The Black Sheep was shot in Manasquan, New Jersey in May of 1998 during a week-long period of torrential rains. "Manasquan is a small shore town sandwiched between the ocean and the bay. And when it rains, it floods, so we had to make a lot of adjustments to our shooting schedule. But in the end, the weather broke and we were able to get our exterior shots," comments Botti. In fact much of the interior locations were shot night for day. "Thank God for Christos Kostianis (Director of Photography) and Dan Eriksen (Sound & Lighting), who gave us daylight when we had none."
Casting began with the addition of Giampiero Judica (Ettore). Botti fondly recalls the casting session, "We were coming back from lunch and saw Giampiero wearing these raggedy clothes and this crazy looking black hat. He was the only one dressed in costume. I thought he was a complete lunatic. But then he auditioned, and blew me away."
Giampiero Judica & director Philip Botti argue...er, discuss the closing scene Italian style.
Reflecting on working with Giampiero, Botti feels fortunate to have had him in his film, "I’m lucky we found Giampiero. It was rewarding to work with an actor who had genuine emotions. And for me, that's the most important quality an actor can bring to a role. Giampiero is just awesome. He’s sure to have a great career."

Fortunately, the production had secured a talented lead actor who also helped out with the wardrobe, "The costume Giampiero wore on the audition is the exact one he wears in the film," notes Botti.

Lou Martini, Jr. was the next find. "He was the first one we saw the night of the audition, after that, it was all down hill. I hate to sound redundant, but Lou nailed it. The rest of the night felt like a waste a time because we knew we had found Morris," says Botti.
Giampiero Judica mimics Lou Martini, Jr.
THE BLACK SHEEP
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