I was in LA this week to meet with the many producers of Fair Game and to break stories on Covert Affairs, our upcoming USA series starring Piper Perabo. We did a huge amount research for Fair Game on the mechanics of the CIA plus of course also all the research for Bourne Identity so we are well prepared for this series. It’s not a coincidence. Dave Bartis, my business partner in Hypnotic and friend (we went to college together), was very smart in setting up this series on the CIA so we put all of the stories and cool details about what it’s like to really work at the CIA and how spycraft really works, to good use. The thing I love about TV is how big the canvas is. I only have 2 hours in a film but our first season alone for TV is 13 hours, and with any luck, hopefully that goes on and on.

My first day in LA I was exhausted. The night before I’d gone out to dinner with my friend Bessie and the next thing I know she’s taking me on the homeless census for NY City. The Department of Homeless Services runs the homeless census and the purpose is to get an annual accurate count of the total number of unsheltered adults on the streets and subways. The next thing I know we’re heading out to count homeless people. We show up at a high school, with a bunch of other volunteers to spend the night scouring the city looking for homeless people. It’s entirely thankless and I couldn’t believe how many people turned out for it. Another woman joined Bessie and me and we were given a 6 square block section of the city, way up in Harlem, to walk and count every homeless person. It’s a longer walk than you would think because you have to walk every side of every block in your section and you have to stop every single person. I really only stuck around because I didn’t want to leave my friend and the other woman alone in the middle of the night, walking a not great neighborhood. I want to be honest with you; I’m a pretty selfish person. I’m planning a trip to Haiti to help the relief efforts and I participate in some charities but I don’t want you to get the idea that I’m doing this altruistic stuff all the time and that night in Harlem I really wanted to go home.

In retrospect, I am glad I stayed because we met many, many people and it was interesting. We had to stop every person we saw and ask them “Do you have a place to stay tonight” and depending on whether they say yes or no determines what your next line of questioning is. Most people were clearly not homeless but we asked them nonetheless and would move on to another person. After 30 or 40 minutes of doing this we settled into a routine of it. One such person we came across was a nicely dressed woman with a purse but when we asked her if she had a place to sleep tonight, she said no. I was not expecting that. You have a vision of what you think a homeless person looks like — and we saw plenty of people like that who were sleeping on benches and in doorways — but this person didn’t look like my vision of a homeless person at all (which is clearly why they have you ask every person you see.) I’m sure I’m not alone in considering being homeless a massively significant problem for you and I can be walking by these people and have no indication that they are in any type of trouble.

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• Doug Liman Blog: Flying to Canada To Protect The Action in Covert Affairs
• Doug Liman Blog: Sherlock Holmes Premiere — Getting My Dose of Schmoozing, Meeting Robert Downey, and a Fun Movie All in One Night
• Doug Liman Blog: Flying, Sailing and Cooking
• Doug Liman Blog: Scouting Niagra the Night Before Covert Affairs Premiere
• Doug Liman Blog: Fergie, Madonna, and My Epic, Epic Cluelessness
• Doug Liman Blog: Making a Connection On The Express After a Long, Cold Day