CANADA: ANTHONY HOPKINS AND ALEC BALDWIN TAKE ON THEIR MOST DEADLY ON-SCREEN FOE SO FAR, A GRIZZLY BEAR NAMED BART, IN THE NEW WILDLIFE THRILLER "THE EDGE"

Record ID: 387195

  • Title: CANADA: ANTHONY HOPKINS AND ALEC BALDWIN TAKE ON THEIR MOST DEADLY ON-SCREEN FOE SO FAR, A GRIZZLY BEAR NAMED BART, IN THE NEW WILDLIFE THRILLER "THE EDGE"
  • Date: 6th September 1997
  • Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (SEPTEMBER 6) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) ANTHONY HOPKINS SAYING OF THE SHOOT, "IT WAS A TOUGH ONE. RUNNING AWAY FROM THE BEAR, CHASING THROUGH THE WOODS ALL THAT SORT OF THING, IT WAS TOUGH. THE BEAR FIGHT TOOK ABOUT A MONTH TO FILM ALTOGETHER. YOU KNOW, THE BATTLE WITH THE BEAR, THE GRIZZLY, THAT WAS ABOUT A MONTH PUTTING IT ALTOGET
  • Embargoed: 21st September 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: Canada
  • Reuters ID: LVACAZ1B6N87UEAC32WUHS3JHZOG
  • Story Text: Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin take on their most deadly on-screen foe so far -- a Grizzly bear named Bart -- in the new wildlife thriller "The Edge".

    Hopkins plays Charles Morris, a billionaire "bookworm" who accompanies his fashion model wife Mickey, played by supermodel Elle Macpherson, on her latest shoot in Alaska.

    The photographer is Bob Green, a shoot-from-the-hip style artist played by Alec Baldwin.

    Not long after their arrival, Charles starts to suspect Bob is having an affair with Mickey. He also suspects Bob might be plotting to kill him so he can run off with the beautiful younger woman.

    Before the two men have a chance to confront each other, their plane crashes in a remote mountain lake. They are forced to rely on their wits and survival instincts to make it back to their lodge, located miles away over an inhospitable mountain range.

    Their biggest obstacle in getting back is a wild bear that gets a whiff of their scent and decides they would make an excellent meal. The bear is played by veteran animal "actor" Bart, who previously had roles in such films as "The Bear," "Grizzly Adams" and Hopkins' epic western "Legends of the Fall." Despite having worked together before, Hopkins claims Bart had no memory of him from their previous experience.

    But the bear was only one of many physical challenges facing Hopkins and Baldwin, both of whom say "The Edge" was their most physically-challenging film to date.

    Even though Macpherson missed some of the more gruelling scenes, she had some physical challenges of her own. One scene called for her to pose in virtually no clothes for a fashion shoot set in the frozen outdoors. It was minus 30 degrees with a wind chill and she was wearing a loincloth and high heels.

    Director Lee Tamahori brought his cast and crew into the wilderness of Alberta, Canada for the production, capturing some of the most spectacular scenery of the Rocky Mountains along the way.

    His previous films were the critically-acclaimed "Once Were Warriors," shot in his native New Zealand, and the period crime drama "Mulholland Falls," with Nick Nolte and John Malkovich.
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