By Nathan Duke
The owner of a popular Bayside eatery said he does not serve pasta before 11:30 a.m., but he made an early morning exception this week for Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.
Papazzio, at 39-38 Bell Blvd. in Bayside, acted as a movie set for director John Cameron Mitchell’s film “Rabbit Hole” Monday morning as trailers, crew members and production equipment lined the street in front of the Italian restaurant.
Dominick Bruccoleri, Papazzio’s owner, said the film used his restaurant from 4:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. to shoot a dinner sequence with stars Kidman and Eckhart.
“I think it’s good for the neighborhood,” Bruccoleri said. “It draws attention to our community and brings business to the boulevard, which is one of the dining meccas in Queens.”
The production moved to the corner of Corporal Stone Street and 40th Avenue for a shot after finishing up at Papazzio. The film, which also has been shot in Douglaston Manor, will wrap in several weeks, a production assistant said.
“Rabbit Hole,” scheduled for release in 2010, follows the story of a couple whose lives are torn apart after their young son dies in an accident. The movie, based on a play by David Lindsay-Abaire, stars Kidman, Eckhart, Sandra Oh and Dianne Wiest and is directed by Mitchell, who also made “Shortbus” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
Bruccoleri said the independent film shoot was not the first to use his restaurant as a locale, following previous visits by the TV show “Boy Meets World” and the production of a Heineken beer commercial. Papazzio’s name was on a city list of businesses friendly to movie and TV shoots, so the film’s producers approached Bruccoleri two months ago.
“They were a great bunch of people to work with,” he said of the film’s producers, director and actors. “They were considerate of the location and of my employees. And they kept their word – they were in and out.”
Bruccoleri served the film’s stars plates of linguine with garlic and oil, gnocchi bolognese, penne a la vodka and Caesar salad for the sequence shot in his eatery despite the fact that most people were still contemplating breakfast at that time of day. He said his role during the shoot ended up being more than he originally expected.
“I got to be an extra as a chef in the kitchen,” he said. “It was very exciting.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 71-229-0300, Ext. 156.
