Last Saturday CBS pilot Backstrom closed off a block of Burrard Street and set up a giant rain tower hanging from a crane to shoot scenes of title character Evert Backstrom (Rainn Wilson of The Office) in the bright orange slicker coming out of the iconic Marine building dressed as a Portland Police station. From Bones showrunner Hart Hanson, Backstrom is a detective version of Dr. House — self-destructive, offensive, irascible and brilliant of course — and based on the books by real-life Swedish criminologist and novelist Leif G.W. Persson. In the scene, Backstrom (the well-cast Wilson) walked out of the Portland Police Station, stopped to light up a cigar in the rain and then walked north down Burrard Street in take after take.
Early Wednesday morning, Backstrom filmed inside the Vancouver Public Library on the west side of the 2nd or 3rd floor and then moved into the empty Pappas Furs building where it is expected to film until late tonight. On Wednesday, Wilson tweeted a very Vancouver tweet to @Lululemon: My yoga pants have blood all over them.
I haven’t spotted any of Rainn Wilson’s co-stars on set this week like- Dennis Haysbert or Mamie Gummer (her mother perennial Oscar winner Meryl Streep was spotted in Vancouver visiting her daughter but not by me).
Spectators watch the filmmakers make rain on one of the sunniest, loveliest Easter weekends in recent memory.
Technocrane protected from the fake rain.
Rainn Wilson has a laugh with the background performers.
Background performers with their umbrellas in the sunshine.
Rainn Wilson after the wrap with his wet hat hair.
