bit scary at times when you are dealing with a gang situation. I felt a sense of wanting to protect him, which showed another dimension to my character, rather than just coming off as a bad gang member."
Produced by ESX Entertainment ("Dirt," "American Wrestler: The Wizard," "The Dog Lover," "Born to Race Fast Track"), "Ride" also stars People's Choice Award winner Sasha Alexander ("Shameless," "Rizzoli and Isles") as Marianna Buultjens, and Blake Sheldon ("After Life," "General Hospital") as Rory McCord as an adult. In the film John Buultjens, whom "Ride" is about, stars as his own biological father, Ewan McCord, an abusive alcoholic.
Chosen as an Official Selection of the 2018 Newport Beach Film Festival where it premiered last year "Ride" earned numerous awards including a Breakthrough Performance Award for Shane Graham and the Audience Award for Best Film. "Ride" was also chosen as an Official Selection of the 2018 Boston Film Festival where it earned the award for Best Story, the Napa Valley Film Festival and the Bentonville Film Festival.
"'Ride' was one of the best sets I have been on. It was a great working environment with even greater people. Alex Ranarivelo, my director is a really cool guy and he is great at what he does," says Richard Davis. "It was also very interesting to work with John, who played his own biological father in the movie. The whole process was very intense for him because his father was an abusive alcoholic, but in the end, it was very therapeutic which was fascinating to me."
While Alexander and Richard Davis have each achieved international acclaim in their own right for their individual work as actors, the film "Ride" marks the first time they've performed on the big screen together as brothers, though they both guest starred on the hit Canadian series "Murdoch Mysteries" on separate occasions.
"This film is very special to me for many reasons, but also because my brother Richard plays my on screen brother in our feature film 'Ride,' which is a first for us in our careers. The great thing about playing my brother on screen was that we could practice together and totally trust each other for some difficult scenes," says Alexander Davis. "It was great to have Richard playing my brother because you'll see that his character is a gang member, but he still has a heart. I think us being brothers in real life helped to make that come across on screen."
Aside from the upcoming release of "Ride," Alexander Davis plays starring roles in the upcoming British Funded Film "Egg Soldier," as well as the film "Lying Together." Audiences can catch actor Richard Davis performing stand-up comedy at The Ice House on February 9 in Pasadena, CA. Richard, who was chosen to host the 2018 Joey Awards, is also currently hosting "Joey Awards TV," a bi-weekly series that will air on the Joey Awards' YouTube Channel and provides updates about award winners and nominees.
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