{"id":32711,"date":"2026-08-08T15:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32711"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:30:07","slug":"man-lives-in-sunset-strip-billboard-apartment-as-part-of-netflix-stunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32711","title":{"rendered":"Man lives in Sunset Strip billboard apartment as part of Netflix stunt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>Los Angeles residents and tourists alike flocked to  Sunset Boulevard and Selma Avenue in West Hollywood Friday morning. <\/p>\n<p>Instead of coming to catch a glimpse of the storied Chateau Marmont, the historic hotel beloved by celebrities and New Yorkers alike  a block away, people were there to take photos of and see one particular billboard about 30 feet above the ground. <\/p>\n<p>A man who has not been publicly identified has been \u201cliving\u201d inside the billboard since Thursday, in what resembles a fully furnished, air-conditioned living room. Sometimes, he waved to the people outside while holding a coffee mug in his other hand. Other times, he used a pair of binoculars to look outside. <\/p>\n<p>He was wearing blue pajama pants and a bathrobe \u2014 sometimes red, other times blue \u2014 and carrying a dry-erase whiteboard that he used to \u201ctalk\u201d to people walking by. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m stuck,\u201d read one message that he flashed to the spectators below. <\/p>\n<p>The \u201cliving room\u201d was furnished with what appeared to be a bookshelf, plants, a coffee table, an armchair, a desk chair and even paintings on the walls. Thick, red curtains adorned the \u201cwindow,\u201d which the man used to peer outside. <\/p>\n<p>Below the window is the phrase \u201cHow long can you survive?\u201d written on the blue shutters of the \u201chouse.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"enhancement\" data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<figure class=\"figure m-0\"> <picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/c8092a5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/320x213!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/824dad7\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/568x379!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f4f0ffe\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/768x512!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/307522c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/1024x683!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/98629d8\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img class=\"image\" alt=\"A passerby gestures to the man living in a billboard\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/3c7d7b4\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/320x213!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/8353927\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/568x379!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/50da28d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/768x512!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/5500702\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/1024x683!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/bd20ec3\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/bd20ec3\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5284x3522+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F16%2F44cb7196485cacffffeda8f7aad7%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-1-gmf.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>   <\/picture>\n<div class=\"figure-content\">\n<p>A passerby gestures to the man living in a billboard as a part of a Netflix promotion  on Sunset Boulevard.<\/p>\n<p>(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p>The billboard and the man inside it were promoting \u201cThe Last House,\u201d a Netflix film that premiered on the streaming platform on Friday. The billboard\u2019s occupancy along the Sunset Strip is expected to end Saturday. <\/p>\n<p>The movie, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura, follows a family of four who are trapped inside their home with no way out, according to a Netflix statement. <\/p>\n<p>The family must grapple with a dwindling stockpile of resources and the mysterious \u201cthreat\u201d that keeps them trapped inside the home, the statement read. <\/p>\n<p>The movie (and the man living inside the billboard) begs the audience to answer one simple question: \u201cHow long could you survive if you were suddenly cut off from the world with no explanation as to why?\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Jon Bruno lives a couple of blocks away from the billboard in West Hollywood and ducked out of his house Friday morning to try to catch a glimpse of the spectacle. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was on all the socials and friends were sending me videos,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s on the news. Everyone\u2019s covering it. Is there air conditioning up there? Is there a bathroom? I saw videos where he was walking around in a bathrobe.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Bruno, who has lived in Los Angeles for 30 years, was disappointed when he couldn\u2019t see the man inside the billboard from the street below. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to be able to get higher so I can see him,\u201d he said while craning his neck to get a peek at the billboard. \u201cI mean, he could be taking a shower. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s up there. I need a ladder.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Bruno works as a voice-over actor and attended a screening of the film Friday night. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anything, it\u2019s a great publicity stunt,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m coming out here not because I have anything to do with the movie but because it\u2019s close and it\u2019s a great publicity thing. I\u2019ve never seen anything like this. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s great, you know. Anything that gets people to the movies, for me, is great.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Nick Lonj, who is visiting Los Angeles from Oundle, England, is staying at the nearby Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood. He drove over to West Hollywood Friday morning because he saw a story on the news about the man inside the billboard.<\/p>\n<p>Lonj said it reminded him of a stunt performed by magician <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-2003-oct-20-fg-blaine20-story.html\">David Blaine decades ago,<\/a> in which Blaine stayed suspended inside a glass box for more than a month above London\u2019s River Thames. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should do this with more things,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<p>Charise Butler, 54, drove all the way from her home in Burbank Friday morning with her son to take a look at the billboard. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s really cool,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything about it, but my son was saying that it was a man living inside the billboard, so when he showed me the video, I was like, oh, that\u2019s cool. I want to go see.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Butler\u2019s daughter, who works as an actor, was also planning to bring her kids down from Woodland Hills to see the man in the billboard. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt makes you want to go watch the movie,\u201d said Butler, a longtime Los Angeles resident. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing this makes me want to tune in and see what this is all about. How long can you survive?\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles residents and tourists alike flocked to Sunset Boulevard and Selma Avenue in West Hollywood Friday morning. Instead of coming to catch a glimpse of the storied Chateau Marmont, the historic hotel beloved by celebrities and New Yorkers alike a block away, people were there to take photos of and see one particular billboard&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/9aed114\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4015x2108+0+285\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F81%2F94%2Ffbe1a22348ffad8756ab05002cf3%2F1565946-me-man-living-in-billboard-4-gmf.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}