DTLA LIFE MAG #30 | HOLIDAYS 2016 | Page 64

Samy Naceri’s first time in DTLA was for the filming of the movie “Taxi 3”. With the crew, he was very eager to discover the American celebrities with whom he would work. Director Luc Besson wanted them to be surprised and had kept the location secret until the end. He finally had the chance then to work with Sylvester Stallone, but he was disappointed to stay only one day in DTLA and go back to Marseille to end the movie! He describes Downtown Los Angeles with three words: city, diversity, and history. It reminded him a little of NYC, and at the same time, the cultural side of the city impressed him, with the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Broad Museum, the old theater on Broadway, and also the LA River, the set for so many famous movies. DTLA is a mix of urban sites and filthy decors. He enjoyed drinking a smoothie to 6 pm on a terrace of a juice bar, or a good coffee after lunch; it reminded him a little bit of Paris during summer. Or the hidden pleasure of a cocktail on the Standard’s rooftop at night. His favorite street is Broadway, with historic theaters like the Globe, where Charlie Chaplin used to come, now held by French people, it’s just magic! He imagined if DTLA was a movie; it would be Taxi 5! If it were a book, it would be The Curse of Capistrano, by Johnston McCulley, with the first apparition of the character “Zorro.” If a perfume, it would be Vetiver, by Guerlain. DTLA has a rhythm, a sound, like a Slam, by Samy Naceri! He still has so many things to learn about this part of Los Angeles! But he wants to recomm-