You know what? When you’re a filmmaker who specializes in telling original stories on mid-level budgets, self-funds those movies, and ends up pumping out box office hits one after another when theaters sorely need the business, then you’re well within your rights to have a little harmless fun at our expense. For my money, “Old” just might feature his most fascinating and self-deprecating cameo yet, but you certainly won’t want to miss his moment in “Knock at the Cabin.”
Those who’ve seen it already will know exactly what I’m talking about, but everyone else ought to remain on the lookout for one of Shyamalan’s funniest self-inserts in his entire filmography. In an interview with Collider, the director opened up about shooting this particular cameo and whether or not he ever thought it’d actually end up in the final cut:
“Sometimes I’m not in the films because I just can’t, it doesn’t seem right. And this one I thought, ‘For sure, I’m not going to be in.’ That’s what I thought for sure. And then in pre-production, I was like, ‘You know what? I have a funny idea.’ And then everybody enjoyed the concept so much. I was like, ‘All right, let’s go shoot.’ It was the first thing we shot, this thing that’s in ‘Knock at the Cabin.’ And I was like, ‘This is never going to end up in the movie.’ And it did. And the editor was like, ‘I love it. It’s so funny.’ And I was like, ‘You sure?’
Needless to say, a one-location thriller with an incredibly small cast posed a logistical challenge to incorporate Shyamalan into the action, but he certainly found a funny and clever way to get in on the action.
“Knock at the Cabin” is now in theaters.