Me and a big star. I bask in his glory.

For almost ten years I have been in touch with a film producer named Tom Hodges (also an actor – fan boys and girls might remember him from his guest appearance on Deep Space Nine, season 5, episode 24; one of the best seasons, no?) about the prospect of adapting one of my novels. This book has been in and out of option – mostly in – during these years, but the rights have just reverted back to me after another producer crapped out. By freaky conincidence, Tom emailed me a couple of weeks ago to check in and to say that if I should happen to be in Ann Arbor in the next few weeks I should visit the set of a film he’s working on. As it happens, I was in Ann Arbor last week, so on a very cold Friday morning I hung out for a few hours of the set of Trust, starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, and directed by David Schwimmer.

Some of you might associate Schwimmer with his role on one of those big ‘90s sitcoms, which I never saw myself (though I recall fondly his stirring performance as Greenzo on 30 Rock, among many other things), but this film is no comedy. It’s a gritty drama about a man trying to track down the sexual predator who raped his daughter, and the one scene I witnessed was pretty powerful stuff. Hats off to Schwim (possibly “Schwimm”), says I, for making such a gutsy film.

Me and Clive Owen's Chair in a high school parking lot.

It turns out that neither Clive Owen nor Catherine Keener like to be photographed while on the set, lest their souls be stolen. They also don’t like to make chitchat with strangers, so I did not get to raise my charisma score by talking to them (though my ability to brave the Michigan cold speaks to my strong rolling in the constitution category, but I took a -1 penalty to wisdom). Still, I got to meet the director, who struck me as an all around good guy, and Tom himself, who was also a great guy and a pleasure to hang out with after ten years of emailing. Will this lead to a film deal? We’re talking the movie business here, so the answer is maybe. I may also start perspiring liquid gold. Still, you never know.  Gotta be in it to win it.  And all that.

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