NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE HUMAN PROP
ART SUCKS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEIN SMITH
AKA PUNK IN BAR AS SEEN IN COMMERCIAL TRAILER
9-23-08 POST KEYWORDS: nick and norah, infinite playlist, stein smith, stein, jain, popular science, cojo art juggernaut, artsucks.com, cojo
One month after the issue of Popular Science Magazine where he reference modeled for me for a full page feature opener illustration about a hallucinating inpatient hit shelves my friend Stein Smith was on the set of the new Michael Cera Sony Pictures feature "NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST" based on a book by the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
Recently he mentioned that he had done a scene in a Michael Cera movie while we were checking out a hot rod show over the summer. I had forgotten about it until I noticed Stein in the trailer for the film, he's in the background at around the 56 second mark. 
Being that MOLLY and I are big Arrested Development fans I dropped him a line and asked him to tell me about some of his experiences of working on the film for Artsucks.com here is what it was like in his words:
"I was hired last year to be a background actor for the Sony Pictures movie, "Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist" (release Oct 3rd 2008). The movie is shot inside and outside of a hipster type bar with Michael Cera (Juno, Pineapple Express, Arrested Development) and Kat Denning (40 year Old virgin). My job; to act like a dude hanging out at a bar to see bands play.
Damn! I've been practicing that shit for years! Finally, someone is paying me for it. The movie was shot inside Don Hill's bar on Greenwich Street in NYC. Exterior shots were all over NYC including a rooftop near the Empire State Building. It reminded me of the rooftop in Wayne's World that Stacey falls through.
If we weren't standing around in the club, we were standing around in holding. Holding was unlimited free food and drinks. On the set was a lot of standing around. We were like backdrops that you had to feed and tell to shut up.
I guess it was like movie sets you hear about. The cameraman knew Bruce Springsteen. Rumor Willis showed up at 3am to hang out. My friend, Andy Diamond was parking his car and almost hit Ad Rock on his bike. That kid from American Pie who never did anything else. He was there too.
It was work though. A few weeks off and on from October to January. You were there for a 5am call time every day and the night shoots had us standing out in the cold until 4am. Everyone was freezing because we had to dress like it was a spring day in Williamsburg. The chicks with miniskirts on were miserable for that part of shooting."
-STEIN SMITH
www.steinsteinstein.com
