Blind Faith held the working title God's Money during production and explores both temptation and corruption in the life of a rehabilitated gambler turned priest. I was asked to play the lead, Adam Bellman, who discovers to his dismay, that love of money has a much further reach than he could have thought. There was an intentional western element incorporated in the story as Adam arrives at his new parish to find its pastor, Father Rosario played by Shadner Ifrene, running things far outside the Archdiocese guidelines. Shadner, whom the camera loves, was both slick and imposing as this city church "boss." Carson Grant played Father Russ, a veteran of the church underground whose least concern was anyone that tried to rattle his cage. Carolyn McDonough played Mary, the church organist, who still had a soft-spot for anyone with morals but nonetheless caves in to life's unpleasant realities.

We were fortunate to have full cooperation of St. Anthony of Padua Church in New York City -- the first church to specifically serve the Italian Immigrant community. I recall inadvertently interacting with a few visitors while traipsing around church property in my cassock. For this character, I felt I needed to change my gait and shortened my stride. However, in the final sequence, my character enters through the church doors like a gunman into a saloon and snakes through the myriad gambling tables set up in the nave. St. Anthony of Padua Church has lent its spiritual skin in the past and can be viewed in The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Godfather: Part II, and Moonstruck. As fate would have it, just before production began, a church in Houston had caught fire exposing a gambling parlor outfitted with machines.

Blind Faith was written and directed by Patrick Badescu. Shooting took place entirely in New York City by cinematographer, Mike Klubeck on a Red Gemini.

Running Time: 11 minutes