I had to grin and bear it
I interviewed a bear. No real grizzly or Gobi. A human inside Stupid Brain Costume Shop’s fuzzy offwhite suit. This polar species is in “Brigsby Bear” with real-life star Claire Danes.
Claire: “My part in the movie’s to encourage an innocent young man with imagination to acceptcept real-reality. He’s created hishis own world. An imaginary role for himself with an attachment to this make-ke-believe bear. I have noo scenes with it, so you might say I’m anti-bear. I play the man’s therapist.””
What’s someonene in pink stilettos and backless armless Prada know about playing a therapist?st?
“Oh, please. You kidding? Of course I know about therapy. I’m a New Yorker. Everybody’s in therapy.y. My best friends. My childhood chum’s a therapist. At birth, as I left the hospital I went into therapy.
“I’ve been working steadily so now it’s time to be just a wife, a mom and an average person at home. Nice for awhile to even not be catered to excessively. My 4 ¹/2-yearold’s grown up on sets. He’s even been on this set with me.”
Back to the bear and his (her?) handler: “Max time inside the suit’s two hours. Plus handling liquids before and after since you can’t pee or drink while in it. You can’t even release your arms for a snack. You can’t get that suit wet or dirty. Lunch needs the suit’s full removal.
“On set, the bear guy was one same professional stuntman throughout. You can’t pinhole the costume’s eyes for vision because cameras and lights would pick that up. So inside he can’t see. Can’t hear. Handlers were with him at all times.
“The outfit’s animatronic. Face movements, mesh mouth, eyebrows, lids react. Controlled animatronically. A Bluetooth headset and microphone’s inside, so the outside person talks to the bear person, who reacts in an exact replica of the action required.”
Some reporters get oneon-ones with gorgeous George Clooney or handsome Jon Hamm. My luck — I interview a friggin’ Kodiak inside a