Sitting Around, Being John Malkovich

Linus Gelber

On the location set of the next Coen Brothers picture, Burn After Reading, conveniently located around the corner from my house, actor John Malkovich waits for the camera to be ready for his scene.

I've been a fan for many years; he brings such skill and control to his film work, which is a beautiful mix of cerebral and animal impulses.

The crowd is, for the most part, hoping to see Brad Pitt or George Clooney, and there is some debate as to who this Malkovich character is and whether that's him or his double (there are Pitt, Clooney, and Malkovich doubles wandering around, which is kind of fun). Finally one woman makes a definitive pronouncement.

Definitive Woman: He was in that movie, Being John Malkovich.
George Clooney Crowd: (pausing) Hmm. We must think on this.
Brave Soul: Was that a documentary?

Clooney does make an appearance later in the day, if you're curious. I can't get anywhere near him, although he seems fit and cheerful and does a dip into the crowd to sign some autographs and shake some hands - instantly there's a clamoring mob, and I decide to steer clear of it. In person, at least from a distance, he looks remarkably like George Clooney.

This picture is part of my ongoing Thursday Walk series with the Utata photo tribe - I don't do the Thursday Walks as much as I used to, but it's always fun to join in now and then. See more on the Utata project page. For a selection of my personal Thursdays, check my Thursday Walk set here on Flickr.

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