On Friday morning, Sunset Boulevard and Selma Avenue in West Hollywood became a gathering place for both residents and tourists. People were not there to see the famous Chateau Marmont hotel; instead, they arrived to capture photos of a unique billboard located around 30 feet above ground. A man, whose identity has not been revealed, was “living” inside the billboard since Thursday. His living space resembled a fully furnished, air-conditioned living room. He occasionally waved to onlookers holding a coffee mug, and at other times, he looked outside through binoculars. He donned blue pajama pants and alternated between a red and blue bathrobe, communicating with passersby using a dry-erase whiteboard to display messages like “I’m stuck.”
The billboard’s “living room” featured a bookshelf, plants, a coffee table, an armchair, a desk chair, and even wall paintings. Thick red curtains decorated the “window.” Beneath the window, the phrase “How long can you survive?” was written on the blue shutters. The billboard and its occupant promoted the Netflix film “The Last House,” premiered on Friday. The exhibit along Sunset Strip is supposed to end on Saturday. The movie, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura, revolves around a family trapped inside their home without any escape, challenged by dwindling resources and a mysterious “threat,” according to Netflix.
The film poses a question to the audience: “How long could you survive if you were suddenly cut off from the world without explanation?” Jon Bruno, who lives near Sunset Boulevard, hurried out Friday morning to witness the spectacle. “It’s all over social media, and friends are sending videos,” he said. “It’s in the news. Everyone’s covering this. Is there a bathroom or air conditioning up there?” Bruno, disappointed at the lack of visibility from the street, wished for a better vantage point. He works as a voice-over actor and attended the film’s screening on Friday night, appreciating the publicity stunt, “It’s a great thing to draw attention. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Nick Lonj, from Oundle, England, and staying at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood, drove to West Hollywood after hearing about the billboard. He compared the stunt to magician David Blaine’s glass box suspension above the River Thames. “We should try this with more things,” Lonj suggested.
Charise Butler, 54, drove from Burbank with her son to see the billboard. “I think it’s really cool,” she said. “Seeing makes me want to watch the film.” Butler’s daughter, an actor, also planned to bring her children from Woodland Hills to see the spectacle. Butler noted the impact, “How long can you survive?”