Nilson and Schwarz went to work on a script. They came up with an adventure story about
two unlikely friends-one of whom has Down syndrome-who take a journey in search of a
professional wrestler stage-named Salt Water Redneck. Nilson and Schwarz struggled at
first to find financial backing for the film, but they persisted, and doors began to open over
time. Filming had trying moments, too, in the heat and humidity of coastal North Carolina. As
Gottsagen said in an interview with the Down's Syndrome Association, "It was really hot and
buggy outside. Sometimes we worked all through the night. It was hard, but really fun, too."
Five years after the idea was born, The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia
LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson, premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin
and won an award. The feel-good adventure film made Gottsagen the movie star that he had
long desired to be.
People who have worked with Gottsagen use words like "no walls," "honest," and
"disarming" to describe his attitude on set. Along with acting talent, his peers credit him with
encouraging collaborative, accepting work environments simply by being himself. To
paraphrase Shia LaBeouf's character in The Peanut Butter Falcon, Gottsagen cannot help it
-he has "got a good-guy heart."
Nilson and Schwarz went to work on a script. They came up with an adventure story about
two unlikely friends-one of whom has Down syndrome-who take a journey in search of a
professional wrestler stage-named Salt Water Redneck. Nilson and Schwarz struggled at
first to find financial backing for the film, but they persisted, and doors began to open over
time. Filming had trying moments, too, in the heat and humidity of coastal North Carolina. As
Gottsagen said in an interview with the Down's Syndrome Association, "It was really hot and
buggy outside. Sometimes we worked all through the night. It was hard, but really fun, too."
Five years after the idea was born, The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia
LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson, premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin
and won an award. The feel-good adventure film made Gottsagen the movie star that he had
long desired to be.
People who have worked with Gottsagen use words like "no walls," "honest," and
"disarming" to describe his attitude on set. Along with acting talent, his peers credit him with
encouraging collaborative, accepting work environments simply by being himself. To
paraphrase Shia LaBeouf's character in The Peanut Butter Falcon, Gottsagen cannot help it
-he has "got a good-guy heart."
The Peanut Butter Falcon is an adventure film about two unlikely friends, one of whom has Down syndrome, embarking on a journey to find a professional wrestler known as Salt Water Redneck. It was written by Nilson and Schwarz, who initially struggled to find financial backing but persisted until doors began to open. The filming process had challenging moments, dealing with the heat and bugs of coastal North Carolina, but it was also a fun experience. Five years after the idea was conceived, The Peanut Butter Falcon premiered at the South by Southwest film festival and won an award. The movie made actor Zack Gottsagen, who has Down syndrome, achieve his dream of becoming a movie star. People who have worked with Gottsagen describe him as having "no walls," being honest, and disarming on set. In addition to his acting talent, his peers credit him with creating a collaborative and accepting work environment simply by being himself. To quote Shia LaBeouf's character in the film, Gottsagen has a "good-guy heart."
Question 3
The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A:
According to the text, which word BEST describes Gottsagen as an actor?
A
focused
B
imaginative
C
organized
D
sensitive
Part B:
Which excerpt from the text BEST supports the correct answer in Part A?
A
One of many types of projects that Zeno engages in is moviemaking, and Gottsagen performed in several films. (paragraph 2)
B
"It was really hot and buggy outside. Sometimes we worked all through the night. It was hard, but really fun, too." (paragraph 3)
C
People who have worked with Gottsagen use words like "no walls," "honest," and "disarming" to describe his attitude on set. (paragraph 4)
D
Along with acting talent, his peers credit him with encouraging collaborative, accepting work environments simply by being himself. (paragraph 4)
Part A: D) sensitive
Part B: C) People who have worked with Gottsagen use words like "no walls," "honest," and "disarming" to describe his attitude on set. (paragraph 4)
Question 4
The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A:
Which central idea does the text develop?
A
Success requires persistence.
B
It is impossible to revisit the past.
C
The future holds new experiences and adventures.
D
It is best to accept people without trying to change them.
Part B:
Which excerpt from the text BEST supports the correct answer in Part A?
A
One of many types of projects that Zeno engages in is moviemaking, and Gottsagen performed in several films. (paragraph 2)
B
They hatched a plan to create a film that Nilson and Schwarz would write and direct and Gottsagen would perform in. (paragraph 2)
C
Filming had trying moments, too, in the heat and humidity of coastal North Carolina. (paragraph 3)
D
Five years after the idea was born, The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson, premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin and won an award. (paragraph 3)
Part A: C) The future holds new experiences and adventures.
Part B: D) Five years after the idea was born, The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson, premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin and won an award. (paragraph 3)
Which is the BEST summary of the text?
A
Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwarz, and Zack Gottsagen formulated a plan to create a movie together. The script that Nilson and Schwarz came up with for the project was a story about two very different people who went on a road trip in search of a professional wrestler called Salt Water Redneck. The movie, which was titled The Peanut Butter Falcon, won an award at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
B
Zack Gottsagen always wanted to be an actor. As a young adult, he took part in filmmaking retreats at Zeno Mountain Farm, where he met Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwarz. The three men planned to create a movie together. Nilson and Schwarz wrote The Peanut Butter Falcon, and after much work to find backing, they made the film with Gottsagen in the starring role. It was highly successful.
C
Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwarz, and Zack Gottsagen met on a film set while working for Zeno Mountain Farm. The three of them quickly became close friends. They made a pact to develop a script that would involve all three of them, and Gottsagen would be the star. Once the script was written, however, finding financial backing proved to be an important hurdle that took five years to surmount.
D
Zack Gottsagen met Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwarz at Zeno Mountain Farm when they were all making a movie together. The three of them decided to create a film together that would star Gottsagen. Nilson and Schwartz wrote the script but had a lot of trouble finding financial backing. Eventually, they got Shia LeBeouf and Dakota Johnson to star in the movie with Gottsagen.