Noah J. Ricketts and Claybourne Elder Will Star In New Romantic Drama AT THE END OF THE LEASH

Filming has wrapped on the new romantic drama At the End of the Leash, directed, produced, and edited by Daniel Lui. The short film stars Noah J. Ricketts (The Great Gatsby, Fellow Travelers), Claybourne Elder (Company, The Gilded Age) and Jesse James Keitel (Star Trek) and is adapted from a short story by Jeffrey Ricker. 

The film follows Brian, who keeps his role as Carl's dog walker a secret as the two fall for each other. Noah J. Ricketts plays Brian, Claybourne Elder plays Carl, and Jesse James Keitel plays the manager of the dog-walking company.

The film has now entered post-production ahead of its upcoming film festival submissions.

About the Cast

Noah J. Ricketts is best known for his breakout turn as Frankie in the Peabody Award–winning Showtime limited series Fellow Travelers. Ricketts’s series-regular performance earned him the Social Impact Award from the AAFCA. He is also known on television for leading roles in Starz’s American Gods and his turn opposite Zoë Kravitz in Hulu’s High Fidelity. His silver screen appearances include the  horror-comedy Summoning Sylvia and the indie feature The Sixth Borough. Ricketts recently originated the role of Nick Carraway in the Broadway and West End hit The Great Gatsby. He previously made history as Disney’s first African American Prince Kristoff in the Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Broadway blockbuster Frozen, and appeared in the long-running hit Beautiful: The Carole KING Musical. Off-Broadway, he portrayed Omar in Second Stage’s To My Girls. He tours the United States with A Night With Noah, his acclaimed solo show, and he has performed with world-class ensembles including the Houston Symphony, Salt Lake Symphony, and Kentucky Opera.

Claybourne Elder, a Grammy, SAG, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel nominee, is currently appearing in the hit Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. He is a featured performer in the immersive show We Chose to Go to the Moon – recorded at Carnegie Hall and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer – which premieres on PBS this fall. He recently starred in the New York City Center Encores! production of Michael John LaChiusa’s The WILD Party. Elder’s debut album, If the Stars Were Mine, is available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats from Center Stage Records. He played John Adams on HBO’s hit series “The Gilded Age” and was most recently seen on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company, starring Patti LuPone. He is known for his performances on Broadway in Bonnie and Clyde, Sunday in the Park with George, Torch Song, and Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl. Other New York performances include Hollis in Sondheim’s Road Show, Strike Up the Band at Carnegie Hall, Do I Hear a Waltz? at New York City Center, and Allegro at Classic Stage Company.

Jesse James Keitel starred in the world premiere of Martin Moran's play Theo at Two River Theater. She also starred in Miller & Son (2019), which won the BAFTA Student Film Award and gold medal for "Best Narrative" (Domestic) at the 2019 Student Academy Awards. Keitel played the leading role in the 2020 MadRiver Pictures sci-fi series, Forever Alone. Keitel also appeared in Linda Yellen's 2019 Showtime feature film Fluidity, starring Nico Tortorella. In 2022, Keitel debuted the role of Ruthie in Peacock's Queer As Folk. Keitel has performed in drag under the stage name Peroxide, a member of the House of Femanon. As Peroxide Femanon, she has appeared in Logo TV's Fill In The Blank docuseries and in Sasha Velour's NYFW SS19 collaboration with Opening Ceremony. Beginning in 2020, Keitel starred as Jerrie Kennedy in the David E. Kelley-created crime thriller Big Sky, which made her one of the first non-binary actors to play a non-binary series regular on primetime television. In 2022, she appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, playing a non-binary villain.