Actress Cate Blanchett sat in the front row center seat this past weekend at Chamber Magic. It was a great thrill for me, since – like the rest of the world – I’m a huge fan. Her recent film Tár is stunning, and her performance was nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Actress.

We had a nice, long post-show talk about our mutual friend Guillermo del Toro, and our experience working on his film Nightmare Alley. She is Hollywood royalty, no doubt. What an honor.

Guillermo del Toro has visited Chamber Magic three times, and on his last visit asked if I would be interested in a cameo role in his next film. I immediately accepted the offer, and soon found myself in Buffalo being fitted for a costume as a locksmith. The sets department constructed an outdoor kiosk for my character. It was located just down the street from Buffalo City Hall.

I acted in two scenes with Bradley Cooper, making keys from a clandestine wax impression so his character could unlock the office of a femme-fatale psychiatrist played by, none other than… Cate Blanchett.

In my first scene, my locksmith was closing up his kiosk for the night, but Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) slyly poked cash into my hand since his key duplication was a rush job.

Below is a photo of Guillermo del Toro directing both Bradley Cooper and me, for my first of two scenes. It was a brutally cold Buffalo night, in February 2020. The green “Locksmith” sign was whipping back and forth in the wind. The crew had to adjust it several times since it kept swinging and falling off the hook.

In between takes, Bradley joked, “You know we spent extra money in the budget for wind machines!”

In my second scene with Bradley Cooper, I sold him a handful of padlocks for his character to use in the cemetery scene. It was a rapid-fire scene, culminating with a close-up on my hands. Through the howling wind, Guillermo yelled, “I know how fast your hands are, because I’ve seen your show! Deal the locks like you deal cards. Deal, man, deal!”

I slung out the heavy locks like a round of poker, and Bradley rapidly snapped them up to tuck in his overcoat.

The film had to be edited from 3 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes, and my role as a locksmith didn’t make the final cut. Guillermo contacted me several times during the editing process to tell me it was like a roller-coaster ride. My scenes were out, then in, and then ultimately out.

However, collaborating with the best people in Hollywood was an experience I’ll never forget. The crew applauded me at the end of my shoot day – that was unexpected, and really flattering.

After we wrapped, I went back to the hotel and entertained the cast and crew with close-up magic at the bar.

Cate Blanchett shot her scenes in Toronto, so we never crossed paths on set. I did, however, get a chance to meet Rooney Mara in the Hair and Makeup trailer, since we were getting prepped right next to each other.

My scenes may eventually appear in the Director’s Cut, so keep your fingers crossed!

On-set photos courtesy of unit photographer Kerry Hayes