Luke Wilson and Wes Anderson Freed From Stuck Elevator at Academy Museum

An evening celebrating cinema history at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures turned into an unexpected rescue operation for Luke Wilson, Wes Anderson, and producer James L. Brooks.

The three were gathered at the Los Angeles institution on Monday, July 6, for an event marking three decades since the release of their 1996 film Bottle Rocket. Following the celebration, the group entered an elevator and became trapped inside.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to free the trio after approximately 30 minutes of being stuck. The elevator in question was reportedly designed as a private passage for celebrities to discreetly move through the museum without encountering the public.

Video footage captured by Carolyn Dunn, a production specialist at 20th Century Fox, documented the moment firefighters pried open the elevator doors and the three men stepped out. In the recording, Anderson can be heard inquiring about what led to the malfunction. When a fire official suggested the elevator may have been carrying excess weight, the acclaimed director simply thanked them.

Wilson, 54, and Anderson, 57, were joined by Brooks, 86, in the incident. The three have maintained a long creative partnership dating back to their work on Bottle Rocket three decades ago.