“THE PACIFIER”

About the Production

Sea.  Air.  Land.  Minivan?

	As the embodiment of today’s extreme action hero, Vin Diesel has jumped out of speeding planes, skied down sheer cliffs, flipped cars 360 degrees and battled the world’s worst bad guys. But now he takes on his greatest screen challenge to date starring as Shane Wolfe, a Navy S.E.A.L. whose latest do-or-die mission pulls him into the perilous, adrenaline-charged world of…babysitting. Mixing comic hijinx with Diesel’s trademark, no-holds-barred action, the result is a family adventure-comedy about a hard-as-nails warrior who meets his match, and finds his heart, in a family of out-of-control kids.
	Diesel redefines the term action hero as he makes his first foray into comedy with THE PACIFIER. Assigned to protect the endangered children of an assassinated scientist working on a secret invention, Shane Wolfe is suddenly faced with juggling two incompatible jobs fighting evil while keeping house. As he adds to his usual arsenal of wetsuits and weapons the new tools of juice boxes and a minivan, Shane not only must defeat a world-threatening enemy but also wrangle teen rebel Zoe (BRITTANY SNOW), uplift sullen 14-year-old Seth (MAX THIERIOT) and outwit 8-year-old Ninja-wannabe Lulu (MORGAN YORK), simultaneously keeping toddler Peter and baby Tyler out of mischief, not to mention harm’s way. While drop zones, demolitions and destroying enemy targets come naturally to Shane, he has no idea what tough really is until he pits his courage against diapering, den-mothering and driver’s education. He’s truly a S.E.A.L. out of water, but this tough-guy loner soon realizes that he’s also facing the most important mission of his life becoming part of a family and bringing them all closer together. 
	Walt Disney Pictures, in association with Spyglass Entertainment, presents THE PACIFIER, directed by Adam Shankman (“Bringing Down the House”) and produced by Spyglass Entertainment’s Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman. The screenplay is written by Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant. The film is executive produced by Shankman and his Offspring Entertainment partner Jennifer Gibgot as well as Spyglass Entertainment’s Derek Evans, Garrett Grant and George Zakk.
	THE PACIFIER stars Vin Diesel, joined by a supporting cast of talented comedy veterans including Lauren Graham, Faith Ford and Carol Kane, with Brad Garrett, as well as young stars Brittany Snow, Max Thieriot and Morgan York as the Plummer children.

A S.E.A.L. Out of Water
Vin Diesel Radically Switches Gears to Take on a Heartwarming Family Comedy

	In starring roles in such blockbuster action adventures as “XXX” and “The Fast and the Furious,” Vin Diesel has quickly developed a reputation as one of Hollywood’s fiercest–and most globally popular–male action heroes. Now, with THE PACIFIER, Diesel deftly switches gears, revealing the funnier, more humanly vulnerable side of his larger-than-life personality, while still using his trademark physical skills to pull off the film’s fun-filled action and suburbia-shocking stunts. 
	From the first time he read the screenplay for THE PACIFIER, Diesel was drawn to the role of Shane Wolfe, knowing it would give him a unique opportunity to reveal himself to audiences as he never has before. He was especially intrigued by the idea of playing a man who turns the prototypical notion of a muscle-bound action hero on its head, and in so doing, playfully unraveling his own tough-guy persona. Though Shane Wolfe starts out as a steely soldier who seems to be an unmovable rock, both inside and out, he soon comes face-to-face with his own comic foibles–and yearning to be part of a family–as he is forced to babysit a group of kids who turn out to need him in ways that have nothing to do with his guts, brawn or ability to knock out one-armed push-ups.  
	“To me THE PACIFIER felt like a true classic Disney family comedy,” says Diesel. “It’s about a man who’s never really known a family, a guy who, as a Navy S.E.A.L., has always avoided getting close to anybody. Only now, without any training for it, he’s forced into having to try to be a caring father figure to these five unruly kids. Shane is a great character because he’s completely amazing at just about every military and fighting maneuver known to man–but the most everyday chores, like changing a diaper, just bring him to his knees. So he’s about to go through some very big changes. And he is about to be surprised by just how ridiculously tough, and yet how deeply rewarding, the family life he thought he would never have can be.” 
	Diesel continues “I was immediately attracted to this story because I thought it would be a whole lot of fun, not to mention very liberating, for me to explore comedy and a character who undergoes a real transformation. I liked that even though there’s some great action in the film, the focus is just as much on humor, emotion and the relationships Shane forms with the Plummer family. I have to say after doing the movie that it was probably the most enjoyable film experience I’ve ever had.” 
	THE PACIFIER came to Diesel through Spyglass Entertainment, who hoped the screen hero would consider trying something new and different in the form of this kid-centered family adventure. Says producer Gary Barber “We thought THE PACIFIER was a great family comedy and we also thought Vin Diesel was the one action star with the acting range to really be able to carry off the role. It’s not that dissimilar to when Arnold Schwarzenegger came out of his ‘Terminator’ movies to do ‘Kindergarten Cop’ and ‘Twins.’ Vin has such an extremely likeable personality, and we felt this transition would really work well for him. Once on the set, he proved to have incredible comic timing.” 
	Adds producer Roger Birnbaum “There are not too many actors who could play Shane Wolfe. You need someone physically imposing with tremendous action skills, of course, but also someone willing and able to break out of that genre and suddenly transform into a softer, kinder, funnier version of that. We were thrilled to have a chance with THE PACIFIER to let people see Vin Diesel’s talent in a whole new way.” 
	Sums up producer Jonathan Glickman “There’s just something phenomenally funny about seeing the world’s toughest action star trying to take control of things with a baby on his back and another baby strapped to his front! Along with the magical relationship that developed between Vin and the kids, we knew we had something special.” 
	With Diesel set in the role of Shane Wolfe, the producers next approached Adam Shankman, who has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after comedy directors on the heels of such hits as “The Wedding Planner” and the recent “Bringing Down the House,” which set off comic sparks between the odd-couple pairing of Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. “Adam is a very funny, very bright populist filmmaker who we thought was the perfect choice,” explains Birnbaum. “He did a tremendous job of managing a motion picture that combines an enormous number of elements–action, comedy, emotion, big stars, little kids, and even a duck. I also think that Vin really came to trust Adam’s instincts–which was a great help as he made the transition to the kind of actor that he proves himself to be in
THE PACIFIER.” 
	Shankman was immediately enthusiastic about the project. He got a kick out of the way THE PACIFIER transforms a bandolier-sporting Navy S.E.A.L. into a bottle-wielding babysitter, and saw the potential to create a unique mix out of the story’s spirited comedy, kid-oriented action and poignant tale of a family rediscovering the power of their love for one another. 
	“Vin Diesel’s Shane Wolfe is a stranger set loose in a strange land,” Shankman comments. “The world he finds himself in at the Plummer’s suburban household seems to be a world that has absolutely nothing to do with the military training that has so far been his entire life. Yet, somehow, when he applies everything he’s got–his physical prowess, his strategic mind and finally his heart–to these five out-of-control kids, amazing things happen. I really enjoyed the humor of the film’s premise. I mean, where else are you ever going to see Vin Diesel changing a diaper? And I especially enjoyed the way it’s combined with a story about rediscovering the importance of family.” 

Operation Nanny
The Search Begins for Kids Who Can Take on Vin Diesel

	At the heart of THE PACIFIER’s comic action are the outrageous situations that develop when Navy S.E.A.L. Shane Wolfe is assigned to protect an otherwise unsupervised family of children ranging from a bawling infant to a brash high school teen. In one fell swoop, Wolfe goes from the ultimate in military discipline to total suburban chaos. His stamina and cunning are tested to their limits as he faces situations ranging from diving for lost diapers to de-commissioning school bullies. Yet, as S.E.A.L. meets suburbia, Shane Wolfe finds that he is changing the Plummer family just as much as they are changing him. As dysfunctional as they seem to be, when push comes to shove, the Plummers soon learn they truly need one another.
	To surround Diesel with just the right mix of mayhem and unexpected affection, the filmmakers set out on a search to cast a unique group of kids with comic chops to play the Plummer family offspring. “Casting the Plummers was of paramount importance,” says director Adam Shankman, “and we not only wanted cute, smart, funny kids, but a quintet that would actually look like real brothers and sisters.” 
	Shankman began by casting Brittany Snow of television’s “American Dreams” in the key role of teenaged Zoe, then matched the rest of the family to her stunningly big, bright, blue eyes. Ultimately, Shankman cast twins Bo and Luke Vink (they celebrated their first birthdays during production) in the role of infant Tyler–whose diaper calls for Shane Wolfe to summon the ultimate courage–and 3-year-old twins Logan and Keegan Hoover as toddler Peter, as well as up-and-coming young actors Max Thieriot (“Catch That Kid”) and Morgan York (“Cheaper by the Dozen”) as middle children Seth and Lulu. 
	Brittany Snow immediately won over Shankman with her rebellious energy, which the director thought would make the perfect comic foil for Diesel’s stickler-for-the-rules character. “Brittany plays a goody-goody on ‘American Dreams,’ but with Zoe she took the chance to show off her ‘bad girl’ side and really went to town with it,” says Shankman. “Zoe is truly the voice of the Plummer kids, and not only is Brittany incredibly experienced with comedy, but she proved she had the personality to really stand up to Vin. She just attacked the character in her audition.”
	Snow had a blast playing a teen so fearless and full of attitude she’s willing to misbehave even in the midst of a discipline-happy Navy S.E.A.L. “Zoe was just so much fun for me,” she says. “She’s someone who’s desperately looking for attention, so she does all these things just so people will notice her. A lot of the humor and laughs come from the fact that Zoe is definitely not military material, and Shane can’t deal at all with her rebellion. But, ultimately, we learn that Zoe and Shane are really very much alike, and when they get past all that, they become friends and even help each other to do great things. I love that in between all the hilarious slapstick and cool stunts, there’s also a very sweet story about family.” 
	To cast Seth, the Plummer family’s doom-laden adolescent, Shankman was looking for someone who could reveal flashes of comic light in the distinctively dark character. “In the midst of this Disney family comedy, here is this kid who is really struggling through a very tough time emotionally. We wanted to stay true to the character’s struggle, but we also needed to find the humor in Seth,” explains the director. “I totally credit Max Thieriot’s extraordinary talent and grace with making it work. He’s a very gifted actor, and not a bad singer and dancer as well!” 
	Max put all of these skills to work as Seth takes on the lead in a very unusual musical theater production, complete with male nuns, ethnic Nazis and haphazard costuming–only to have Shane Wolfe step in to save the day as the unlikely director. Vin Diesel was one of those impressed with the teenaged actor’s ability to shift between comedy and pathos while still coming across as an authentically troubled young man. “I can’t say enough about Max,” says Diesel. “I told him, whether he likes it or not, he could very well be the next big thing. He’s a great kid and a fine young actor.”
	Says Thieriot “Seth is a very sad character in the beginning. He’s just really depressed and he doesn’t like to talk and he’s always wearing dark clothes that reflect how he’s feeling. But through his relationship with Shane, he starts to see that everything is going to be okay. It’s funny, but Shane, even though he’s this tough-guy soldier, is the one person who lets Seth know it’s okay to be an actor and that he can just be who he really is inside. He does something similar for each of the kids in the Plummer family, which is a pretty cool part of the movie.” 
	For Thieriot, the chance to work with screen idol Diesel was a major thrill. “I was definitely intimidated by Vin in the beginning,” he admits. “But he couldn’t have been nicer to us and he let us play video games with him and all kinds of stuff like that and he just broke the ice. In the end, we not only became friends but I learned a lot about acting from Vin. He was always helping me to think about what my character was feeling, which in Seth’s case is a lot of confusing stuff!”
	Finally, in the role of Lulu, who finds her troop being led through rough-and-ready combat drills and karate moves by their new “den mother,” Shane Wolfe, Shankman cast Morgan York. He did so on the recommendation of Steve Martin, who starred with the young actress in “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Recalls Shankman “Steve said, ‘Oh my God, you get to work with Morgan? She’s the best.’ So that was good enough for me and we hired her.” 
	York especially liked playing a grade-school kid who, despite her age, is already a heroine-in-training. “Lulu is really athletic, smart and energetic, and she’s very into combat video games and ninjas and all that stuff because she wants to be a hero, too,” she says. “She’s into the same things as Shane Wolfe, but unfortunately, when he first meets her, he mainly just thinks she’s annoying. It isn’t until she invites him to be her troop’s den mother that their relationship really turns around. It’s a really hilarious story and I think it will be a lot of fun for people to see a bunch of little kids drive this tough military guy like Vin Diesel insane!”

A Corps of Comics Joins THE PACIFIER
Casting Faith Ford, Carol Kane, Lauren Graham and Brad Garrett

	In addition to the Plummer kids, Diesel’s Shane Wolfe finds himself becoming wrapped up in the lives of the rest of the extended Plummer family. Joining the cast as the two Plummer matriarchs–mommy and nanny–are two talented and accomplished comediennes Faith Ford as Julie Plummer, who is summoned away from her kids on a vital mission of her own, and Carol Kane as the family’s opinionated Romanian nanny, Helga. 
	Ford, the star of ABC’s “Hope and Faith” and the recipient of five Emmy® and two Golden Globe® nominations for her long-lived role as Corky on “Murphy Brown,” couldn’t resist the screenplay for THE PACIFIER and the crazy situations that arise when a Navy S.E.A.L. takes over her character’s suburban home. “The opportunity to do an action scene with Vin Diesel was one I just couldn’t pass up,” she explains. “I loved the story because it’s action with a sense of humor, sort of like the ‘Pink Panther’ movies, and I think that and the fact that it has a lot of heart, too, makes this such a charming film.” 
	Adam Shankman has long been a fan of Ford’s and thought she was just right for the role of a modern American mom doing the best she can under trying circumstances. “I was looking for a blond, blue-eyed beauty who could be a strong and quirky mom and who could also take this everyday mom and turn her into a very real person. Faith was a fantastic addition to the cast. She’s beautiful and she’s just got funny in her soul,” he says. 
	Adds Vin Diesel “Faith had a great way of being skeptical of my character and, at the same time, having this very trusting maternal instinct about Shane that I thought was cool, because ultimately she’s the one who gives Shane this incredible responsibility of watching her kids.” 
	Ford’s alter ego is the family’s Eastern European nanny, Helga, played with characteristic comic glee by Academy Award® nominee and two-time Emmy® Award winner Carol Kane. Like the rest of the cast, Kane was attracted by the story’s interweaving of suspense and sweetness. “I thought the script was clever, funny, exciting and even a bit profound in its concept of what makes a family a family, and about really listening to one another,” she says. “The other two most attractive things about this movie were the chance to work with Adam Shankman, whom I adore, and best of all, the chance to kick some serious Vin Diesel butt!” 
	Helga also gave Kane an opportunity to utilize her exceptional talent for foreign accents and penchant for bringing to life eccentric characters. “I always like to transform into different people,” explains Kane, “and it was great to be able to create Helga’s accent and her whole look with the black hair and 4-inch gray roots. I saw Helga as being like all Three Stooges rolled into one. It’s a very physical role. I get spit up on by the baby, I get Cheerios thrown in my face, I fall down the stairs, I get to bite Vin Diesel. All in all, it was really, really fun.” 
	Despite being called upon to pummel the world’s hottest action star in one of the film’s most comedic sequences, Kane developed a strong respect for Diesel. “Shane Wolfe is such a lovely comedy role for him, and the wonderful part of it was that he truly fell in love with the babies in the movie. His whole face would break open with joy when he was working with the kids, and he would make them laugh so hard. It was great to see,” she says. 
	Also joining the cast in two equally comic roles as school principal Claire Fletcher and Vice Principal Murney are Lauren Graham, the Golden Globe®-nominated star of “Gilmore Girls” recently seen on screen opposite Billy Bob Thornton in “Bad Santa,” and Brad Garrett, well known to television audiences as a two-time Emmy® winner and three-time Emmy® nominee and for his role as Ray Romano’s older brother on the series “Everybody Loves Raymond.” 
	For Shankman, Graham was the perfect love interest for Diesel, the only woman a guy like Shane Wolfe could ever imagine actually settling down with to have his own family. “I knew that anybody who could get romantic with Billy Bob Thornton in ‘Bad Santa’ could stand up to Vin Diesel,” the director laughs. “And she did. Lauren handled the role with true grace and humor.” 
	Graham found THE PACIFIER an entirely new experience. “I’ve never worked with kids or animals before, let alone all of them together in the same scene,” she admits. “That was an interesting experience–being chased around by toddlers and ducks! It was also a lot of fun getting to know Vin Diesel. My character was also in the military, so deep down she relates to Shane Wolfe and she finds herself kind of falling for this bald, muscle-bound guy in spite of herself.” 
	Brad Garrett was also excited by his role as Vice Principal Murney but lived in terror of the day he would have to don a wrestling singlet and foolishly challenge Shane Wolfe to an after- school match. “Let me tell you something,” says Garrett. “When they told me I had to wrestle Vin Diesel, it almost killed me. I’ll be honest. I don’t think I could beat up Vin Scully, never mind Vin Diesel. I would run from a Quaker. So it was a little intimidating.” 
	Garrett persevered, however, and, like his co-stars, ultimately found Diesel to be a lot kinder and gentler than expected. “He’s actually a very sweet man,” he says, “and we all had a lot of fun together.” 
	Sums up producer Jonathan Glickman, “One of the great things Adam Shankman did with this film was to populate it with a lot of great supporting actors, so none of the roles seem marginal at all, no matter how small. Everyone brings something unique and fun to the adventure.” 

Diesel as Daddy
How Vin Diesel Tackled the Role of a Father Figure to Five Kids on the Set

	As production of THE PACIFIER began, no one knew quite what to expect as the buff and tough action star Diesel was joined on the set by screaming infants, cranky toddlers, moody teens and a misbehaving pet duck. 
	The kids were especially nervous, uncertain of just how intimidating it might be to approach the larger-than-life action hero better known as a bone crusher than a baby lover. “The really interesting part was that Vin turned out to be someone completely different than we all thought,” sums up teenaged Brittany Snow. “All my friends wanted to know ‘Is he scary?’ and ‘Is he big and mean and does he want to fight everybody?’ But he wasn’t like that at all. He’s wonderful and he’s like this ball of energy that never stops moving and he’s something else that nobody would ever expect he’s really funny. Of course, he can also do all the incredible action stuff, but he does something different in this movie.” 
	“Vin turned out to be amazing,” continues producer Roger Birnbaum. “He was always sweet and loving and attentive with all the kids, and I think that helped everyone to be more comfortable. He’s actually a pretty sensitive guy underneath that tough exterior.” 
	Adds Gary Barber “On the set, we all had to get used to a whole new Vin Diesel, an adorable Vin Diesel. The minute the camera turned off, Vin would turn from Navy S.E.A.L. to total kid, playing with the children, hugging the babies, and what’s great is that the wonderful chemistry and sense of playfulness that developed between him and the kids really come through on screen.” 
	Indeed, Diesel developed a whole new reputation on the set. “Whenever the babies would cry, they’d call me to duty,” he explains. “They started calling me The Baby Whisperer.” Sometimes the babies had to be pried from Diesel’s arms. “He wouldn’t put them down and I would have to wrestle them away from him on the set when it came time to shoot. I had to say, ‘Hey, I’m the nanny, can I have the baby now?’” recalls Carol Kane. 
	Still, there were more than a few challenges presented by the mix of children, high action and comedy situations. “Feeding babies, changing diapers, making sure homework got done, we were constantly juggling all of these,” recalls Adam Shankman. “Shooting some of the action sequences, despite their complexity, was sometimes a welcome break from dealing with baby spit-up!” 
	For Diesel, however, working with the children became the highlight of his days. “I was just always in a good mood on this film. Usually the roles I play are the dark, brooding, stoic characters, and here it was a completely different atmosphere. I was running around playing video games, throwing babies into the air, being chased by a 3-year-old. It was just so much fun that, really, it didn’t even seem fair. It was a breath of fresh air.” 
	While Diesel got along famously with the children, he did have his qualms about Gary, the Plummer family’s pet duck. “I was wondering how am I going to relate to a duck? Luckily, we had some amazing duck trainers, although there still were some mishaps.” 
	Gary the duck was actually played by six different ducks. In addition to “Whitewater,” the primary duck and one of the film’s unexpected heroes, THE PACIFIER also recruited the skills of five specialist ducks, each particularly talented at one skill, such as flying, retrieving, quacking and sitting still. Still, the training wasn’t foolproof, as was demonstrated when Diesel was nearly done in by one angry duck. 
	Faith Ford explains “Vin and I were doing this very emotional scene where I’m talking about my dead husband and the duck is supposed to walk into the scene and nip Vin on the ear, which is pretty funny. Well, on the third take, the duck apparently didn’t think he was doing the trick correctly, so instead of nipping Vin’s ear, that duck took hold and wouldn’t let go.”
	“Whitewater was just trying to do his best,” says trainer Ursula Brauner, “but he went a little overboard. When he grabbed Vin’s ear, Vin jumped up but carried the scene right through to the end of the dialogue. Once Adam yelled, “Cut,” the crew could barely contain themselves. It was just one of those spontaneous funny moments that happen on a set that can never be duplicated. Vin was such a trooper. No matter what anyone says, he really is a tough guy.”
	“They assured me the duck would never draw blood, but the next thing you know, the duck is chomping on my ear,” laughs Diesel. 
	“I think Vin felt a bit like a ‘sitting duck’ that day,” sums director Shankman, “but happily, Diesel and duck were treated and released.”
	As with any comedy, director Shankman found that the key to allowing really funny stuff to unfold was giving his entire cast–adults, kids and even animals–the freedom to let it all hang out and let spontaneous humor erupt out of the situations. “One of the great things about Adam is that he’s very trusting, very open to discovering things and completely willing to let you try out any ideas you might have,” says comedy veteran Brad Garrett, who experimented, with raucous results, with his own character, Vice Principal Murney, especially in his outrageous wrestling scenes. “He allowed for a lot of improvisation from everyone that resulted in lots of funny moments.”
	“We got to ad lib a lot,” comments 11-year-old Morgan York, “and we were constantly cracking up because of it. I especially liked doing funny scenes with Vin because he made it so easy to laugh. I mean, seeing the way this big action hero dives into a pool of rubber balls, searching for a dirty diaper, really had everyone on the floor.” 
	Diesel found that comedy came naturally to him, especially when surrounded by so many truly funny people. “The comedy acumen of Adam Shankman and the entire cast really helped me to feel comfortable with venturing into this new genre,” he says. “It wasn’t something I was sure I could do at first, but I remember that on the set of ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ Tom Hanks gave me a valuable piece of advice. He said ‘Vinny, pick the roles you’re afraid of.’ I admit I was somewhat nervous about this role in the beginning, about doing a Disney family comedy, which is something that was hard for anyone to imagine me doing. But I gotta say that Tom Hanks was 100 percent right. It was an amazing experience, and it turned into something that I think is going to be really memorable and fun for families to share.”