He was like, 'Absolutely, The Starboard!'" "And then was like, 'There was a really cool bar that I used to hang out at,' and when he was done describing it, I said it was The Starboard. He was talking about the Bottle & Cork," he says. "He said he used to play in Delaware and started describing where he was and I just laughed. Chen says McGrath, who performed with Sugar Ray at the Bottle & Cork in 2009, shared some of his Delaware memories with him when Chen mentioned that he lives in The First State. He had seen the original when it came out last summer and became a surprise cult hit, just like the equally ridiculous 2006 feature film "Snakes on a Plane." As a kid who grew up watching "Creature Features" on television - classic and cult horror and science-fiction films - the opportunity to be in this modern day guilty pleasure was right up his ally.ĭuring the down time on set, he chatted with the film's stars like Ian Ziering ("Beverly Hills 90210") and Mark McGrath, frontman of the rock band Sugar Ray and former "Extra" host. "Everyone went nuts when I got killed."Ĭhen knew what he was getting into when he took the "Sharknado 2" gig. I'm a laid back guy, but it was crazy," he says. The theater was decorated with 5-foot inflatable sharks on the wall, "Sharknado" T-shirts and hats were worn and Jeni Dykes Barton, marketing and special projects coordinator for Wilmington's Office of Cultural Affairs, even threw balloon sharks into the crowd and down the aisles at times.Įven though the Delaware-born actor only had two lines - "Can I help you? No one else is here." - it was enough to spark wild cheers. Chen, owner of Stanton-based RE/MAX Sunvest Realty and the Berri Yummi Frozen Yogurt shops in Brandywine Hundred and Pike Creek, hosted a fun-filled party Wednesday at Wilmington's Theatre N for nearly 250 family and friends to watch the live premiere of the Syfy channel movie.