Actor Jeff Ryan Begs Wes Anderson and Steve Carell for Pictures to Impress High School Ex's

LOS ANGELES, CA — In an alleged attempt to "win the break-up" years too late, underground filmmaker and self-identified multi-hyphenate Jeff Ryan was seen circulating images of himself with acclaimed director Wes Anderson and beloved actor Steve Carell at a private industry-adjacent rave in East LA.

According to attendees, Ryan — who has written, directed, starred in, edited, and, reportedly, sang the credits theme for his upcoming film Mooch — was “hovering by the DJ booth with a Walgreens envelope,” casually sliding out 4x6 prints of himself alongside the two Hollywood icons.

“It was like watching someone audition for friendship,” said one source, who asked to remain anonymous but wore fingerless gloves. “He was saying things like, ‘Steve and I had a real moment,’ and, ‘Wes told me I give off Grand Budapest energy.’ It was a bad look.”

Anderson and Carell have not commented on the incident. Publicists for both declined requests for clarification and responded with a simple, “Who?”

Witnesses described the vibe of the event as “lo-fi chaos,” and said the interaction felt less like a networking opportunity and more like someone “trying to create a scrapbook in real time.” One guest noted that Ryan was overheard asking Carell to "pose like it’s 2005," presumably referencing a time when Ryan still had a MySpace band page and a flip phone.

“He wasn’t even subtle,” another attendee said. “He tried to get someone to take a Polaroid of him ‘pretending to take a call from Greta Gerwig.’”

It remains unclear if the celebrities were even aware of who Ryan was or why he was showing them a poster for Mooch while asking if they “needed an extra for anything upcoming.”

The film community has long speculated that Ryan’s greatest skill may be unearned confidence — a theory he appears committed to proving correct. As for the high school ex? She could not be reached for comment but has since liked a post by someone named Derek with a boat.

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