There is an 8×10 headshot of an actor, a very famous actor known for making very funny movies, and it is taped to the front of a computer printer that looks as though it was repeatedly smashed with a sledgehammer.
I’m scouting a mom-and-pop computer repair store that also rents office equipment to film productions.
The mangled laserjet printer is prominently displayed on a table against one wall. The actor smiles charmingly from his glossy photograph.
I ask the owner why a picture of this actor is taped to a printer that looks like it was dropped off the roof of an apartment building.
“Oh, you haven’t met him yet?” she says cheerily, and introduces me to the printer using the actor’s name. She sees my puzzled expression.
“We rented this printer to that actor for his trailer on a film set, she says. “One day, he had a temper tantrum, as he is known to do, and threw the printer at his assistant, hence the damage.
“He then requested a replacement printer. We asked that he first pay for the damaged unit. He retused, and said the film production should cover it since they were paying for the rental. The film production said no, that he should pay because he was the one who destroyed it. In the end, no one paid, and we were stuck with a $500 piece of junk.
“So we’ve decided to leave him on display,” she says, again referring to the printer by the actor’s name. “And we will happily introduce him to anyone who would like to meet him.”
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