One woman’s civic duty became an experience she will never forget when Steven Spielberg was selected to serve on a jury with her.
- Juror was stunned to see the two-time Oscar winner seated next to her
- She learned interesting tidbits chatting with director during course of trial
- Experience turned humdrum trial into once-in-a-lifetime experience
“Everyone is just like ‘no way, do you have pictures?’ And I’m like, ‘yeah, I have pictures,’” said 20-year-old Miranda McLaughlin-Basseri, who is now back studying for the spring semester at Santa Monica College.
The chemistry major was stunned to see the two-time Oscar winner selected. Suddenly, the mundane civil trial to determine the fate of a tenant’s security deposit became a lot more interesting.
“He bought me coffee and actually, he bought me sour Skittles and I still have them with me,” McLaughlin-Basseri said as she pulled the green candy wrapper out of her pocket.
She said Spielberg (and his assistant) were very generous at the vending machine, which makes sense since he is worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.
During the idle chit-chat that often comes with jury duty, McLaughlin-Basseri got to know the director and learned some interesting facts.
“He said he was going to originally work on the Harry Potter movies, but he didn’t want to move to London and he didn’t want to direct 25 kids,” McLaughlin-Basseri said.
“It was a great experience because jury duty usually stinks,” she said.
And who knew that in a town obsessed with celebrity sightings, a jury summons was the key to getting the best picture.