A University of Bridgeport Human Services major starred in the major motion picture, “I Heart Huckabees” that was released in early October of this year. Ger Duany is the middle child in a family of ten. Duany left his family in Sudan to live with his uncle in Burlington, Indiana when he was sixteen; Duany has not been back to Sudan since then. Duany studied acting in California for two years, and appeared a few stage productions. A friend who had heard about the audition for the “I Heart Huckabees” motion picture told Duany about it, thinking that he would be able to get the part, which he did. Duany
was lucky enough to beat out two-hundred other actors auditioning for the same part. The movie was filmed during the summer of 2003 in Los Angles, California.
Duany plays the part of a Sudanese doorman who lives with the central characters of the movie: a white American detective couple, the “Jaffes,” who are played by Jude Law and Naomi Watts. Along with Watts and Law, the movie is filled with talents, such as Mark Walhberg, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jason Schwartzman and many others. David O. Russell is the director, producer and screenwriter for the film and also directed and wrote the screenplay for Three Kings (1999) and Flirting with Disaster (1996). He was also executive producer of the movie, Anchorman (2004).
Although one would expect Duany to be star struck by all the famous actors, in fact he did not realize that Jude Law was a famous actor until after filming was over. Duany had a hard time understanding Law because of his British accent. Still, Duany was a bit intimidated; he didn’t know what to expect. According to Duany the veteran actors were, “really helpful because they are all interested in seeing new faces in the movie industry.”
The movie did reasonably well when it premiered on September 22nd, with four big stars and a ‘B’ rating by critics. Duany was unable to attend the premiere, but he did work to promote the movie in New York City. Duany’s family was supportive and said they “loved” the film. Even friends whom he hadn’t heard from in years emailed him to tell him they loved the movie. Although he enjoyed his experience making the movie, human services is Duany’s, “first calling in life” and he considers acting to be something, “I can always fall back on.”
When asked for a brief overview of the movie, Duany laughs, “Sure! It’s a comedy and I don’t get shot it in.” The cryptic comment may be just another reason to go and see the movie for yourself, it is in theaters now.
University of Bridgeport
Saturday, July 12, 2025