Lights, Camera, Action!

After three and a half years in NYC, I'm still entertained (and yes, sometimes star-struck!) when I see television shows or movies being filmed here... when I notice them, that is! Every so often, you'll see a couple of streets around the city blocked off for filming some scene, and you know there's a celebrity around when you see crowds of people gathered nearby.

I think I might actually have been an extra in one movie! It was being filmed right in front of me while I ate lunch outside, and I'm sure all of us sitting around this particular fountain were probably caught on camera. You won't find me on any credits, though! I'd just be part of "Random People at the Fountain." No star sighting on this day, but Terrence Howard was listed in the credits on the movie's web page.

And then there was the movie I saw being filmed in Washington Square Park last fall. I stopped to watch for a bit as Robin Williams, in boots and a ten-gallon cowboy hat, took the same stroll through the park over and over, about a dozen takes of the same scene. Washington Square Park was also the scene of a Law & Order Criminal Intent episode I witnessed. The really strange coincidence here is that I don't normally watch that particular show...but I happened to be watching it the one night that episode ran!

Yes, that really is Vincent D'onofrio, of L&O: Criminal Intent. And I didn't even have to zoom in on this photo-- I was that close to the set. (Taken 7/24/06)

But the one movie/TV show filming I've seen that takes the cake would definitely be the Sex & The City movie. The cast and crew were filming a scene outside Christie's auction house... which happens to be right at the bottom of my office building in Midtown! It was something to see-- not so much the actresses, as all the girls in my section of the office peering out the window at the action below! ;)

Of course, I usually see actors only when they're filming. One New York habit I picked up pretty quickly is not paying attention to people passing by me when I'm walking somewhere. I could chalk that up to being in a hurry to get to my destination, or I could make the excuse that I can't people-watch for fear of breaking an ankle on uneven pavement and sidewalks!

[That habit is partly what makes NYC a good place for actors to live when they want some anonymity. It's not that we don't have our photographers trailing certain celebrities (the Olsen twins are a favorite target), but compared to Hollywood and Southern Cali, far fewer people in NYC actually notice celebs when they're out and about, doing everyday activities. I'm sure I've walked past more than one celebrity without ever noticing!]