This is where I am interning all summer, and it’s just one of the reasons I am already loving my internship. The building located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars is often referred to as The CAA Building, even though it houses more than just the Creative Artists Agency. To many in the entertainment industry it’s also known as “The Death Star,” and it might look familiar to you, even if you’ve never been to Los Angeles.
This building can be seen in several movies, perhaps the most recent being, Star Trek: Into Darkness, when the villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch bursts through glass doors, although he told EmpireOnline that it was his stunt double doing the deed. Also in Star Trek, Spock beams down near the Annenberg Space for Photography which is in the plaza behind the building.
The pictures below will show you some of the films that have shot scenes inside and outside this legendary and spectacular structure.
In In Time you can see the building behind Justin Timberlake’s character, Will, when he purchases his sports car, and when Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried) surrenders to her father and his bodyguards, she does so in the lobby of the building. When the limo drops off Sylvia’s father Phillipe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser), he’s brought to the front of The Deathstar, but when the limos deliver Will and Sylvia, that scene is actually on the opposite side of the plaza area, in front of the Century Towers on Century Park East where there is a VERY similar driveway.
In Inception, the lobby of the building is used as the hotel lobby in several scenes. It’s where they plan the sting, as well as where Arthur and Ariadne kiss. Below are several behind-the-scenes stills taken in the building.
The Green Hornet utilizes the building as The Daily Sentinel newspaper headquarters and it’s the Fender Financial office building where Paul Rudd’s character works in Dinner For Schmucks.
Topher Grace’s character in Valentine’s Day works in a mailroom, and the interior and exterior of this building are used to represent where he works. And, when Eric Dane, Jessica Biel and Queen Latifah are having lunch in the same film, they’re seated at a table outside, just behind The Deathstar.
In the film Hancock, it’s the building superheros, Will Smith and Charlize Theron, literally rip a hole straight through (disrupting husband Jason Bateman’s big pitch meeting) as they streak across the Los Angeles sky in a superhero spat. Kevin Spacey’s character in the film Shrink goes to a meeting in the building, and in the television series, Californication, it’s the UTK Office.
Finally, for you gamers out there, the building is even featured in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
