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Characters
Find out who the main characters are in the screenplay for Rising Star
Logan Ford
A maverick 37-year-old detective who is ridiculed by his colleagues, he prefers to work on his own. A drinker and smoker, his marriage to Audrey is shaky as she feels he is not stepping up as a father to his son Callum [6] and daughter Christina [16] (who dote over him) due to his work obsessions.
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Despite appearing disorganised, his mind is sharp but he doesn’t follow protocol when it comes to investigating as he is prepared to use any means to get answers.
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A streetwise detective of the old-school type, Logan has been around the block a few times, but this investigation tests his mettle and questions his abilities.
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He is the antithesis of Malik, and initially sees him as an educated upstart whose path has been predetermined which raises resentment, but his wife advises him to see sense and take him under his wing.
Malik Edwards
This 28-year-old gay detective has gone through university and is seen by the force as a promising up-and-coming detective with a bright future.
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Quiet, unassuming and driven by logic, he reveals to Audrey Ford his sexuality which he feels needs to be hidden from his colleagues for fear of reprisals. In that same conversation he informs her of the loss of his partner to Aids, indicating he is a man of caution and control.
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Malik, despite being seen by Logan as a threat, admires his partner and knows he can learn a lot from him.
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Initially, he watches and listens but soon he plays his part in discovering who the killer is.
Robert Sanderson
This confident and popular 45-year-old politician believes he has a bright future and is preparing to run at the next election but behind the façade is a corrupt individual who is in league with Giacomo Pulcinella to make a fortune in a land grab linked to offshore accounts.
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Married but unfaithful, he has a one-night stand with sex worker Lucia Blinkley and as the murders unravel his plans, he is revealed as a weak-minded individual consumed with greed.
Giacomo Pulcinella
This 44-year-old gangster may exhibit himself as an affable, likeable man but, in reality, he is a hardened criminal who sees the world around him as disposable if it achieves his objectives.
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A large man in both in physicality and character, he projects himself to Sanderson as a worthy business partner but behind the scenes he is gathering evidence of the politician which, if required, could blackmail him.
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Untrustworthy, he is a sleekit, two-faced individual with a gang of henchmen at his command and the police in his pocket who dismisses the death of Lucia as an inconvenience.
Fred Wilmot
The corrupt 45-year-old councillor is the lynchpin that is enabling Sanderson and Pulcinella to see through their plan. Paid by the mobster, he plays his part in greenlighting the purchasing of land and property.
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Slight in stature, this weedy character is looked down upon by Sanderson and Pulcinella who put up with his presence only because of what he can provide.
Bernie Hillcroft
At 42 years of age, this corrupt officer exhumes an air of entitlement as, with his partner Jim Kershaw, he patrols and protects Pulcinella’s patch from the drug dealing competition.
Overweight and living alone, he’s a bit of a slob living on tv dinners in his dishevelled apartment.
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A big fish in a small pond, he thinks he’s important as he rules the roost among the dregs of the street.
Lucia Blinkley
22-year-old single mother Lucia, works hard by any means to support her 4-year-old son, including evenings as a sex worker. Divorced, she has been attending family sessions with social worker Richard Evans and it is revealed the pair have been in a relationship.
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A confident individual, she likes to party and is not shy in performing what is required of her as she partakes in drug consumption with Robert Sanderson.
Captain Hanley
The 51-year-old captain is a gruff fellow with a no-nonsense attitude who sees a bright future in Malik Edwards. Undeterred by Logan’s protestations to partner Malik, he holds a secret admiration of Logan and knows he will be of benefit to the protégé.
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Despite external pressures, he is prepared to support the duo as the tension ratches up with each murder.
Harvey
The chain-smoking 58-year-old receptionist is a sly individual who lurks in the background. Married to Betty, he watches the events unfold in the hotel as he sits in his office watching the transmission from the hidden camera in the ensuite where Lucia dies.
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Subservient to Pulcinella, his boss, he is evasive during questioning from the detectives, but his instinct to keep the pin flag belonging to Sanderson, which he finds in the hotel room later, is his undoing.
Bettie
The world has clearly passed by Harvey's chain-smoking wife with her surly mannerisms who isn't intimidated by anyone...especially the police.
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With aging skin and signs of someone who likes a drink too much, there is a no-nonsense attitude to her.
Veronica Sanderson
The suffering politician's wife who probably knows her husband is unfaithful but puts up with it. She dutifully stands by him and smiles for the camera.
Audrey Ford
Logan's wife is no push-over and she makes it clear she is not happy with his lack of parental responsibilities and contribution to the household.
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It is Audrey who gets an insight into the good man that Malik is and advises Logan to get his act together.
