Editor’s Note: KOIN 6 News anchorman Jeff Gianola will retire around Thanksgiving 2025 after more than 40 years as a Portland journalist. In this series, Jeff looks back at some of the most memorable stories he’s covered and shared.
This story originally aired in 2001.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In 2001, there were Academy Award winners Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro — and me in a supporting role, recruited by Oscar-winning director William Friedkin, to help bring “The Hunted” to the screen.
Friedkin was filming the thriller in Portland and reached out to me because he wanted a real news person to play the role of a TV reporter. He and I hit it off, and he gave me some acting advice to help me channel my inner Robert DeNiro.
On the day I was on set, there was a lot of time to think about what DeNiro would do. In fact, there’s a lot of time to think about a lot of things. There’s a lot of waiting around. I was good at that. The stars, though, don’t have to wait around. They had stand-ins doing their waiting around for them.
The scene I was doing was taking place outside the tunnel on NW Cornell. By this point, filming had been underway for a few weeks in Portland, including a chase scene on the Hawthorne Bridge. The KOIN 6 Helicopter had a starring role in that scene.
My scene was scheduled to be the last shot of the day. Would I blow it? Could I do it in one take?
And when it was Lights Camera Action — I nailed it on the first try. Take that, DeNiro.
It took two years for the film to hit theaters. And even though I didn’t get an Oscar for Best Supporting Reporter, I did get some memories and an experience I’ll never forget.
