Get your own Free Home PageThis article is from the October 1996 issue of Bop.
Dirk Benedict - Vinnie says he enjoyed working with Dirk Benedict, who played his character's father, Jake Barnes.
"He is a really good actor," says Vinnie. "He was Face on [former TV show] The A-Team. And he was a broadway star for 15 years back in the 60's and 70's. I loved acting off him. He was really good."
Charlton Heston - Although Vinnie thought it was great to work with such an accomplished and veteran actor (Charlton Heston has starred in more than 70 movies, including The Ten Commandments, and won an Academy Award for Ben Hur), he felt a little awkward working with Mr. Heston, who played a bear poacher named Perry.
"Charlton was good, but he was a little intimidating," Vinnie admits. "I only had one scene with him, but you just...I mean, how do you act with Moses? I mean, you just don't do it."
Thora Birch - Vinnie enjoyed working with 14-year-old Thora, who plays his younger sister, Jessie Barnes. But because of the tough shooting schedule and the fact that they lived in different apartments, he didn't hang out with her much.
"You know, the movie was really action-packed, and every day we would go out for eight to 10 hours and be, like, physically and mentally [exhausted]," Vinnie says. "So we would just zone out and go home. I'm glad that we had cable."
The Polar Bear, Agee Jane - "I haven't seen her in almost a year now, but I loved it," recalls Vinnie. "When I knew her she was only about 160 pounds and very, very cute, and she was great. Like, we figured that she would just walk across the screen, but she would do something. She is the best--very cool."
Vincent Kartheiser - Playing Sean Barnes was Vinnie's biggest and most challenging role. "One of the great things about this character is that he has both internal and external conflicts," says Vinnie. "My perspective of the movie is that there are two different stories going on. The first story is about two children [Sean and Jessie] who move from Chicago to Alaska with their father after their mom dies.
"I'm not excited about being in Alaska because I miss Chicago and I want the memory of my mom to be with me. I also miss the city, the sentiments and all that jazz. My sister and my dad, on the other hand, love Alaska and the outdoor stuff. So I start off kind of bitter towards them.
"Then my dad goes off and crashes his plane and everyone kind of gives up on him. But my sister and I decide to go after him, so we kind of go on this little voyage, and that is the way that we get kind of closer. And, well, you'll have to watch the movie to see if we find our dad.
And then the other story is about poachers who are going after polar bears. And how the bear becomes my spirit guide and helps me out after I let the bear go when I see him at the poacher's camp." Vinnie spent all of last summer working in British Columbia and Alaska. But he's not complaining about how he spent his summer vacation.
"We were in Vancouver for about a month. We were supposed to be there longer but we got rained on in Whistler. We also shot at this place on Vancouver Island which is beautiful. It was way out there." Because there are a lot of stunt filled scenes in the movie, Vinnie had a double to do the really dangerous stuff like falling down the waterfall and canoeing in the rapids. He did, however, climb a mountain. "I was really 400 feet off the ground. I was strapped in but you know, if I fell, I would fall," he told us.
He also withstood the freezing temperature of the white water rapids. "That is me being thrown out the waves," reveals Vinnie. "It was freezing. I was probably altogether in each take for 15 seconds. What we would do is start at one point and I would throw myself in. Then I would go around the corner and about eight or 10 safety guys would jump out and grab me and pull me to the shore and I would get out and my mouth would be blue."
Vinnie On The Plot
Filming
Vinnie On The Stunts
Miscellaneous Alaska Notes
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