Frank O’Donnell settles into leading role as head of security for
Warner Brothers

By Elizabeth V. Harders

A lot of things can make Frank O’Donnell’s day, but meeting Clint Eastwood certainly was one of them. He wasn’t star-struck though, just impressed. After all, being star-struck might get in the way of the job. Seeing celebrities is part of everyday life for this 1970 Old Dominion graduate. In fact, as vice president for studio protection at Warner Brothers, he’s responsible for keeping them safe – he and the 400 employees who work for him.

Every actor in a Warner Brothers film or television show entrusts O’Donnell with their safety. And Warner Brothers produces some of today’s most high-profile productions, including “Friends,” “ER” and “The West Wing.” Recent motion pictures have included “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “Harry Potter,” “The Matrix” and “Blood Work” (that’s Eastwood’s most recent one). With these high-profile productions come high-profile stars and the fans that go with them.

While most fans are simply supportive of an actor, some can cross the line and become dangerous. In educating the “talent,” as the on-air and on-screen performers are called, about what to look out for, O’Donnell reminds them of the story of Rebecca Schaeffer, who starred opposite Pam Dawber in the Warner Brothers television show “My Sister Sam” in the 1980s.

Schaeffer received a routine request for an autographed photo from a fan named Robert Bardo. However, he took the “Love, Rebecca Schaeffer” signature literally and became fixated on the young actress. Bardo frequently visited the Warner Brothers studio and was turned away multiple times from the lot on which the show was filmed. He then hired a private investigator to find out where she lived. Bardo stalked and eventually killed her.

While it happened at Schaeffer’s own home long before O’Donnell began working for Warner Brothers, the lesson lives on, and the tragedy forever changed security within the entertainment industry.

“We spend millions to make sure everyone is safe and secure,” explained O’Donnell. “We tell them that when you get requests for photos and autographs, never, ever, ever, put ‘Love, Jennifer Aniston.’”

With the advent of “reality TV,” many “regular” people are becoming celebrities as well, and O’Donnell’s investigators educate them on what they might encounter. For example, a handful of finalists on “The Bachelor” received phone calls from people who wanted to meet them. Thanks to the security team, they were prepared to handle such calls.
Another incident also forever changed the scope of O’Donnell’s job–Sept. 11, 2001. “On Sept. 20, the chair of the Motion Picture Association, Jack Valenti, received a call from Attorney General John Ashcroft,” O’Donnell said. “They had intelligence that a studio in Southern California was a target.”

With 25 years’ experience in the U.S. Secret Service, during which time he protected presidents and worked major events, O’Donnell is not easily rattled. Neither is his crew. However, Sept. 11 certainly was a test for all involved in the industry. In fact, following Ashcroft’s call, the heads of the seven major studios and their security teams met to discuss an industry-wide strategy.

“Since 9/11, everything has just increased dramatically. That ratcheted everything up,” O’Donnell explained matter-of-factly. “There was a heightened sense of alert and it made for a lot of nervous moments. The employees here were genuinely concerned.”

Fortunately, the threat never came to fruition, but the studios remain prepared for the “what-ifs.” While visitors are still allowed to tour the studio, there are more safety measures in place to make sure no one goes anywhere they shouldn’t be. Every employee, whether a janitor, lighting technician, director or big-name star, wears an ID badge while at the studio.

“Everyone – Martin Sheen and Jennifer Aniston and the whole crews – get in line to get their ID,” O’Donnell says.

When shows are in production there typically are upwards of 15,000 people at the studio on those days, and all 30 sound stages are full. With four gates for people to enter and exit through, his staff is alert and on the job round the clock.

With all the star power around him, it might be easy to be distracted by the celebrity of it all, but for O’Donnell that’s not been a problem. He got over that long ago when working at the White House. (He was a member of President Reagan’s detail at the time of the assassination attempt and was two blocks away doing advance work at a site the president was to visit the following day. He ended up keeping watch at the hospital as the president recovered.)

At the time of his retirement from the Secret Service, O’Donnell was the head of the Los Angeles field office. He visited studios countless times with presidents and other government officials. During his tenure there he also was called upon numerous times by writers, producers and actors for assistance with background information. He was an adviser to the team that produced “The West Wing” and, since being hired by Warner Brothers less than two years ago, he has continued to assist productions as a consultant. Most recently he worked with actor Mark Harmon, helping him prepare for his role as a Secret Service agent on “The West Wing.”

It was Eastwood’s role as a Secret Service agent in “In the Line of Fire” in the 1990s that made him the exception to O’Donnell’s nonchalance regarding celebrities. However, O’Donnell didn’t ask the Oscar winner for an autograph or a photo for his wall. Instead, he asked for some autographed posters of “Blood Work” to give to some FBI agent friends of his (Eastwood plays an agent in the film.). He also asked the legendary actor to attend a special screening of the film for area police, fire and intelligence agents. Needless to say, O’Donnell got a “yes.”

His is not an easy line of work, being on alert constantly, but O’Donnell finds the challenges rewarding. He also recognizes that people are fascinated by Hollywood. “If someone says, ‘Hey, there’s Brad Pitt!’ you stop and look,” he said, noting that he’s found most actors to be pleasant and unassuming. “But you don’t get personable with any of these people. It’s strictly business.”