I knew Bruce Willis before he was famous and made his latest picture Live Free or Die Hard. We weren't tight or anything, he was an "extra" on a movie that I worked on as a PA (Production Assistant) called The Verdict. As you probably know, extras are actors without speaking roles that you see in the background to give the movie texture and atmosphere. If by chance they do get chosen to speak, they're upgraded to "Day Players." It's something all extras hope for as it gives them more exposure, more money and a resume boost. That didn't happen for Bruce on this picture, but I think things turned out okay for him.

The reason I remember Bruce is that he made himself known to as many people on the crew as possible - all the PAs, ADs (Assistant Directors), even the director's personal assistant. He invited us to come out where he was tending bar on the upper west side in NYC. At that time, he barely had two nickels to rub together - but within just a few short years he would be living a couple of blocks away in the San Remo, one of the most exclusive and expensive co-ops in the city. Nicely done.

At the studio in Astoria, Queens, where most of the interiors of the movie were shot, the extras were relegated to what we called "The Dungeon." It was a poorly lit, dank basement of a place. PAs were rotated between there and the set upstairs. So I'm down in the dungeon and not likin' it at all. Bruce was down there too. We'd talk a bit about the biz and what a powerhouse cast this movie had - Paul Newman, James Mason, Jack Warden, Charlotte Rampling, with Sidney Lumet directing. I mean...the movie went on to be nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay by David Mamet. Powerhouse? There's an understatement. Suddenly, the 2nd AD's voice came over the "radio," the walkie-talkies we all wore. "Pete, we need some people for the courtroom audience. Who's down there?" "Bruce is here. He's ready to go." "Send him up." I did, with a few other folks. If you look closely, you can see Bruce Willis in the background.

By the way, if you clicked on The Verdict link above to check the credits and looked for my name, you saw I'm not listed. Even though I was the longest working PA on the picture between the office, locations, and in the studio, I, along with a few other folks, didn't make the cut. Neither did Bruce - until he became famous. Then he was placed on the credits as "uncredited." Hopefully, the folks at the Internet Movie Database will see this picture of me on the set in front of the door to the office of Frank Galvin, the role Paul Newman played, and throw me up there as uncredited, too. Then again they might say "Look at that hair! No way!