Member-only story
That Time I Met Billy Zane
Looking my worst.
During my seven years as a film sales agent, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a handful of celebrities. One of my favorite memories is with Billy Zane, but for all of the wrong reasons.
While most of the filmmakers I represented were based in the USA, I had a handful of others from all over the world. I never expected to meet any of them and was surprised when one told me he’d be coming here, to Arizona, for the North American debut of his film. It would be playing in Sedona, a 2-hour drive from Phoenix. He asked if I would be able to attend, and of course, I said yes. Then he promised he’d bring Billy Zane with him.
Sure.
I didn’t mean to be skeptical, and I didn’t express this skepticism out loud. The filmmaker never gave me a reason to doubt him, but in my mind, it seemed far-fetched to think Billy would show up to a tiny theater in a tiny city on another continent for a film that wasn’t produced by a major studio like Paramount Pictures.
Months passed, and the conversation was long forgotten.
The company I worked for moved offices and there was a sourness in the air from some internal drama, one of those inconsequential things that temporarily ruin team morale. I couldn’t tell you what happened anymore, only that the…
