Sudip Bhattacharya | The Jersey Journal

Brian plodded into the church, haggard and slow, in from the cold. For the past 14 years, Brian had been homeless, and looking to rebuild his life, and so, he arrived at the Ocean Avenue Baptist Church in Jersey City looking for answers.

After he asked the church secretary where he could find his friend, he walked between the pews, looking both humbled and scared.

"Cut!" a voice rang out, and Brian headed back to his original spot. He again asked the church secretary where he could find his friend.

Brian isn't real. But the actor playing him, Rob Morgan, is, and it's day five of 14 days of shooting scenes for the movie "Steps.''

"Steps," which is set entirely in Jersey City, was written and produced by Eddie Harris.

Harris, 42, has lived in Jersey City all his life. He was born at The Jersey City Medical Center and graduated from Lincoln High-School.

Harris wrote his first script in one day, all 90 pages.

"That high that I got writing that first script is the one I still get even now," Harris said.

The script for "Steps'' was written three years ago, over the course of three days. The movie tells the story of a man who is left traumatized after an armed robbery. He becomes an alcoholic and after losing his fiancee, his job, his status, he turns homeless. After spending 14 years on the streets, he befriends a local pastor, cleans himself up, and starts working as a home-help aide. The person who he eventually has to take care of is the same man who once robbed him, the one who sparked his downfall.

"It deals with addiction, recovery, forgiveness, and love," Harris said. "It's a human story."

Star athlete Shaquille O'Neal is one of the five executive producers for the movie, which also includes Denzel Washington's wife, Pauletta Pearson Washington, as an actor.

Harris' previous work includes "House of Bodies,'' which stars Terrence Howard and Queen Latifah.

Jay Rodriguez and Rock Davis are co-directors for "Steps.'' They've also worked on another Harris script called "Zoo,'' but also have a background in doing music videos for artists including Usher, Anthony Hamilton, and even John Legend.

Although Rodriguez is originally from Asbury Park and Davis from Newark, they both felt that setting the movie in Jersey City was perfect.

"The history here is amazing," Davis said.

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