Born and raised in New York, Marlon Perrier is a Meisner trained actor, writer and producer who attended the prestigious Morehouse College before returning to NY to join the work force. But in 2011 he left his 9-5 job to follow his dream and pursue acting full time. Since then, he’s accumulated roles on popular shows like “Law & Order: SVU”, “The Blacklist”, “Bull”, “Blue Bloods” and the 2017 film “Going in Style”, where he got to work alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Michael Caine and Matt Dillon. He can next be seen alongside Regina King on the Netflix show “Seven Seconds” premiering on February 23, 2018. “The Talk”is the third short that Marlon has written and produced. “Jake & Tanya” and “Van Ness Avenue” being his first two. He enjoys creating his own content as well as collaborating with other artists. He is currently working on a feature length romantic comedy script that he hopes to sell or produce himself.
Keisha Richards Lafleur is Brooklyn/Queens Native who was bit by the acting bug at an early age, attended her first commercial audition at five years old. The experience opened her eyes to the possibility of a career in show business. Several years later, her first job was working for a Drama program for teenagers, such as herself, where she would often perform.
In 2011, she studied Meisner technique at William Esper Studios under the tutelage of Suzanne Esper. She continues to train at Esper Studios to this day, working closely with Terry Knickerbocker and has booked roles on shows like “Power” & “Luke Cage”. Keisha also enjoys creating content. She’s an experienced writer, producer and director who has created her own films such as “Mind Games” and “Know a Good Thing”. All under her production company Twelve 20 Films.
I first got the idea for “The Talk” in 2015 while visiting LA to attend the Bherc film festival. While at a Walgreens, I got the vision of an African American child raising his hands in the air and two police officers pointing their pistols at him. After thinking about it for a few days, it manifested into a short film. My attempts to shoot it didn’t pan out right away, for various reasons. But things often work out the way they’re supposed to, with Gods timing. And in 2016, I met the person who would help me bring my vision to life, Keisha Richards Lafleur. We immediately hit it off and she became my co-producer, co-director and my on screen wife. I am very thankful to her for all the time and energy she has put into this project. Then our crew began to fill itself out and everyone who read the script became very passionate about it. It became a story that we needed to tell and we needed to get it right. Even my friend Frank Bal, who’s a Caucasian police officer was 21 years on the force, read the script and wanted to be a part of it. Most of the cast and crew have children so the subject matter hits close to home with them. And with names like Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling and Walter Scott, just to name a few, it is becoming more and more necessary to prepare our children for what they may encounter with their interactions with the police. And what to do to ensure that they make it home. The question is when. At what age is it appropriate to have that kind of discussion. My film tackles that question and shows both sides of that debate. Neither side is necessarily right or wrong. And when it comes down to it, all a parent wants is to keep their child safe. I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish with this film. And I believe that parents will be able to relate to the situation my characters find themselves in. Especially African American parents.
Festival for Drama in Film, Screenplays, Novels 