What’s the best way to get on the set of the new Dragonball movie? Well, if you don’t have press credentials and access to a helicopter you might be out of luck. Fortunately, actress Emmy Rossum, who stars as Bulma, the daughter of a Dragon Ball master, has been frequently updating her MySpace blog with interesting information about the production on a pretty regular basis.
Here are a few choice paragraphs from Rossum’s blog:
“
Since the new year I've been back on the set of ‘Dragonball.’ In addition to working in Durango, we've been shooting in some pretty remote yet stunning locations. So, I've been literally ‘out of range’ for a few days at a time. We shot in Mexiquillo, about 2 hours outside of Durango where the landscape is amazing and looks - in places - much like the forests of New England.
Mexiquillo is pretty remote, and there weren't any hotels around, so we were actually ‘camping’ in log cabins, all together. It was exactly what you'd imagine, campfires at night with smores and kumbaya... Okay, maybe not kumbaya, but we did do the smores! Its been a LOT of fun, especially bonding with the cast. All the actors get along great! After only a few weeks shooting we already have inside jokes and pretty much know each others life-stories.
I've been listening to some harder music to access the edge inside me to bring to the character, some Lincoln Park and Dream Theater. I'm enjoying developing the character and training, learning to ride a motorcycle has been thrilling. It’s a manual, so I've been learning all about clutch and throttle (don't laugh, this is all new to me!) And I think I'll be able to drive a stick-shift car after this film too!
Right now I am writing from a helicopter (with my costars, Chow Yun Fat, his lovely wife and Joon Park). We are on our way to the desert where we will be filming for the next few days. I am the lucky one who gets to sit up front with the pilot (who was very careful to instruct me not to touch anything; knobs, controls or otherwise) Chow and Joon are taking pictures in the back and we are having a lot of fun.”
On Thursday, Rossum updated her blog again, writing:
“
We drove an hour to set, just outside Dunas de Bilbao. Our location is, what I can only describe as, a sand dune desert. I've been riding the motorcycle in 4-foot sand drifts since sunrise to get the shot just right. The wonderful, kind and talented Chow Yun Fat is hanging on for dear life in back. We've been doing about 40mph, and over bumpy sand dunes that is enough to make anyone a little queasey. Chow is so kind, so calm and a bit of a prankster (which I love!) and he hasn't complained once.”
And, just yesterday, Rossum posted this on her blog:
“
We are back in Durango shooting today. I got an xbox to occupy some downtime in the trailer. I've never been much of a video gamer, but I like the adventure games and the shooting games might help my hand/eye coordination for the gun sequences in the film. I picked up a few games not really knowing what I was buying and when I started playing one I realized I had picked up ‘Stranglehold’ starring Chow Yun Fat! Based on the John Woo movie ‘Hard Boiled,’ the graphics are incredible, he jumps, flies and shoots in slow-mo, very John Woo, very cool. I feel a little shy to tell him I'm playing him on a video game, to tell him how cool it is!
Speaking of hand/eye coordination I recently had the opportunity to go to a shooting range with some marines who instructed me and let me practice shooting different kinds of guns, pistols, handguns, shotguns (man those slugs kick back!).
Well, back to set, Justin Chatwin is looking over my should as I type and he says ‘Hi!’”
Click HERE for more of Emmy’s blog!
Dragonball is directed by James Wong (The One) and also stars Justin Chatwin as
Goku, Chow Yun Fat as
Master Roshi, James Marsters (Angel) as
Piccolo, Eriko Tamura (Heroes) as
Mai and Joon Park (Speed Racer) as
Yamcha.
Dragonball is scheduled to be released August 15, 2008.