(Photo: Soul Brother/Film Magic)

In a good commentary on the symmetry of all kinds of critics, Steven Soderbergh hired film critic Glenn Kenny to play the owner of a website that rates escorts for The Girlfriend Experience (starring Sasha Grey, left). The character’s inspired by David Elms, who was described in the Times last year as the “most influential man in prostitution.” Kenny plays him as a pompous slob, but Elms is so much more: According to a police report, he was arrested in February after he tried to pay undercover cops $3,000 to break the legs of one of his competitors (and possibly kill another) in front of a TCBY in Phoenix. He was also allegedly looking for crack. Elms was released on $150,000 bail, then disappeared. Kenny isn’t worried about Elms going after him over his depiction. “I’m sure he’s got other concerns.”

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Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Vanessa Grigoriadis
• Table of Contents: May 25, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!