Director Mike Figgis detained: "I'm here to Shoot a Pilot" taken literally by TSA

Giant stainless steel letters forming LAX are shown at the entrance way to Los Angeles

By Stone Martindale May 30, 2007, 0:40 GMT

Everyone in Los Angeles knows that when you are to "shoot a pilot", it involves grips, a gaffer, location managers and other key crew. Apparently this is a fact lost with the TSA and immigration bunch at Los Angeles International Airport. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg uncovered a gem regarding director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) and an allegedly true incident that went down at LAX.

Weinberg writes that Figgis was going through security at LAX "when he was asked the reason for his visit."

"I'm here to shoot a pilot," was what Weinberg claims Figgis responded.

The LAX immigration official took him at his word, thinking he was "here to shoot an airplane pilot with a gun."

Figgis, according to Weinberg, was kept locked up for about five hours until immigration officials could figure out the filmmaker's vernacular by checking online sources.