Today is March 2, which means that the new psychic thriller from Rodrigo Cortés, Red Lights, starring Cillian Murphy, Robert De Niro, and Sigourney Weaver opens today. Oh, there’s one other noteworthy actor in this film: me! It’s a very powerful cast.

My character’s name: Man in bathroom #2. Awesome.

It was about one year ago that Bobby, Siggy, and Cilly(?) came to town. The film was shot here in Barcelona. I rummaged through my Facebook account and found some notes I had taken on the day (my one day of shooting). Enjoy:

March 25, 2011
11:21am – All right, Mr. De Niro, I’m ready for my close-up.

3:35pm – Excited! And a little bit nervous. I have one line!! And I already have it memorized!!

4:05pm – I just got picked up by my private car. I’m now getting dressed in my trailer.

4:10pm – My friend Richard is also in the film. Hell, he’s also in the trailer with me. He’s Man in bathroom #1. But who’s counting?

4:24pm – Now I’m off to hair and makeup. I haven’t been allowed to cut my hair this month. I can’t wait to shave it all off tomorrow.

6:12pm – Surprise, surprise. The whole scene takes place in a bathroom. And Cillian Murphy is here. I just spoke with him for a few minutes. Nice guy! We’re the same age and he has two kids, about the same age as Emily and Sebastian. It’s uncanny how similar we are. I’m handsomer.

7:22pm – Just shot the general. All smooth sailing so far. Stopped off at the catering table on my way back to my trailer. The director is very cool.

7:24pm – They just brought white chocolate Maltesers to the catering table. Score!

9:52pm – And I’m done! Much earlier than expected, but they’ve got 4 more scenes to shoot without me before 3am. I got fairly close shot, too, so you shouldn’t have any problem spotting me on the big screen (albeit for 5 full seconds). Now off to eat dinner with the cast and crew before I head home.

A very positive experience. But how is the actual film? Well, after debuting at Sundance last month, Red Lights staged its world premiere just last week here in Barcelona. Cast, crew, and VIPs only. So I brought my lady.

Red Lights Premiere Invitation

And it was pretty good! It was a lot more suspenseful than I had expected. Jan actually jumped out of her seat on multiple occasions. There were a couple of dodgy monologues, a few minor plot holes, and the ending didn’t quite deliver all that it could have IMHO, but I would still recommend it and would happily give it 7/10 stars. Go see it and tell me what you think! And see if you can spot me in the bathroom.

Ben, Richard, and me: The Stars of Red Lights