Strange things are happening
ATTENTION AROUND THE REVENANT HAS GONE BEYOND OSCAR BUZZ
With award season upon us, it’ s not unusual for producers and studios of Oscarbait films to be studiously building buzz for their lastseason prestigious pictures.
The Revenant is no exception. Given the involvement of director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, fresh from his Academy-Award triumphs for Birdman, and always- a- bridesmaid Oscar hopeful Leonardo DiCaprio, this Alberta- shot epic would be receiving plenty of attention no matter what.
But it’s also benefiting, if that’s the word, from a number of news and/or gossip items that has kept it in the headlines, often for very strange reasons.
Here are the top 5 stories that have kept The Revenant top of mind.
SHOOTING WAS A “LIVING HELL.”
The less-than-pleasant atmosphere on the set of the Revenant was the worst-kept secret in the Alberta film industry. But it was all confirmed when a bunch of local workers complained, anonymously of course, to the Hollywood Reporter about conditions. In a somewhat bizarre spectacle, they were headed off at the pass by Inarritu himself, who granted an early interview to quell these complaints. He compared the highly skilled Alberta film workers who were either fired or walked off set to out-of-tune violins in an orchestra, which did little to mend hurt feelings. Damian Petti, president of film- workers union IATSE 212, confirmed that there were safety concerns and high turnover on the troubled set.
TOM HARDY ‘ WRESTLED’ WITH IN
ARRITU ON SET
It was another badly kept Revenant secret. Apparently, tensions boiled to a point where things got physical between British actor Tom Hardy and Inarritu. No one would confirm this on the record … that is until Hardy confirmed it himself in an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this year. Hardy characterized the dust- up as a lighthearted wrestling bout, or a “cuddle”. “It ends with both of us falling down in the snow,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing. If I’m the naughty boy for doing that, then I’d rather be the naughty boy and release the tension.”
LEO SLEPT IN ANIMAL CARCASSES
It’s long been a tradition for actors to talk about the “gruelling” conditions they endure while earning millions. But Mr. DiCaprio got specific, and gruesome, with details about his Alberta shoot. That included sleepi ng in animal carcasses and eating raw bison liver for some reason. He also claimed to have “endured freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly.”
❚ Leo was not, however, raped by a bear
If the above points weren’t strange enough, both Fox Studios and Inarritu had to make a point to officially denounce Internet rumours that Leonardo DiCaprio was raped by a bear in a particularly in- tense scene. Apparently, there are things Mr. DiCaprio will not do for an Oscar.
CLIMATE CHANGE VERSUS CHINOOK
After his well- publicized comments about Alberta’s oilsands, green- leaning DiCaprio should have learned by now that local folk don’t take kindly to them Hollywood types — with their gas- guzzling private jets, hippie beards and science — talking trash about our precious, precious oil. But that was nothing compared to the widespread chortling he caused in Alberta recently when he seemed to sound the alarm on climate change by pointing out how a lack of snow in Alberta last winter complicated filming. Was it climate change? Goodness no, dear Leo. Those warm winds, while perhaps curiously plentiful last winter, were simply part of a typical and perfectly natural chinook, his critics scolded. Whatever the case, we would ask Mr. DiCaprio to keep these things to himself. After all, we are trying to attract Fargo back here for a third season, a series that faced a similar dearth of snow last year. (“Aw jeez, ANOTHER chinook?!”)