Sadly now classified as "urban myth"

[webofevil]

Director Mike Figgis was going through security at LAX when he was asked the reason for his visit. “I’m here to shoot a pilot,” was his response. Obviously he meant “I’m here to shoot the first episode of a TV series that may or may not be picked up for broadcast distribution,” but what the immigration official thought he meant was “I’m here to shoot an airplane pilot with a gun.”

The director of Leaving Las Vegas, Timecode and Internal Affairs was then detained for about five hours until immigration officials could get online and figure out that “pilot” has more than one meaning. [Source: Cinematical.com]

Comments

[strictlytrue.livejournal.com]

I hope at least part of the five-hour conversation went like this:

VINCENT - She ever do anything I woulda saw? JULES - I think her biggest deal was she starred in a pilot. VINCENT - What's a pilot?
JULES - Well, you know the shows on TV?
VINCENT - I don't watch TV.
JULES - Yes, but you're aware that there's an invention called television, and on that invention they show shows?
VINCENT - Yeah.
JULES - Well, the way they pick the shows on TV is they make one show, and that show's called a pilot. And they show that one show to the people who pick the shows, and on the strength of that one show, they decide if they want to make more shows. Some get accepted and become TV programs, and some don't, and become nothing. She starred in one of the ones that became nothing.

What amazes me most about this story is that he was at LAX. If they detain everyone who says they've arrived to "shoot a pilot", it's a wonder that any pilots get made at all.

[chiller.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha! Oh, Christ. Of all the places to say it, as well. LAX. Hahahaha!

L here

[(Anonymous)]

Sadly I misled you. One of those classic things that got 'urban mythed'. He was talking in an interview about going to Canada and nearly saying that at the airport but then thinking better of it.

It got grapevined into actually happening at LAX.

DAMN YOU THE INTERNETS!