Bizarre Billboard Stunt Intrigues L.A. Residents

On Friday morning in West Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard and Selma Avenue turned into a gathering spot for both residents and tourists. People converged not to see the famed Chateau Marmont but to witness an unusual spectacle high above the ground.

A man has been “living” inside a billboard, mocking a fully furnished, air-conditioned living room setup. His identity remains unknown, but since Thursday, he has waved to onlookers below, sometimes holding a coffee mug, at other times using binoculars. Dressed in blue pajama pants and alternating between red and blue bathrobes, the man communicated by flashing a dry-erase whiteboard with messages like “I’m stuck” to the curious crowd.

The decor, complete with a bookshelf, plants, a coffee table, armchair, and paintings, framed the scene. Red curtains on the billboard’s “window,” which the man often peeked out of, featured the phrase “How long can you survive?” written on its blue shutters.

A passerby noted, “The living billboard is a promotion for a Netflix film, ‘The Last House,’ which premiered on Friday.” The man’s stay on the billboard was scheduled to end by Saturday. The film, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura, follows a trapped family confronting limited resources and mysterious threats.

The promotion challenges audiences to ponder, “How long could you survive if suddenly isolated without explanation?”

Among the curious was Jon Bruno, a local Los Angeles resident, who visited the area Friday morning, hoping for a glimpse. “It’s all over social media. Everyone’s asking about air conditioning or a bathroom for the man,” Bruno remarked. A voice-over actor, he attended the film screening that evening, commenting on the stunt’s publicity value. “This is something unique,” he noted, “It’s driving interest in the movie.”

Nick Lonj, visiting from England, compared the event to magician David Blaine’s past glass box performance over the Thames. “We should do more stunts like this,” Lonj suggested.

Charise Butler drove from Burbank with her son, intrigued by the living billboard. Her daughter, an actor, also planned to visit with her children. Butler said, “Seeing this makes me curious about the movie. It poses the intriguing question: how long can you survive?”