The Premise
West of Greatness is a hybrid sports drama that bends the rules of traditional filmmaking.
At the heart of the film is a real bodybuilding competition, created by the filmmakers, where two actors trained for over a year and competed alongside real participants. These weren’t extras or stunt doubles. They were everyday people who signed up to compete and became part of the film—playing themselves and contributing to the emotional depth of the story.
The real-life competitors knew they would be part of a narrative project, and as filming progressed, their presence shifted from background texture to vital characters. What they brought to the screen was raw and vulnerable. Their honesty helped shape the emotional arc of the film in ways no script could predict.
The result is a true blend of scripted fiction and documentary. The lines blur by design. Performances unfold alongside lived experience, and every transformation is real. West of Greatness is a film about strength and struggle, about masculinity and vulnerability, about ambition, hope, and the pursuit of change. It’s not just original in form—it captures something unrepeatable and deeply human.
The Process
West of Greatness was developed by a dedicated team of independent filmmakers, led by director Jared Cliff LaReau.
With years of experience in the indie film scene, the team brought a deep understanding of how to build something ambitious with limited resources. From the outset, they approached the production with the belief that great storytelling comes from trust, mutual respect, and a willingness to challenge traditional hierarchies on set.
Rather than working within rigid departments or siloed roles, the crew embraced a collaborative environment where every team member was empowered to contribute creatively. This spirit of openness fostered a dynamic atmosphere that prioritized the best idea over job title, allowing the film to evolve organically throughout production.
The film’s structure posed a serious challenge. It was designed to look and feel like a documentary, but it’s actually a scripted drama framed by real-life events. To make it work, the team launched a legitimate bodybuilding competition with strict timelines, real weigh-ins, and a $15,000 cash prize. Real men signed up. Real stakes were in play. There was no guarantee the actors would reach their goals, and no control over how the other competitors would perform. Filming took place over 18 months, during which the team built deep relationships with the people involved. The result is a film that blurs the line between fiction and reality, offering something emotionally grounded and formally bold.
The People
The cast of West of Greatness brings both authenticity and transformation to the screen.
LaEric Moore plays Jerome Betis Carmichael, a role defined by drive, warmth, and optimism. Jerome is the emotional heartbeat of the film, and LaEric’s performance feels deeply personal. As his physical transformation unfolds, so does a layered portrait of ambition, vulnerability, and quiet determination.
Zachary Van Zandt plays Terry Bridgeway, a character burdened by unspoken responsibility and internal pressure. Terry moves through the world with a guarded intensity, and Zach channels that weight with precision. His quiet moments say as much as his words, revealing someone desperate to hold his life together the only way he knows how.
Gordy Cassel portrays Jessica Priscilla Bridgeway, Terry’s sister, a woman living with the long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury that has impacted how her body moves and functions. Once a dancer, Jessica now yearns to move freely in her changed body, holding onto rhythm and memory as a form of resilience. Over the course of the film, she forms a quiet but profound connection with Jerome—two outsiders recognizing something tender in one another. Gordy approached the role with deep care, love, and responsibility—grounding the performance in extensive research and a commitment to portraying disability with authenticity and respect. Drawing from principles of disability justice, Gordy ensured Jessica’s experience was never reduced to stereotype, but instead expressed with dignity, complexity, and emotional truth. Through interviews and improvised moments, Jessica emerges as luminous, defiant, and achingly human. Her desire to be seen and understood becomes one of the most powerful arcs in the film.
Each actor embraced the physical demands of the story, undergoing real, visible transformations over the course of the film. What makes these performances stand out is not just commitment to character, but commitment to the process.
The Place
West of Greatness was filmed on the Westbank of New Orleans, in neighborhoods just across the river that rarely appear on screen.
This isn’t the French Quarter or the Garden District—it’s strip malls, local gyms, front porches, and working-class streets that feel lived-in and real.
Writer and director Jared Cliff LaReau grew up in a working-class family in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. That background shaped his focus on underrepresented places and people. He wanted to tell a story that felt honest to communities like the one he came from.
The Westbank becomes more than just a location. It’s woven into the fabric of the film. The people who live there are tough, funny, and full of pride. For the cast and crew, it felt like home. For the story, it became essential. This is a film that honors its setting by truly living in it.
