Jake T. Austin, Paulo Costanzo, Iman Karram & Ka’ramuu Kush Board ‘Daft State’ Thriller

Matt Grobar
·3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Jake T. Austin (The Wizards of Waverly Place), Paulo Costanzo (Royal Pains), Iman Karram (Glow) and Ka’ramuu Kush (Five Deep Breaths) have joined the cast of Daft State, the psychological thriller from Chad Bishoff, which just entered production.

The four actors will appear alongside previously announced leads Christopher Backus (Big Little Lies) and Skye P. Marshall (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina).

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The film scripted by Bishoff and Sam Harter charts the mysterious psychological destruction of Easton (Backus), who is driven to the edge of sanity, and possible self-harm, by those that love him most—his wife (Marshall) and daughter. Will Easton succumb to their increasingly traumatizing pressure, or will he conquer the dark forces at play in his addled psyche?

The Syncretic Entertainment production is produced by Bishoff and Erich Hover. Its exec producers include Inny Clemons (Straight Outta Compton, Netflix’s Sneakerheads), Lisa Crnic (Paramount’s Clifford the Big Red Dog), Brett Cullen (Joker) and Jonas Roeser (It Snows All the Time).

“We’re so fortunate to have such an incredibly talented cast in our film,” said Bishoff of the additions to his ensemble. “I can’t wait for audiences to see what they bring to the screen.”

“Having a cast of this caliber with such extensive and established fan bases to help tell this gripping story centered on the complex nature of mental health, is an honor,” added Hover.

Austin is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards nominee who co-starred in Disney Channel series The Wizards of Waverly Place, along with other family-centric projects, including Go Diego Go!, Hotel for Dogs and The Emoji Movie. He most recently appeared in Lionsgate’s Adverse, alongside Mickey Rourke, Lou Diamond Phillips and Sean Astin.

Costanzo is best known for playing Evan R. Lawson on USA’s Royal Pains. The actor was most recently seen in Amazon’s Upload, from The Office creator Greg Daniels. Additional credits include CBS’ Emmy-nominated series The Good Fight, Netflix’s Designated Survivor, Amazon’s The Expanse, and HBO’s The Night Of.

Karram previously appeared in Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Glow, opposite Alison Brie, and in The CW’s football drama, All American. She has also appeared in many music videos, including Dove Cameron’s “Genie in a Bottle,” which has been viewed on Youtube 279 million times.

Kush is known for his turn in the award-winning short Five Deep Breaths and for writing and directing SAG Award-winner Michael Harney in Salvation Road. He’s also guest starred on such series as Girlfriends, Numb3rs, and NCIS: Los Angeles, most recently appearing in Enchant TV’s Compersion.

Austin is represented by Gersh. Costanzo is repped by Gersh, Artist First and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder, & Christopher LLP. Karram is repped by Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates (KMR Talent). Kush is with Gersh and Levin/Brown Management.

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