John Leguizamo

We caught up with actor/author John Leguizamo last night at the premiere of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The native New Yorker stars in the forthcoming adaptation of fellow Colombian Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, which premieres tomorrow. But last night Mr. Leguizamo seemed more focused on a film that is scheduled for release next June, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening.

“The [project] that I love is The Happening,” he told The Daily Transom, although he kept mum about the nitty-gritty. “You know how M. Knight is,” he said, “you’re given the coded scripts with your name on it; you can’t get any changes unless you hand in the other changes.” Mr. Leguizamo did assure us, however, that the discreet director is “amazing to work with,” he said, later citing cast-and-crew perks like a group trip to Fiji.

Besides listening to his favorite “hot” new album this season, Alicia Key’s As I Am,” he is also working on writing new material, although he immediately added that he will not challenge the writer’s strike.

Grumbling a little, Mr. Leguizamo went on, “I’m writing for myself, not to sell. I’m not crossing any lines, I’m not a scab or a rat. I don’t want that rat in front of my apartment building!... I’m stuck with all this stuff.”