Camel fun for Tyrese
Tyrese Gibson, who had never seen a live camel before, had fun riding the Emirates Palace resident camel. He was also impressed with the private butler the hotel provided, saying he felt “presidential”.
Top-secret process
With the death of Paul Walker, the production was even more top-secret than usual. Unlike when she worked on previous films, the casting director Miranda Davidson didn’t even get a script. “The hell we went through with NDAs [non-disclosure agreements]. Extras were showing up with boyfriends and mums. We had to have NDAs for anyone who stepped foot on set. We had to be extremely cautious. I didn’t want a lawsuit from Universal Studios, of all people.”
Partying with the stars
Oh, to have been at the Abu Dhabi wrap party, held at Ray’s Bar in Jumeirah, Etihad Towers. “We attended the wrap party once filming had finished, where we got to relax and chat with the director, James Wan, Nathalie Emmanuel [Game of Thrones] and all the others involved,” says Darren Platts, an extra.
Too hot to handle
“What I don’t think any of us anticipated was the heat while filming on Emirates Palace beach all day, from early morning onwards,” says Crystal Van Lloy, a Dubai-based British actress and extra. “Trying to look stylish and glamorous while walking barefoot on the burning sand was the biggest challenge for me.”
Scenes with jellyfish
Details are scant, but an extra confirmed that scenes were filmed in the sea behind Emirates Palace – and one involved a “non-sting” jellyfish.
It was a happy set
“The stars had a good rapport,” says the actress and extra Crystal Van Lloy. “In between takes they were having a joke or two and liaising with the director to get the best shot. It was well organised and everyone seemed to be enjoying the hard work.” Lia Saad, an extra, whose favourite part of the franchise is the friendship and bond portrayed between the actors, was thrilled to see “that this bond is actually real – I witnessed it myself. These people have a strong love for one another”.
No diva behaviour
The stars may be used to five-star treatment, but they also know how to give it. “[Vin] Diesel, the Walker brothers, they were happy to talk to people on set,” says the casting director Miranda Davidson. “Even in the States, I’ve never seen extras treated so nicely as the stars treated these extras.” Diesel even hugged Davidson and thanked her.
Rodriguez likes to chat
Michelle Rodriguez was very social,” says Davidson. “You could tell she wanted to talk to everybody. I saw her on her own, fraternising with the extras. She could have been a diva, but she seemed to really want to get close to people. They were so down to earth.”
artslife@thenational.ae
