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| Moovie Mic Miller being interviewed on MTV News. |
Moovie Mic Miller: It is a perfect job for me. I grew up in a rough area of Jamaica, Queens. I had a lot of cousins and siblings that I protected. It was natural that I am good at protecting other people. Plus the fact that I can get up and love my job, every day. I look forward to my job!
Me: How long have you been doing this?
MMM: I've been working on movie sets for five years, six years in the spring.
Me: What is your official title?
Me: What is your official title?
MMM: Moovie Mic. My job title is set security, but it can depend. If it is a big movie sometimes I am star security, which happens a lot because nine times out of ten I'm with a star.
Me: How does it feel when the movies you helped with come out? Do you go see them?
MMM: Not always, but if I get put in them, I'll go see them. Like in Now You See Me there is a scene with Isla Fisher, Woody Harleson and Jesse Eisenburg. I had a scene in Times Square where I followed them into a huge crowd of people dressed normally, not in all black like I usually wear (so if the camera catches me, I'll blend better). A lot of times I might see myself but I tend to not really care about seeing the movies. As time goes by I'll catch it if I catch it--but I always know what is going to happen. No one likes to go to the movies with me because I will talk the whole time and ask, "Why did that do that, here?" "They cut that part?! Why?! It was so good!" "Look, I'm standing behind that tree." It can disappoint me a lot. The last one I went to see was The Dictator with Sacha Baron Cohen, I'm in a scene where all you see is the top of my head. It's not as exciting as it used to be.
Me: What has been your favorite thing about doing movie set security?
MMM: It's the relationship you build with the stars. You may see their bad sides. But you're around them around a lot so you chat with them a lot. They know your name and a lot of times they like to talk with you and that makes it pretty cool.
Me: Do you keep in contact with some of them?
MMM: I have numbers for a couple of them. But sometimes we stay in contact through email, like Jeremy Renner. You know he's a big 49er's fan, I'm a Giants fan so when I was working on Bourne Legacy we had a little rivalry thing going on. I keep in contact. They always remember me because a lot of them I work with over and over like Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphie, and Mark Walberg. I don't really try to keep in contact, but I do keep in contact with a lot of their assistants.When I see them out of work, out on the sidewalk, they'll come and talk to me and say "hi."
Me: How does it feel when the movies you helped with come out? Do you go see them?
MMM: Not always, but if I get put in them, I'll go see them. Like in Now You See Me there is a scene with Isla Fisher, Woody Harleson and Jesse Eisenburg. I had a scene in Times Square where I followed them into a huge crowd of people dressed normally, not in all black like I usually wear (so if the camera catches me, I'll blend better). A lot of times I might see myself but I tend to not really care about seeing the movies. As time goes by I'll catch it if I catch it--but I always know what is going to happen. No one likes to go to the movies with me because I will talk the whole time and ask, "Why did that do that, here?" "They cut that part?! Why?! It was so good!" "Look, I'm standing behind that tree." It can disappoint me a lot. The last one I went to see was The Dictator with Sacha Baron Cohen, I'm in a scene where all you see is the top of my head. It's not as exciting as it used to be.
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| Moovie Mic with Morgan Freeman during Now You See Me. |
Me: What has been your favorite thing about doing movie set security?
MMM: It's the relationship you build with the stars. You may see their bad sides. But you're around them around a lot so you chat with them a lot. They know your name and a lot of times they like to talk with you and that makes it pretty cool.
Me: Do you keep in contact with some of them?
MMM: I have numbers for a couple of them. But sometimes we stay in contact through email, like Jeremy Renner. You know he's a big 49er's fan, I'm a Giants fan so when I was working on Bourne Legacy we had a little rivalry thing going on. I keep in contact. They always remember me because a lot of them I work with over and over like Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphie, and Mark Walberg. I don't really try to keep in contact, but I do keep in contact with a lot of their assistants.When I see them out of work, out on the sidewalk, they'll come and talk to me and say "hi."
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| Moovie Mic with Eddie Murphy. |
Me: What can be the most challenging thing?
MMM: It depends. A lot of people would say that it is the paparazzi That's not always the case. Sometimes it is the elements. Sometimes I feel like I am a robot because I can't always go to the bathroom when I want to. Sometimes I'm sitting outside a camper for an hour or so while they are in there, especially if there is rain. It can be challenging.
Me: Which set has been the most challenging set to be on and why?
MMM: The most challenging set would definitely be Tower Heist. It was a cold winter and we had very long days, especially the last month. We had a bunch of 20 hour days, not being able to go to the bathroom, standing all day, at least half of it in the cold. It can get a little challenging like that. Brett Radner, he's no joke!
MMM: It depends. A lot of people would say that it is the paparazzi That's not always the case. Sometimes it is the elements. Sometimes I feel like I am a robot because I can't always go to the bathroom when I want to. Sometimes I'm sitting outside a camper for an hour or so while they are in there, especially if there is rain. It can be challenging.
Me: Which set has been the most challenging set to be on and why?
MMM: The most challenging set would definitely be Tower Heist. It was a cold winter and we had very long days, especially the last month. We had a bunch of 20 hour days, not being able to go to the bathroom, standing all day, at least half of it in the cold. It can get a little challenging like that. Brett Radner, he's no joke!
Me: What is the scariest/most exciting thing that has happened to you while being security and why?
MMM: During Men in Black 3, Will Smith ran into a crowd of 300 people and that made me nervous. I mean, I have to watch the stars like I watch my four year old daughter. How would you feel if your child ran off into a crowd of 300 people?! I had to fight my way through to keep my eye on him, that was kind of scary. Not a lot of people do that, but Will Smith, he's that type of guy. He shows a lot of love.
Me: Speaking of Will Smith, remember a few months ago when that guy ran up to him at a premier and tried to kiss Will Smith and Will Smith kind of slapped him?
MMM: I wasn't there for that, that's the stuff we go through. It's like the CIA a bit, because those people don't want to hurt the actors, you know, they're fans, they're just weirdos; a little too obsessed with these actors. I wasn't too surprised. People are just crazy.
I was doing Noah and we were filming out in Long Island and my home girl, Emma Watson was there. She had a stalker that followed her from her mom's house in Great Britain to Toronto and to Long Island. We actually caught him in the woods, where he had walked up to her with a note. We got him away and I asked him, "What's the problem? Are you okay? Are you alright? You don't sound very normal, following someone from country to country. He was like, "I really felt like I just wanted to give her some advice. She's making some decisions in life and I thought that I needed to let her know she was making some bad choices." He's just an over-fan. People like him, feel like they know the actors because they watch them on TV. I feel very sorry for some of them. Some actors don't mind if fans want have their picture taken with them, just don't come up and try to run up on them and try to kiss them.
MMM: During Men in Black 3, Will Smith ran into a crowd of 300 people and that made me nervous. I mean, I have to watch the stars like I watch my four year old daughter. How would you feel if your child ran off into a crowd of 300 people?! I had to fight my way through to keep my eye on him, that was kind of scary. Not a lot of people do that, but Will Smith, he's that type of guy. He shows a lot of love.
Me: Speaking of Will Smith, remember a few months ago when that guy ran up to him at a premier and tried to kiss Will Smith and Will Smith kind of slapped him?
MMM: I wasn't there for that, that's the stuff we go through. It's like the CIA a bit, because those people don't want to hurt the actors, you know, they're fans, they're just weirdos; a little too obsessed with these actors. I wasn't too surprised. People are just crazy.
I was doing Noah and we were filming out in Long Island and my home girl, Emma Watson was there. She had a stalker that followed her from her mom's house in Great Britain to Toronto and to Long Island. We actually caught him in the woods, where he had walked up to her with a note. We got him away and I asked him, "What's the problem? Are you okay? Are you alright? You don't sound very normal, following someone from country to country. He was like, "I really felt like I just wanted to give her some advice. She's making some decisions in life and I thought that I needed to let her know she was making some bad choices." He's just an over-fan. People like him, feel like they know the actors because they watch them on TV. I feel very sorry for some of them. Some actors don't mind if fans want have their picture taken with them, just don't come up and try to run up on them and try to kiss them.
Me: Who were/are the people you were most excited to meet?
MMM: It's funny, because I'm not really excited to meet anyone because I see them as regular people. Maybe it is my professional attitude. I'm not a movie buff or a star struck type person. I have been around some really good, kind-hearted people that made me excited to be next to them. I can stand up for them and let people know, that some of them are genuinely the kindest people on the earth. Like Russel Crowe has a reputation, I guess because of the phone incident. One my friends thought he was awful, and I told him that he's one of the kindest people I've ever met. A lot of people don't realize they're every day people like us. They just have bigger bank accounts. They're only human and they work very hard. It's not all as glitzy as everyone thinks. They work long hours and a lot of times they work in all kinds of weather, out in the cold. It has been a pleasure to meet them.
Me: If you could advise people who are interested in pursuing your career, what would you tell them?
MMM: It's funny, because I'm not really excited to meet anyone because I see them as regular people. Maybe it is my professional attitude. I'm not a movie buff or a star struck type person. I have been around some really good, kind-hearted people that made me excited to be next to them. I can stand up for them and let people know, that some of them are genuinely the kindest people on the earth. Like Russel Crowe has a reputation, I guess because of the phone incident. One my friends thought he was awful, and I told him that he's one of the kindest people I've ever met. A lot of people don't realize they're every day people like us. They just have bigger bank accounts. They're only human and they work very hard. It's not all as glitzy as everyone thinks. They work long hours and a lot of times they work in all kinds of weather, out in the cold. It has been a pleasure to meet them.
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| Moovie Mic and Russel crowing during the filming of Noah. |
MMM: It's not as easy as it seems. You have to be really tough. You have to stay in shape. You have to be ready and militant. You must stay focused and watch. You have people coming and asking questions all day. You don't want to be rude, but sometimes you tell them you can't talk right then and they get offended, but you have watch the talent, even if people get offended.
Me: What has been your favorite set so far and why?
MMM: My favorite set I have ever worked on was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The people were so kind. Sandra Bullock is one of the nicest human beings on the face of the earth. Tom Hanks is very down-to-earth and very funny in real life too. A lot of people don't get to see how funny he is. Some actors are only funny on the screen, but he's got a great sense of humor. Max Von Sydow is very kind. It was Thomas Horn's, the one who plays the young boy, first movie. Scott Rudin, the producer, found Thomas Horn on Kid's Jeopardy. That combination of cast with the crew, everyone from the producers to the crew was the greatest possible fit because it was a really long movie--about six or seven months. With all that talent we all became very comfortable together.
Me: What are the most common questions/answers that you get from curious people?
MMM: People always ask first, "What's the Name of the Movie?" If the movie title is really long, like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close I may shorten the title for those people to Extremely Loud. "Who's in it?" and in some neighborhoods "How long are you going to be here?" I always get that one on the Upper West Side.
Me: Which neighborhood in the five boroughs has been the best and worst to work in.
MMM: Midtown Manhattan, from below Central Park/59th St. to 42nd St. from 8th Avenue to 5th Avenue are the worst because they are so crowded. The best are the easiest ones, like the mansions--especially the mansions in Long Island. I have to go all over the mansions and look at all the area before I take the stars there, like the CIA with the President.
Me: What is one of the most surprising things you have learned being security?
MMM: The whole movie experience. Yes, I am security but being around the set in the beginning, it surprised me how many different groups that have to come together to make a movie. It takes lighting and security and props and set and everyone to make a movie work. It shocked me how much work it really is to make a show. Everybody's job is important in its own way. If one person is slipping everyone has to make up for it on set.
MMM: My favorite set I have ever worked on was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The people were so kind. Sandra Bullock is one of the nicest human beings on the face of the earth. Tom Hanks is very down-to-earth and very funny in real life too. A lot of people don't get to see how funny he is. Some actors are only funny on the screen, but he's got a great sense of humor. Max Von Sydow is very kind. It was Thomas Horn's, the one who plays the young boy, first movie. Scott Rudin, the producer, found Thomas Horn on Kid's Jeopardy. That combination of cast with the crew, everyone from the producers to the crew was the greatest possible fit because it was a really long movie--about six or seven months. With all that talent we all became very comfortable together.
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| Moovie Mic and Tom Hanks during Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. |
MMM: People always ask first, "What's the Name of the Movie?" If the movie title is really long, like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close I may shorten the title for those people to Extremely Loud. "Who's in it?" and in some neighborhoods "How long are you going to be here?" I always get that one on the Upper West Side.
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| Moovie Mic and Sandra Bullock during Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. |
MMM: Midtown Manhattan, from below Central Park/59th St. to 42nd St. from 8th Avenue to 5th Avenue are the worst because they are so crowded. The best are the easiest ones, like the mansions--especially the mansions in Long Island. I have to go all over the mansions and look at all the area before I take the stars there, like the CIA with the President.
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| Moovie Mic filming Deception in Long Island, photos by Moovie Mic. |
MMM: The whole movie experience. Yes, I am security but being around the set in the beginning, it surprised me how many different groups that have to come together to make a movie. It takes lighting and security and props and set and everyone to make a movie work. It shocked me how much work it really is to make a show. Everybody's job is important in its own way. If one person is slipping everyone has to make up for it on set.
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