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I...I...I...I...I LOVE THIS MAN
Scotch Plains, New Jersey
by Lisa | 14 July 2006
I went to the filming of Watching the Detectives in New Jersey on Friday.
Definitely worth lying
to the folks about.
More photos.
Would you believe he looked hotter in real life? Oh yeah.
My friend Blair and I who live on Long Island took the liberty of lying to our parents about "heading out to Montauk to go to the beach" and instead went in the other direction to NJ. To see Cillian. Yes, two 17-year-old girls braved New York (Canal St. WTF?) and then New Jersey (OMG can't those people make one left turn and not have major highways everywhere?!!) using only some maps and our knowledge and even without our parents ever finding out.
But it would have been worth it even if we were caught.
Blair and I arrived at 2pm, just in time to get into Palmer Video where they're shooting to see the place! We even met the manager who we later saw filming a scene: something with a cop (either writing him a ticket, or I heard robbery on the set so I was thinking maybe it was that). The manager was really nice and told us since we weren't customers that they were starting filming soon, and then asked us on the way out if we lived around there. We told him no and he pointed out some local things like the pizza shop and jazz and he was really nice. I can't wait to see the part he filmed.
So Blair and I headed off to the pizza place the manager had mentioned and kind of spied out the back door there. We ended up just going out and these nice ladies in the hair salon next door came up to us asking all these questions about what was going on. Then they brought out a bench for us to sit on! They were so nice. Actually, a lot of people in that town were nice. I don't think we met one bad person.
No one knew who was going to be there. It was crazy. Blair and I sat on that bench for about an hour and a half watching the set up and such and so many people were coming up to us going, "What's going on?" "Who's there?" etc. Everyone knew Lucy Liu when I told them she was there, but when I would add "and Cillian Murphy" with a huge burst of fangirlish enthusiasm they would go, "Who?" until I said, "Ever see Red Eye or Batman Begins? Jackson the guy who terrorized Lisa or Scarecrow? Then they'd be all, "Oh wowwww!" I'd be like, "Wowwww STFU." It makes me angry that he is so unrecognized.
When a camera set up less than 20 feet from us, I was like, "OMFG!" That's when we saw the scene with the manager and the cop being filmed. I actually had no idea it was a scene until I heard "cut!" and they bustled about and began shooting it again. I thought, "I really can't believe I am watching this movie being filmed." I hadn't even seen Cillian yet and it was already becoming such an experience.
"Not just the camera..."
Cillian and Lucy Liu during filming.
Eventually, they finished that one scene and moved across the parking lot to the front of the store where they put a bench on a bit of grass—that was where Lucy and Cillian had a scene!! But I saw all the work they did to simply set up in that original spot; then they shot one small scene with about five takes and then moved on. I finally saw just how much work and time and effort it takes from the whole crew to film a movie.
Blair and I abandoned our lovely bench for a spot much closer. We were literally about ten feet away. There were two test people posing as Cillian and Lucy—doing the "test run" things I guess, playing out the script on the bench and such. Actually, the girl playing Lucy looked so much like her we mistook her for Lucy until I saw another Asian woman walking through the parking lot and up to the tent and I said, "No, that is Lucy." And everyone was like, "Wow you're right." And the guy who was playing Cillian was an insult to him. Fug. We knew it was definitely not him. Ew.
When I pointed out Lucy, and everyone was watching her, my eyes immediately shot down to the trailers and every which way looking for Cillian. I felt it. I knew he was coming.
And he did.
In all his amazingness, Cillian Murphy strolled casually from behind a line of parked cars in a light blue tee shirt and jeans with his adorable blue shoes and began talking to some people working by the set. I was in love. I was in complete and utter love. I couldn't believe that precious few feet separated me and my favorite actor. He was so handsome and I thought, "No, it's not just the camera!" I had to hold back the urge to rush the set and tackle him. And then he and Lucy sat on the bench for the scene and were just so adorable together playing around with the binoculars I think I could have died from heart failure + heat stroke.
Another take
"A+ for cuteness!"
And the Lucy fangirls were all on their cells going, "Guess what? Lucy Liu is here! Oh and that guy from Red Eye." WTF?! That guy? Not that guy!!!! THE GUY! The guy I drove miles and braved crazy New Yorkers and annoying New Jersey turnpikes and lied blatantly to my parents face for! THE GUY!! Not that I don't like Lucy, because I was pretty excited that she was there, and when filming wasn't going on we would see her with an adorable chocolate lab following her around and she looked like a nice person … but I wasn't there for her. I was insulted by the fact that Cillian was being completely overshadowed. And Cillian in those shoes = A+ for cuteness … and his sunglasses … casual dress is so good to that man! And he looked like such a nice guy. When he wasn't being filmed and they were being "briefed," I suppose you could say, between takes, he would just chill on the bench and stretch out his feet in front of him and watch everyone going about. I thought it was adorable. And the way he had his leg on his knee for the scene and bounced his foot was awesome, because I do the same thing and I was wearing shoes just like his. See, I knew we made the perfect couple—in my wonderfully exaggerated dreams!
By this point, we were getting some spectators, probably 20 or 30 in all. Not really many, but it's a small town. We were snapping pictures like crazy, but we couldn't when they were filming—they had like their crew hovering near us so we didn't get any pictures while they filmed. And we kept getting ushered to the sidewalk closer and closer and eventually all the way to the right because we were in the actors' "line of view." Lots of people were complaining, but I understood that they were just doing their job. We really were just a distraction, as much as we'd like to think otherwise. We stood and watched and were loud and took pictures while they are trying to work. But when you heard "stand by!" and they'd echo it across the set, and then "rolling!" and then "action!" the spectators had to stop taking pictures and be quiet because a scene was being shot.
Mmmmm delicious!
Lucy was out of my view most of the time unless she leaned over when she was helping him with the binoculars (I didn't know what they were doing, but they kept looking through them and I just found it oh so squishy and delightful), but I had a clear view of Cillian. He seemed so relaxed. When that scene wrapped up, both of them walked around a bit; Cillian got a bite of food by the tent (Blair took the BEST picture of Cillian eating a carrot! I love it!). Then they went back into their trailers for about an hour and a half, and came back out, dressed oh so nicely (Cillian in a hot suit like when he was Jackson and Lucy in this really beautiful dress) and headed into the video store. All the windows were covered in black paper so we couldn't see a thing, and we figured the rest of the filming was going on in there, so Blair and I decided to take our leave at 7:30.
I was desperately hoping to meet Cillian because I had so many questions, and I wanted to talk to him about The Wind That Shakes the Barley and ask him so many questions, and I wanted a hug (I really freaking wanted a hug—I would be so complete!) but in the end I wasn't able to meet the man in person. It wasn't exactly an autograph session. Still, watching Cillian film a scene is really an experience. It felt like so much to see him simply doing his job, in front of me. It's a movie set and the crew was rushing him around everywhere—man, those people probably wouldn't have let him come talk to us even if he wanted to! But seriously, it was like do a scene, go back to the trailer, and get made up. They were filming until 4am in the freaking morning! Blair and I would have stayed the entire time in a heartbeat, but we had to get home to families that thought we were coming home from the beach.
It was disappointing not to meet him after sitting in the hot sun for 5 1/2 hours watching and waiting. Still, it was so much fun and quite the experience. And Cillian was gorgeous, fantastic, amazing. Everything about that man is. I wouldn't trade that day for the world.
