Arrow in the Head PART 1 of 2 A month or so back, John Fallon (aka The Arrow) announced the exciting news that he'd be participating in writer/director Eric Red's new effort,100 FEET, playing a role most of us would slap our mothers for: He's the guy who gets to kneel before Famke Janssen and attach an electronic bracelet to her ankle. Not long after, John asks if I'd be interested in covering the Brooklyn portion of 100 FEET (all of the film's interiors are shooting in Budapest). I replied something along the lines of "F**K yeah!
" and soon enough I had received the confirmation that I'd be in the presence of Eric Red (the man who wrote THE HITCHER and NEAR DARK for f*cks sake!) and, even more amazingly, Ms. Janssen, beautiful star of the X-MEN trilogy, GOLDENEYE, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, and a personal fav of mine: DEEP RISING (like you don't dig it).
I had written about 15 questions each for the director and stars of the film - fully prepared to get a few minutes of alone-time with each of them. After all, the previous month of interviews I had done for the Tribeca Film Festival and 28 WEEKS LATER had gone so smoothly, I figured it was always a piece of cake..
. But I'd never conducted interviews on a film-shoot - specifically, an independent, we-don't-have-all-the-f*cking-time-in-the-world-here! filmshoot - so I was in for a wake-up call.
It's a gorgeous day in Fort Greene Brooklyn, and I stroll down a block made up of beautiful old brownstones, approaching the set of 100 FEET. The action is focused around a parked car, and I immediately recognize its driver as Bobby Cannavale (star of t.v.
's THIRD WATCH and flicks like THE STATION AGENT and SNAKES ON A PLANE). Getting out of the back seat is a leggy brunette and I halt in my tracks - but this isn't Famke, it's her equally tall stand-in. I begin to hear the name "Eric" repeated over and over, and follow the chorus of questions and demands to where Eric Red is standing, lighting a cigar.
(This cigar and others like it are a constant fixture on Red; I don't think I ever spotted him without one.) A brief window appears where he's not being harassed the way a director always is, and I introduce myself as being from Arrow in the Head. He's immediately hospitable (he and John have been friends for years) and basically gives me carte blanche to photograph whatever I want and to stick my nose in wherever it can fit.
I'm excited by this freedom, and yet a bit apprehensive as to actually playing the role of nosy journalist. He describes the scene being filmed: Bobby Cannavale's "Detective Shanks" is keeping a close eye on the brownstone across the street, where earlier in the day he's dropped off ex-convict Marnie (Janssen). Marnie has just exited prison after 2 years for manslaughter - the victim being her abusive husband and Shank's former partner on the force.
Shanks hates Marnie with a passion and is just waiting for her to slip up - or cross the 100 feet allowed by her bracelet - so he can ship her right back to jail.
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