Last week, I was lucky enough to get a day's work on the set of Safe, the Jason Statham film that has been shooting in the Philly area for the past few months. I was cast as the "Mayor's Aide" -- a part so integral to the plot that I didn't require an actual name. Like any good political wonk, my name is my job description.
The illustrious "Mayor's Aide" appears in one scene of the movie opposite of -- you guessed it -- "The Mayor," played by Academy Award Nominee Chris Sarandon. The casual movie goer will remember Mr. Sarandon as "Prince Humperdinck" in The Princess Bride.
The movie is set in NYC so locations around Philadelphia double for the Big Apple. My scene was shot around the corner from Villanova University at a mansion used to portray NYC's Gracie Mansion -- the official residency of the NYC mayor.
I had a great day on set and learned a ton, even if I only had one line in a very small scene. My one line was with Mr. Sarandon who could not have been nicer the entire day. No release date has been set yet for Safe, but I will surely keep you posted. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that my 15 second scene does not end up on the cutting room floor. Although, that happened to Kevin Costner early on in his career and things turned out pretty well for him :)
Here's some pics from the day:
(The door to my cell for the day)
(Since I still live at home it was nice to have my own place for a few hours ;))
(The political science degree pays off as I bring realism to the coveted "Mayor's Aide")
