Ok. The buzz in town is the opening of the new Johnny Depp movie, "Public Enemies" that had several scenes shot in my neighborhood of Beautiful Downtown Wisconsington.I mean, literally in my back yard. The wardrobe trailers, directors RV, all that stuff, was parked right behind Oblios. The old bank on the corner was used for one of the 'robbery' scenes and the coffee house across the street was done up as a dinner. The Scene crew and set decorators were in town several weeks before the shooting began and they soon found out that Oblios was a cool place to hang out and I got to meet several of them. It all made for interesting conversation.
Most of the actors, including Depp, were housed at a boutique hotel twenty miles from town but that didn't stop a army of onlookers from besieging the neighborhood. Some days it was difficult to walk home without two or three rent-a-cops stopping you.
Anyways! On one of the last nights that they were shooting in town the director and a bunch of the actors stroll into Oblios. The word had gotten around that there was good top-shelf booze available and not at California or New York prices.
Schultzie was drinking with some of the actors who play Dillinger gang members, Spencer Garrett and Stephen Dorf. He introduces me and we down a few shots of really really good tequilla. We chat and I score a couple of autographs for Max. Michael Mannn, the director strolls in with Marion Cotillard, who had just won an best actress Oscar. I said, "Hello". Later I shot a game of pool with another gang member, Michael Vieau. He's originally from Chicago and had to tell me that the Packers Suck, several times.
Well the night went on and there came a time they all needed to leave; I guess there was an early scene shot the next day, but that is when I had the most fun of the night.
The bar was full of gawkers and tourista types.... It's the kind of bar where strangers stick out like a stalk of celery in a Bloody Mary. Just as I was getting ready to leave one of them comes up to me and asks for my autograph.....seriously. Must of seen me talking to some of the actors and playing pool with Michael and just ASSUMED I was connected to the movie. Well, I had a moment when I was going to explain that I wasn't, but then thought better of it and quickly scrawled some in decipherable bull shit on her bar napkin. Then she asks me, "What role do you play in the movie?" Again, a moment of truth swept across me as quickly as a mosquito in August. I dismissed it and said, "Just a guy in the neighborhood." Her face lit up and she said "Cool!"
A special showing of the movie starts here this weekend. I have to go and see if I am in it.
