SHORT TAKES : Mayor a ‘Pro’ in Acting Debut

Mayor Art Agnos got rave reviews for his performance after the Oct. 17 earthquake, but it will be months before critics can review his big screen debut.

Agnos played himself Thursday in a scene that required that he arrive outside Mission Dolores to join a crowd mourning the death of a character in the film “Class Action.”

Agnos certainly sounded like an actor when he said, “I’m a little dissatisfied. My part’s not big enough. I’m not talking, just walking.”

The movie features Gene Hackman as a long-time civil rights attorney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as his daughter, a lawyer with a conservative corporate law firm.

Agnos hailed the project as an example of the city’s “rejuvenated post-quake economy.” An aide said the three months of filming should bring at least $3 million into the city.

The mayor’s scene required eight takes. After the first take, director Michael Apted scolded local reporters and photographers, who were also playing themselves: “I’ve never seen you so polite.”