Other "Seagal brings Hollywood to Thailand "!!

BANGKOK POST - 30 April 2003

Seagal brings Hollywood to Thailand

Martial arts star wrote his latest movie with a Thai backdrop in mind and persuaded reluctant producers to film here

Story by PENCHAN PHOBORISUT, Picture by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK

300403_out01.jpg


Steven Seagal can often be spotted in Thailand. The Hollywood action star is Buddhist. He loves the country's spectacular scenery so much that he plans to buy a house up in the mountains in northern Thailand. Seagal even persuaded Hollywood producers to film his upcoming movie, Belly of the Beasts, in Thailand, and wrote the movie himself with Thailand in mind.

The movie is currently filming here with Hong Kong director Tony Ching. The team has been here for four months and will wrap up its location shooting on May 5.

This interview with Seagal took place on the set in Bangkok where the crew was diligently shooting an action scene. Soldiers clad in green uniforms armed with rifles and guns hid behind jeeps stationed in front of a two-storey wooden mansion. The actors waited for a signal to fire at their opponents. Then, a piercing round of gunfire billowed smoke and startled the press crowd who had gathered to watch.

In the sweltering night with the added heat of the bright spotlights, we waited patiently for two hours, accompanied by mosquitoes, for the scene to finish.

Then out came Seagal wearing a ponytail, greeting us with a Thai wai.

``This has been a great experience for me,'' said Seagal. ``I've wanted to shoot a movie in Thailand for 15 to 20 years. This is my first chance to do it.''

Seagal needed to find a way to come up with the $20 to $30 million it takes to shoot a production in this country. ``I could never get the studio to come to Thailand up until now,'' confessed Seagal, who became famous for his impressive martial arts skills in films such as Under Siege, Marked for Death and Executive Decision.

Seagal put up a million dollars for the movie so that production could take place in Thailand.

``The money was spent on insurance. The movie, The Beach, had an astronomically terrible experience [filming] in this country,'' Seagal explained. ``Many people said they would never shoot a movie in Bangkok or Thailand again. [They said] no one would ever want to make a movie here.

``But I would attribute the failures of The Beach not to Thailand but to poor planning on the American side. You have to hire the right people and do the right thing. Even if you don't hire the right people, you have to be professional enough to get through it,'' Seagal said.

Seagal admitted that his current production has also encountered some difficulties while shooting but said he has received help from many people, including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Set against a backdrop of Thailand, Seagal portrays a former CIA agent who searches for his kidnapped daughter.

````[The movie] is about treachery and about how money corrupts,'' he said. Seagal said he felt ``proud'' and ``honoured'' to be able to include in the movie references to Buddhism and great Buddhist monks. In the film, his character's brother is a Buddhist monk.

Seagal said that filming in the highly humid, 36-degree Celsius heat of the night has been a daunting task. ``Unfortunately, I didn't get the people who were working with me to move in a timely fashion. We were [supposed] to start in December when it would have been nicer weather.

``The heat now has been very hard for the fighting scenes. Doing a lot of fighting in this kind of heat is devastating. It's rough.''

Seagal does his own stunts. He said that the most difficult stunt he's ever done in his life was ``when I was dropped from 18 feet [5.5 metres] and broke my leg.'' He also cites jumping off a moving train and through a glass window as among the most difficult stunts he's done.

Seagal said that it was a great experience working with three local actors _ Sarah Malakul, Pongpat Wachirabanjong and Chakrit Yamnam.

``Until now, I haven't had a chance to work with Thai actors and actresses. The people I am working with are wonderful ... Sarah is right for the [role]. She could be my daughter in real life because we both look Oriental. Chakrit is a very deep, powerful, humble, sensitive actor. Pongpat is so humble and talented. I love him. He's just a great human being.''

Seagal said he wished he could have hired more Thai actors.

``I was going to put Add Carabao in this movie ... But Add was busy on tour. I couldn't get him.''

Seagal recently played guitar with the well-known Thai band, Carabao, at the Tawandaeng Brewery in Bangkok.

``I've been playing music since I was about five years old. It's my first love. I have played with many great legends. I was born and raised in the blues,'' Seagal said.

The actor has a blues and reggae album produced by Rick Wick that will be released in several months.

``[Rick Wick], in my opinion, is the greatest producer alive. He's won 30 Grammys. He's worked with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez,'' Seagal said.

Will we hear any of Seagal's songs in his movie?

``Actually, I've had offers to put my songs in most of my movies,'' he replied. ``But I have refused because I don't want people to think I use the movies to promote my music career.''

Belly of the Beast will be released in the United States at Christmas and is scheduled to be screened in Thailand in early 2004.
*******************************

"Then out came Seagal wearing a ponytail, greeting us with a Thai wai. "

Good News !! :)

in oneness
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
He is not in Bejing right now is he? Hopefully not with the Sars stuff going on...Thanks for the post, John...
 

J.Lucas

Active Member
Originally posted by Lotussan
He is not in Bejing right now is he? Hopefully not with the Sars stuff going on...Thanks for the post, John...

Beats me.........I just saw it when I was reading about the PS2 game...the date was from last week so I figured it may be somewhat current......but according to that brief article.....GK isn't even going to start filming until Spring 2004????

Many articles or interviews are weeks .....even months old sometimes before they get 'printed up'....
John
 

kickingbird

candle lighter
Great news ... except the SARS aspect ... guess it wouldn't be appropriate to say "break a leg" on his new production :D lol
 

TDWoj

Administrator
Staff member
If Steven was in Beijing in March (as indicated by at least one photo in the photo gallery), then he was there at the beginning of the outbreak. If he's back in the States now, I'm surprised they let him in without quarantining him.

(Toronto just got a clean bill of health today from the WHO, thanks for nothing. The damage to the economy of my city, not to mention the whole country, will be felt for a long time. We've lost a lot of the films that were supposed to have been shot here due to the bad publicity and idiot news media blowing everything out of proportion.)

:mad:
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
hmmmm, well good to know it's not as bad as they say...Glad you and Steven have managed to stay away from it...:) I know the media is really sick that way, you are so right...Do they film a whole lot there in canada? Exit Wounds is still my fav.....:) Hope you are enjoying these boards, it's my second home, LOL...
 

suziwong

Administrator
Staff member
He is in Bangkok-Thailand now !! and he is staying Bangkok Shareton Hotel !!

in oneness
 

TDWoj

Administrator
Staff member
Originally posted by Lotussan
hmmmm, well good to know it's not as bad as they say...Glad you and Steven have managed to stay away from it...:) I know the media is really sick that way, you are so right...Do they film a whole lot there in canada? Exit Wounds is still my fav.....:) Hope you are enjoying these boards, it's my second home, LOL...

Toronto has - or rather, had, until this silly SARS business - quite a booming film industry. It's cheaper to film here (though with our dollar making gains against the US dollar, this could pose a problem). A lot of Hollywood productions film here - Toronto is becoming a "recognizable" place (well, they will insist on shooting in front of unique buildings, like Roy Thomson Hall, which is the upside-down pie shaped glass building in the opening scene of Exit Wounds).

But now that this SARS scare has got everyone skittish - the media, especially the American media, played it as if everyone in the whole city were cowering indoors, or only venturing forth in masks, when in fact the outbreak was contained in small part of the city miles away from any film shoot - a lot of our productions have gone down the road to Montreal. I don't know how that's going to affect the Toronto Film Festival, held in September. Probably adversely. The media, now that the SARS business is no longer news, is now hyping West Nile Virus as the next Big Bad. (I think - I'm not sure, I'll have to get it checked out - but I'm pretty certain that mystery illness I had last summer was West Nile.)

And yes, I'm enjoying these boards, very much indeed! A nice place to hang out with like-minded people. My friends in the "real world" think I'm nuts for being nuts about Steven Seagal!
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
Well, I don't tell the real people in my life about it at all, because I know they would think I was really nuts too...I think my folks think I am a bit too, but not really....:D I guess I might meet him someday, no use in making a big to do about it, eh? ;) Toronto sounds neat, btw...
 

tora

Funmaker
Originally posted by suziwong
He is in Bangkok-Thailand now !! and he is staying Bangkok Shareton Hotel !!

in oneness

Suzi,where do you get such an information?Any straight source?Maybe you have his phone number as well?
 

tora

Funmaker
TDWoj,you know,people around me also think I'm nuts for being nuts about Seagal...Even my brother thinks this way.
 

TDWoj

Administrator
Staff member
We must feel generous towards such people, tora. After all, they don't know what they're missing, do they?

:)
 

seagaljr

Member
wouw

suziwong said:
BANGKOK POST - 30 April 2003

Seagal brings Hollywood to Thailand

Martial arts star wrote his latest movie with a Thai backdrop in mind and persuaded reluctant producers to film here

Story by PENCHAN PHOBORISUT, Picture by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK

300403_out01.jpg


Steven Seagal can often be spotted in Thailand. The Hollywood action star is Buddhist. He loves the country's spectacular scenery so much that he plans to buy a house up in the mountains in northern Thailand. Seagal even persuaded Hollywood producers to film his upcoming movie, Belly of the Beasts, in Thailand, and wrote the movie himself with Thailand in mind.

The movie is currently filming here with Hong Kong director Tony Ching. The team has been here for four months and will wrap up its location shooting on May 5.

This interview with Seagal took place on the set in Bangkok where the crew was diligently shooting an action scene. Soldiers clad in green uniforms armed with rifles and guns hid behind jeeps stationed in front of a two-storey wooden mansion. The actors waited for a signal to fire at their opponents. Then, a piercing round of gunfire billowed smoke and startled the press crowd who had gathered to watch.

In the sweltering night with the added heat of the bright spotlights, we waited patiently for two hours, accompanied by mosquitoes, for the scene to finish.

Then out came Seagal wearing a ponytail, greeting us with a Thai wai.

``This has been a great experience for me,'' said Seagal. ``I've wanted to shoot a movie in Thailand for 15 to 20 years. This is my first chance to do it.''

Seagal needed to find a way to come up with the $20 to $30 million it takes to shoot a production in this country. ``I could never get the studio to come to Thailand up until now,'' confessed Seagal, who became famous for his impressive martial arts skills in films such as Under Siege, Marked for Death and Executive Decision.

Seagal put up a million dollars for the movie so that production could take place in Thailand.

``The money was spent on insurance. The movie, The Beach, had an astronomically terrible experience [filming] in this country,'' Seagal explained. ``Many people said they would never shoot a movie in Bangkok or Thailand again. [They said] no one would ever want to make a movie here.

``But I would attribute the failures of The Beach not to Thailand but to poor planning on the American side. You have to hire the right people and do the right thing. Even if you don't hire the right people, you have to be professional enough to get through it,'' Seagal said.

Seagal admitted that his current production has also encountered some difficulties while shooting but said he has received help from many people, including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Set against a backdrop of Thailand, Seagal portrays a former CIA agent who searches for his kidnapped daughter.

````[The movie] is about treachery and about how money corrupts,'' he said. Seagal said he felt ``proud'' and ``honoured'' to be able to include in the movie references to Buddhism and great Buddhist monks. In the film, his character's brother is a Buddhist monk.

Seagal said that filming in the highly humid, 36-degree Celsius heat of the night has been a daunting task. ``Unfortunately, I didn't get the people who were working with me to move in a timely fashion. We were [supposed] to start in December when it would have been nicer weather.

``The heat now has been very hard for the fighting scenes. Doing a lot of fighting in this kind of heat is devastating. It's rough.''

Seagal does his own stunts. He said that the most difficult stunt he's ever done in his life was ``when I was dropped from 18 feet [5.5 metres] and broke my leg.'' He also cites jumping off a moving train and through a glass window as among the most difficult stunts he's done.

Seagal said that it was a great experience working with three local actors _ Sarah Malakul, Pongpat Wachirabanjong and Chakrit Yamnam.

``Until now, I haven't had a chance to work with Thai actors and actresses. The people I am working with are wonderful ... Sarah is right for the [role]. She could be my daughter in real life because we both look Oriental. Chakrit is a very deep, powerful, humble, sensitive actor. Pongpat is so humble and talented. I love him. He's just a great human being.''

Seagal said he wished he could have hired more Thai actors.

``I was going to put Add Carabao in this movie ... But Add was busy on tour. I couldn't get him.''

Seagal recently played guitar with the well-known Thai band, Carabao, at the Tawandaeng Brewery in Bangkok.

``I've been playing music since I was about five years old. It's my first love. I have played with many great legends. I was born and raised in the blues,'' Seagal said.

The actor has a blues and reggae album produced by Rick Wick that will be released in several months.

``[Rick Wick], in my opinion, is the greatest producer alive. He's won 30 Grammys. He's worked with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez,'' Seagal said.

Will we hear any of Seagal's songs in his movie?

``Actually, I've had offers to put my songs in most of my movies,'' he replied. ``But I have refused because I don't want people to think I use the movies to promote my music career.''

Belly of the Beast will be released in the United States at Christmas and is scheduled to be screened in Thailand in early 2004.
*******************************

"Then out came Seagal wearing a ponytail, greeting us with a Thai wai. "

Good News !! :)

in oneness

it wil be good i think very good
 

Lotussan

I Belong To Steven
seagaljr,
Thanks you for this fabulous information about our wonderful Steven! I anticipating this movie very much! I hope your surgery went well, and that you have fully recovered...:)
 

seagaljr

Member
hi

Lotussan said:
seagaljr,
Thanks you for this fabulous information about our wonderful Steven! I anticipating this movie very much! I hope your surgery went well, and that you have fully recovered...:)
hi thanks all for the suport but i have still i long road to go but i go to study also boedhism here in belgium i folow my my idol steven here i come ;)
 

seagaljr

Member
its not surgery

Storm said:
What was your surgery for Seagaljnr? If you don't want to say that's ok. :)
i'm iel because i'm afraid and iell because of the nurve's and sometimes i'm tribling of that :confused :(
 
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