By Christina Radish
In the tense, unsettling new Fox Atomic thriller Turistas, a diverse group of young adventure travelers decide to explore the pristine beaches of Brazil, after a terrifying bus accident maroons them in a remote town.
Alex (Josh Duhamel) is accompanying his sister Bea (Olivia Wilde) and her best friend Amy (Beau Garrett) for their first time abroad. Before they must endure the harrowing bus crash, the three young Americans meet the beautiful Pru (Melissa George), who speaks the native language Portuguese, and Finn and Liam (Desmond Askew and Max Brown), in Brazil for the sole purpose of experiencing the beautiful Brazilian women they’ve heard so much about.
The discovery of a beautiful, secluded beach soon gives way to a nightmare, when they wake up face down in the sand, drugged and robbed, their possessions gone, and the trace of very real danger in the air. The farther the group travels into this mysterious and isolated Brazilian community the closer they come to the dark secret that waits for them in the lush jungle and underground caverns of Brazil.
Playing the paranoid American who is thrust into a situation in which his worst fears come to life, Las Vegas star Josh Duhamel was excited to be filming in such an exotic locale. “When I first read the script, it was set in Guatemala,” the 34-year-old North Dakota native tells MediaBlvd Magazine. “And then, when they said Brazil, I said, ‘That’s even better!’ It’s everything that you see. I had never been there. You have this preconceived impression of Brazil -- the music, the booties, the food, the Carnaval, the beaches and everything -- but what I was most pleased with, with the movie, was that they did such a good job of capturing the essence of Brazil.”
{quote_top}Duhamel says that he can definitely identify with his character’s cautious behavior, especially when traveling abroad. But, he also feels that he is not quite as severe as Alex is. “I definitely have some of the typical paranoid issues that a lot of American tourists have. But, growing up in North Dakota, you don’t get a chance to see all these things. Alex is the most cautious of the group, and I wanted to play him as the reluctant hero. He’s faced with the worst possible scenario on a trip that goes so wrong.”
Turistas is the first American production shot entirely in the country of Brazil, having taken residence for five months, in locations that included the lush jungles and pristine beaches in the surfing town of Ubatuba, and the otherworldly underground water-filled caves near Lencois, which has never before been used as a production location. Prepared to take things as they came, Duhamel admits that a lot of injuries occurred during filming.
“I knew, going in, that it wasn’t going to be a pleasurable movie to make. I remember getting pissed off, at one point, because every time I turned around, I’d gash my hand on something, or I’d cut my hand or my feet. It was always something. I was so sick of it. But, in the end, it all made it feel more real. I was pretty gung-ho throughout the movie and, by the end, I was ready to go home, but it was all worth it.”
For the scenes in the underground water-filled caves, Duhamel says that he and the other actors had to learn to hold their breath underwater for longer periods of time. “We had to start swimming, go down underneath a rock formation, and then come back up. And, in all your clothes and stuff, it makes it more difficult. Some of those guys, like the bad guys that were chasing us, are actual spear fisherman, so they can swim underwater for a long time. I couldn’t do that. It was definitely a challenge, physically, and I think that’s what [director] John Stockwell wanted. He didn’t want us to have trailers or any of the amenities that you normally have on a movie set. He wanted it to be as rough and miserable as possible, and that shows in the movie.”
Even with all of the hard work, Duhamel says that the cast was still able enjoy themselves while they were so far away from home. “I’m not saying that it sucked because it was a lot of fun, too. It was an adventure. We all knew, going in, that it was going to be tough, so I tried to be as up for it, every day, as I could. How many people can say they get to do stuff like this?”
{quote_middle}The 6'2" former model says that, although he’s had some rather disastrous vacations, nothing quite compares to the nightmare that the characters face in Turistas. “Me and my buddies used to go to Mexico for spring break, and we’ve gotten ourselves into some pretty hairy situations. I’ve never been in any prisons, or been in any fights with the locals or anything like that, but it’s come close. I know some people that have. I’ve never had to go through anything like that.”
With only a couple episodes left to film this season, Duhamel is hard at work finishing up his NBC television series Las Vegas. “The numbers have been pretty good this year, so I think that we may get another year, but we may not. I feel like we should get another year because there are not a lot of other shows that are working for NBC. We’ve been winning the night, demographics-wise. Whatever happens, happens. I like the show and I’d love to do another year, but if NBC doesn’t want it, that’s fine too. I wouldn’t mind directing an episode. Maybe if we get another year, they’ll let me direct one.”
Next up for Duhamel is the live action, sci-fi adventure Transformers, being released in 2007. Directed by Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), Duhamel admits that film had its own set of physical demands. “It was tough because Bay demands a lot. He and Stockwell are similar, in that way. They demand a lot from you, and you’ve got to show up, ready to play. It was different, in the sense that we were carrying big, heavy guns, and were running through the sand.”
{quote_bottom}As half of a high-profile couple -- Duhamel is dating Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas -- the Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! star says that he will be going to his girlfriend’s for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then she will be spending time with his parents. “We’re all flying to Las Vegas. It’s cool because she wasn’t going to do this show in Vegas. She was just going to stay at my dad’s. When they asked her to do this show, she said, ‘No, I’ve already made plans. I’m going to my boyfriend’s in Minnesota.’ They called back a week later and said, ‘Well, how about we fly him and his family to Vegas, put them up, and fly them all back in a private jet, if you come to do this show.’ My dad said, ‘Hell, yeah!’”
