Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 8

Wes Anderson Gets Stuck in Academy Museum Elevator for 30 Minutes, Rescued by LAFD

Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 8

Wes Anderson Gets Stuck in Academy Museum Elevator for 30 Minutes, Rescued by LAFD

Q: Will the Academy Museum reveal the safety records for its 'secret' elevator after trapping Hollywood's elite?

There is no indication yet that the Academy Museum will release the safety records for the elevator involved. So far, the museum has not publicly disclosed inspection, maintenance, or incident records tied to the elevator that trapped Wes Anderson, Luke Wilson and James L. Brooks for about 30 minutes after the *Bottle Rocket* anniversary event. *The Hollywood Reporter* said its requests for comment to both the museum and the Los Angeles Fire Department were unanswered at publication. What is known is limited. Video from the rescue shows an LAFD official telling Anderson the problem was “probably” too much weight in the elevator, suggesting a possible overload rather than a confirmed mechanical failure. The “secret passageway” description remains unverified. Whether records become public may depend less on voluntary disclosure than on public-records rules and regulatory oversight. In California, elevators are regulated under strict safety standards, and building owners face a high duty of care. Inspection and enforcement records may exist through state or local regulators, even if the museum itself does not proactively publish them. If complaints, injuries, or legal claims follow, more documentation could surface through those channels. For now, the evidence supports only this: a high-profile entrapment happened, emergency responders freed the passengers, and no public commitment to release the elevator’s safety history has been reported.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 8

Wes Anderson spent about 30 minutes trapped in an elevator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures after a Monday event marking the 30th anniversary of Bottle Rocket.
Luke Wilson and producer James L. Brooks were also inside before the Los Angeles Fire Department helped them out.
An LAFD official, heard in an Instagram video of the exit, told Anderson the elevator "probably had too much weight in there."
The incident happened after a celebration tied to Anderson’s 1996 feature debut, which starred Luke and Owen Wilson; the museum and LAFD had not commented by publication.