Little Fockers Chicago Filming!

Hope everyone had a great New Years.  I was up all night and the party I was at looked like the hotel room from The Hangover in the morning.  Minus the chicken and tiger of course.  I'm still a bit wired so I am writing a blog about The Little Fockers filming.

I had heard about another movie coming to Chicago around August but the details were scarce.  Robert DeNiro was wrapping up production on a movie in Michigan.  After talking to one of the casting directors I know, I found out it was going to be either the new Meet The Parents sequel or the long delayed Chicago Seven movie.  I got an email from the casting director who put me in Dark Knight, Public Enemies, Couples Retreat, and recently Nightmare on Elm Street.  She needed me for a 2 night shoot towards the end of September for a train scene.  Towards the end of September, I haven't heard anything back from them and then found out the shoot was pushed back to the first week of October.  Most of the film was being done in LA but the were shooting a week of exteriors in Chicago.

About a week before shooting began, I received a call from one of the assistants about seeing if I could clear up a week for them.  I guess I am the same body type and height as Robert DeNiro, so they wanted me to be his stand in for the week.  I managed to clear the week from all prior commitments including the regular job I work in between gigs.  As it turns out, DeNiro is very picky about his stand ins and he makes the final choice.  I was in the running but it was between me and two other guys.  I didn't get it because he wanted some one who was older and closer in age to him but it was still kind of exciting to even be considered for something like that.  I still was going to get to work with him regardless.

I was back on for the 2 night train shoot towards the end of the week of filming.  I found out more about the story now.  Its called Little Fockers cause Ben Stiller's character is expecting twins now and is selling male enhancement drugs on the side for extra money.  He has help from Jessica Alba's character who is a pharmaceutical rep.  DeNiro suspects him of cheating and follows him around spy style.  Most of the week shoot dealt with his spying on Stller.  The second unit shot most of the city scenes, we just worked on the chase part.

The train scene is a French Connection style chase through a train.  About a day before filming began, the director moved a group of us to a scene involving Alba and Stiller in front of the Hilton on Michigan Ave.  I got to dress the same but different set up and it was only a long one day shoot running into the night.

Earlier in the day DeNiro filmed some scenes in Grant Park.

As it got darker, we got ready for our scene.  One thing I found out, DeNiro and Stiller we not the nicest people.  DeNiro yelled at people for looking at him.  Stiller did the same, yelling at people who were involved in scenes with him.  They did get several people fired and thrown off the set.  Not for asking for autographs or anything, but for just standing near them and looking over at them.  Christian Bale has a bad rep on set but he wasn't anything like that when I worked with him.  Then you have someone like Johnny Depp who comes up to you directly and makes small talk.  Its hard to figure the big actors out.  Jessica Alba on the other hand, was very nice.  She was standing next to my group in the scene and at one point wound up next to me.  She would ask us how we were doing and make jokes in between takes while having her make up and hair done.  And I know alot of people said she isn't as good looking since the baby or she got married.  Don't believe it!!!   She is still pretty smoking hot trust me!!

Alba and Stiller ready to go in the hotel.  Meanwhile DeNiro is spying on from behind some bushes.

Ben Stiller between takes.

Here's is some other randon pics of DeNiro in action.  Some of these I couldn't get on my own due to being wrapped so I took them from another website that had coverage.

The director working on the scene with the big 2.  He was a pretty cool guy, he worked on the first American Pie movie before.

Some nice shots from bigpicturesphoto.com.

A few other random ones from later in the week before the train scene shoot.  Isn't big Hollywood movie sets so glamorous?

Little Fockers is due sometime in July 2010.  There may also be a title change involved.  Currently on the imdb, they list it as a working title Meet The Fockers sequel.  Maybe Little Fockers comes off too dirty to say!