Behind The Scenes: First Look At Daniel Radcliffe Film Jungle

REMEMBER when Daniel Radcliffe was on the Gold Coast shooting survival film Jungle – and he popped into Chevron Island Tan to get his glow on?

That was over a year ago, but new behind the scenes footage shows the former Harry Potter star filming scenes in Mt Tamborine, which easily passes for the Amazon jungle where the movie is set.

It tells the true story of Byron Bay resident Yossi Ghinsberg who became trapped in the Bolivian rainforest for three weeks in 1981.

Mr Ghinsberg said he was “instantly happy” with the casting of Radcliffe.

“Daniel had a lot of passion for the story. He spent some time with me and we got to know each other before filming,” he said.

“I think he’s done an amazing job with the interpretation, it was a lot of hard work for him in terms of losing weight.

Daniel Radcliffe and Australian actor Alex Russell in Jungle, about a group of friends who trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village.

He was hungry and went through a lot of hardship … nobody thinks of him as Harry Potter anymore.

Director Greg McClean on set of the movie at Mt Tamborine. Photo courtesy of Momentum Pictures.

“We spent three weeks on set on the Gold Coast but I was a bit worried because the Amazon is very mighty but this forest (Mt Tamborine) was a bit tamer.

“The cinema is all about illusion though and it looks great on screen, you can’t tell the difference.”

Mr Ghinsberg has just arrived in LA for the film’s Hollywood premiere later this week, but Jungle first hit the screen in August at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

“I’ve seen the film a few times now (at festivals) and people seem to be on the edge of their seats,” he said.

“In the audience people are screaming and crying but for me, I don’t feel emotionally disturbed because it’s my story and my adventure I went through.

“If anything it’s a privilege to see my story on screen.”

The Israeli-born adventurer’s tale is well known: he was backpacking through the South America jungle when he was thrown from a raft and fell down a waterfall, becoming separated from his group.

Ghinsberg went on to survive near drowning, venomous snakes, hunger and even a jaguar until he was rescued three weeks later by his friend Kevin whom he had been separated from.

“Kevin had found his way back to safety and he came with some Bolivians on a boat to find me. They had given up hope, but could not find anywhere to turn the boat around. They were forced upstream to land the boat. In the whole of the Amazon, the place they landed happened to the place where I had collapsed unconscious,” he said.

“It’s a lifelong friendship for me (with Kevin) and the people in the Amazon, I actually just got back from the Jungle a few days ago.

“I now live in Byron Bay with my wife, it’s a beautiful part of the world.”

Producer Todd Fellman said Mt Tamborine was “logistically” one of the best places in the world for film crews to shoot rainforest scenes.

“When you’re shooting in there it feels like you’re deep in the jungle, it’s so lush,” he said.

“But you’re literally 20 minutes from the Gold Coast, you couldn’t ask for a better location.”

The Gold Coast Film Festival is hosting the Queensland premiere of the film at the Arts Centre Gold Coast on Thursday night. Buy tickets here.

The film hits cinemas in November.
Source: Gold Coast Bulletin 18 October 2017

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