One strange real-life slapstick moment I had was on a flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt in April 2012 after I had visited Uwe Boll to talk and watch him filming his then most recent film Bailout.

On long distance flights, I always carry a toothbrush and toothpaste with me to brush my teeth after eating in the small airplane bathroom. Suddenly, while doing so, I spilled some toothpaste on my pants. With hectic moves, I started to try and remove it using water and a paper towel. In the process, my body must have touched the door lock and unlocked it. I noticed this as I suddenly heard an older man opening the door behind me. He saw me standing there, my back to the door, rubbing my pants with quick strokes. The fact that he just saw my back, therefore only the motion of my hands and not what they were doing exactly, didn’t really improve things. I turned my head and my eyes caught his. We both were startled; he looked at me quite shocked. Before I could say anything or fully turn around, he closed the door, and I locked it behind me.

Leaving the bathroom, I passed by him – and he tried to avoid eye contact awkwardly. The same happened as I waited near the conveyor belt at the airport to pick up my luggage and he stood on the other side, doing his best to avoid any glances… I really wanted to set things straight, but was too shy at that time to tell him; and I felt it might make things even more awkward… Another episode of a real life slapstick moment that I will probably use one day as the basis for a funny scene in a film.