so here’s a little never before seen footage from the set of The Expendables shot in Brazil. I’m headed to NoLa early next week and will be bloggin and tweeting up a storm. I also got a sneak peak at the teaser posters for the Cannes Film Festival which I hope I will be posting in a few weeks. Some behind the scenes photos will also be posted. footage shot by John & Pedro
ENJOY!
we wrapped the brazilian portion of our program at 5:30am at Parque Lage. David Zayas, Giselle Itie, Eric Roberts and Steve Austin worked in what I can only describe as a tense scene in Garza’s palace. The place is beautiful in itself but the way it was lit - thanks to the lighting God that is Jeffrey Kimball (not ass kissing) – and with the Cristo lit in the BG (ok I know I am obsessed with the Cristo as well but it is just so iconic that every time I see it I am in awe) created a really cool kind of foreboding look. In one scene where General Garza is painting a self portrait, Sly took one of the canvases and began painting. he reminds me of Ruscha and the way he works. The crew was in a great mood even though night shoots can be brutal. we all took photos of each other - some of which I will post in a few days so you can get a glimpse of who is making this film. I want to give a shout out to all the crazy fans who vigilantly stood outside the Sofitel Hotel every night waiting to see Sly, especially the SLY SQUAD, a group of Brazilian fans who traveled from as far away as Amazonia. Also to everyone at the Sofitel…Barabra Maia, Ana Carolina, Jean-Phillipe and of course the best concierge in the world, Lionel. Sly’s bodyguards, Flau, who is a member of the “Elite Squad” (look those guys up if you want to read about badasses) and Ruan…great guys who heped me a lot when things went wacky. And I met the director of “City of God” a bold film about life in the favellas…all good for me. I will be posting the teeny tiny clip Sly put together next week. More photos will be released in a few weeks – our unit photog, photojournalist Karen Ballard, has done some gorgeous work (not ass kissing).
and yes I am a publicist and they pay me to publicize the film but anyone who knows me knows ass kissing is not my thing…I really don’t have anything bad to say about this film – I may in the future but you’re right…I’m a fan…I’m excited. Sorry if that annoys someone. I worked on “Ready to Rumble” and I maintain it is one of the worst films ever made. I also worked on “The Love Guru” which apparently you thought was one of the worst films ever made. The script was laugh out loud funny and I wanted to work with the genius that is Mike Myers. But the movie wasn’t good…like really not good. But my experience was. And I got to take a photo with Verne Troyer…on center ice where the Toronto Maple Leafs play. I won’t even get into “The Sixth Day” because I love Arnold and watched him try to make it work…unfortunately Roger Spottiswoode didn’t get the memo.
Ok that’s it…time to head to the airport. thanks for your feedback…good & bad…I head to Nola in about 10 days. That is going to be really fun!
Tchau Rio. Obrigado
action flicks and the badasses (male & female) who make them. Arnold and Sly set the bar, rebuked stereotyping and gave us all some of the most memorable moments on film. So when I have the privilege of standing in the middle of what is The Expendables set, in Rio de Janeiro, I have to pose the question…how lucky am I!!!! Watching Sly act and direct and being on the set with Randy Couture (not to mention the afore swooned over Jet Li, the totally manned up Statham, the gloriously beautiful Terry Crews and of course “the Man” himself, Sylvester Stallone) I am grateful for a fortunate life. there’s no disputing Randy Courture is a tough guy but yesterday when I sat down with him at lunch – well actually dinner since it was 11:30pm – I got a glimpse of who he is…a determined focused down to earth athlete who enjoys what he does and who he is. All the fems on the show are now formally in love with him. Then there’s Terry Crews…magnificent man clad in a magnificent body. I worked with Terry on his first film – “The Sixth Day” with Arnold and although he wasn’t convinced I knew he would one day be living the dream. He is a sweet caring man who is grateful for his good fortune. Both Randy & Terry are really gracious towards the fans. so ya gotta love that. Tonight is our last night of shooting main unit here in Brazil – second unit will continue for a few days in Mangartiba. I have mixed feelings about leaving Rio…this hasn’t been an easy 3 weeks of shooting (I’ve been here a month) and aside from the normal problems of working in a foreign country I have really enjoyed the experience. I’ve learned a lot about the Brazilian culture, made a few mistakes (I inadvertently made a tourism person cry) and had a few laughs. But most of all I’ve made a few friends who I cherish and am grateful to for helping me through this adventure. As I said…how lucky am I. More later. Ciao tscau for now.
picture this…Sly, Jason, Jet, Terry Crews and Randy Couture blending into the night swathed in black swat garb and locked and loaded. It was truly a sight to behold. The rain Gods showed us some mercy tonight giving us all what we’ve been waiting for…some action!!!!!!! In between it all Sly, Jason, Jet and Terry taped a promo for Jet’s foundation to help those who suffered losses in the devastating earthquake in China last year. Pretty cool to see these manly men walking towards camera saying “one family – walk together.” More about the foundation in a later post.
tonight is the first time we have Sly, jason, Jet, and Terry Crews on set together…you can bet your arse I’ll have more to say abut that later…so here’s a look at the tattoo…it’s not exactly how it looks on the arm but very very close…Sly’s design
siting here in the parking lot across from the beautiful Pargue Loge, an iconic spot in Rio that we are using as General Garza’s palace. Nestled just above the structure is the beautiful statue of Jesus. It’s a clear cool night and I am a happy camper. So for those of you who asked me to stop complaining about the weather…your wish is my commmand.
Sly is directing tonight – he’s not in any of the scenes. the actors all seem pleasantly surprised that he is an actor’s director. I think you will see some damn good performances. Sly is also a visionary – he knows exactly what this movie is and exactly how it should look and is confident enough to make some pretty daring choices.
i asked the art director about the seaplane and he told me it is an Albatross, built in the ’50′s. There were approximately 500 built by Gruman in the US and somewhere between 5 and 30 still fly. Originally used for search and rescue . the one we use in a way too cool scene was piloted by stunt pilot/professional Lynne Hunt. I love the fact the fuel tanks can be jettisoned in case of emergency.
Someone asked how much Sly weighs now – he lost 32 pounds since Rambo and currently weighs in at 180.
Danny Trejo us not in the film. Sly met with him and wanted him but when he rewrote the script he needed a different look.
ok I’m not a big star gazer but i am soooo excited about Jet Li. He starts work on Monday…should be lots to write about when the 3 of them are together.
they jsut called lunch (it’s 11pm) so I’m off to the food room.
here’s a shot from the set in COlonia…my talent as a photographer is a little lacking but you get the point
Ciao or Tchau for now
it’s 2:22am and I’m a little fried. we work tomrrow as well…six day weeks are rough
ok so this is the last time I am going to mention this cause it’s totally bogus…SLY DID NOT BREAK HIS ARM!!!!!!!!!!!!
we worked a split today – started around noon and wrapped around 12:30am in Colonia. I have to say I fell in love with the people there and tonight some of them became extras in a scene with Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, Gary Daniels, David Zayas (shout out to David’s son who reads my tweets) and the Nogueira twins among others. Many of the locals turned out to watch and because there was gunfire we provided earplugs to anyone who needed them. One guy, on the advice of our assistant prop master Audrey, put them in his dog’s ears perhaps forgetting dogs have hypersensitive hearing and it would take more than earplugs to block out the sound. At any rate the guns went off and the dog went running with earplugs a flying. Sweeeet!
To clarify, Dolph works in Nola only but definitely has some very cool scenes with Sly, Jason, Jet, Terry & Mickey
Tomorrow starts a week of night shoots at Parque Lage…more tomorrow. I need to chill & get some sleep.
Ciao for now
I’m lovin you guys…thanks for following us…I’m gonna try to answer a few questions:
sly did not break his arm. Dolph only works in Nola with Mickey Rourke ( I worked with Mick on “The Pope of Greenwich Village in 1983) Brittany Murphy and Charisma Carpenter. Terry Crews arrived today, Randy Couture tomorrow and Jet Li on Sunday. Lee Christmas (Jason) speaks with a British accent. can’t answer the rating question but I’m also interesed to know so stay tuned. haven’t posted the footage yet as there was a glitch. internet is slow cuz I’m using dial-up most of the time which takes forever, but it’s coming – I have it…we leave Brazil on April 25th and take a 2 week hiatus before resuming in New Orleans on May 11. Rogerio Nogueira plays a “red beret”
more later…
after the wild day on Tuesday with Sly’s stunt and Jason Statham showing just how badass he is with a knife, I was kinda hoping for an easier day today. Unfortunately that was not going to happen. We shot on the streets of Rio in what I know only as Boxing Square which I think is near downtown Rio. Eric Roberts and Steve Austin rolled through the fictitious village of Vilena with a military escort. The militia then proceeded to terrorize the locals before driving off. We also shot the scene where Barney and Lee Christmas first meet Sandra, played by Giselle Itie, in a little cantina. We had a lot of lookie loos today which was to be expected but I didn’t see any p’razzi…but I’m sure they were there. We also had the not as funny as they think they are guys from the TV show Panico following us around trying to get close to Sly so they could challenge him to arm wrestle…sheesh what a waste of braincells. At any rate we had 7 scenes to shoot at 4 different locations within the couple of blocks that make up the square. A very ambitious day but with the sunny skies and bearable heat and humidity life was good. Until the thunderstorm hit, delaying the shoot and sending us to lunch early. visitors to the set today included director Fernando Meirelles (City of God, Constant Gardner) and ultimate fighter Vitor Belfort. We wrapped around 9pm and I fell asleep writing this update…we have a late call today – back out to Colonia. Next week, our last week in Rio – we shoot nights…the big battle. one little observation – I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised to see a whole different side of Statham in this movie. Yes of course he is badass, but he and Sly have a real chemistry and the repartee between them reveals character and humor…it is fascinating to watch them together…
on a personal note, I read your comments on this blog and elsewhere and I appreciate the feedback – Sly also reads them…but to be clear, these are my observations unless otherwise posted. I try to write with a little humor and a lot of truth (even though I am a publicist) and for those who write nasty little emails calling me a racist and a hater of Brazil and Brazilians I suggest you re-read what you wrote to me…that’s where you will find the hate, not here.
so today I heard Sly say, in an understated way, he was about to do the stunt of his life. Hmmm…sounded pretty cool. I’ve seen some pretty big action dudes do some pretty tricky stunts (no disrespect to the incredible guys who risk life and limb by doing dangerous stunts for a living) so it takes a lot to impress me. well today you can color me impressed…a lot…for real…by Sly. The freakin guy is fearless and pretty much ageless. No matter how I describe what I watched him do – 6 times – it won’t even be close to conveying what it was – a classic old school mano a mano takedown. Keep in mind there were no mats on the ground and Sly was basically bareback – no pads except for on his knees – as he dove, rolled, flipped, growled and punched his way through the scene ending with him breaking a neck. Oh and did I mention the sweltering heat and the hard dusty ground he kept slamming his body into? Sly was bleeding and bruised but after watching the last take he turned around and said “that’s how you teach the children.” Then he set up the next shot while the medics tried to stop the bleeding and clean the dirt and stones out of his arm. I LOVE ACTION MOVIES!!!!
. 
