Rules and regulations with celebrities difficult to accept
Posted By Kris Dubé
Posted 2 months ago
If someone were to have told me a long time ago that the first movie set I visit in my life would be in Fort Erie, I would have scoffed.
But on Tuesday, that is exactly what happened.
On Tuesday, cinematic legend Harvey Keitel was in town filming a scene for a dark comedy called "The Beginner's Guide to Endings." When I learned of this, my plan was get a photo or two of the actor, popularized by his roles in Thelma and Louise, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and many other feature films. When I arrived on set, the first thing I was told is that if I attempted to snap any photos of Mr. Keitel, someone would likely ask me to leave. The crew members who brought me onto the set were very helpful and were simply doing their job by telling me the rules and regulations. I just found it very interesting that this was the biggest issue with me being in the same room as the famous thespian, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 for his role in Bugsy.
I will admit...I was pretty starstruck. I've seen celebrities up close before but never someone of this magnitude...especially in Fort Erie.
Before leaving the office to head out to the Leisureplex, I made sure I had a few business cards with me in case I needed to prove I worked for a legitimate publication. I thought this would be enough to get me closer to Keitel, assuring the producers and crew that I wouldn't be taking my photo and attempting to sell it to an American tabloid magazine.
With many unanswered questions running through my mind, I decided to call one of my best friends who has been working in the TV and film industries for about seven years in Toronto.
He said this is normal practice when it comes to a star of this caliber's presence on a movie set and that sometimes rules are even stricter than the ones I explained I had to abide by.
He said sometimes it isn't necessarily always the actor who comes up with these regulations and that it might be the studio producing the project or the actor's representation who decides who can get up close and personal with their client.
Regardless, I find it hard to believe Mr. Keitel would have complained if I took literally 30 seconds of his time to take a photo, especially if I proved I worked for the local weekly newspaper.
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