'Mozart and the Whale' comes to Gonzaga
Spokane chosen as filming location for its low profile and industrial look without big-city feel
The sun wasn't the only thing shining on campus Monday -several Hollywood stars descended on various Gonzaga locales to shoot a movie. Teen pin-up Josh Hartnett and a small crew of roughly 20 people set up shop early in the morning behind the Crosby Student Center to film parts of the independent film "Mozart and the Whale," slated for a fall release.
Word of the surprise sighting spread quickly among students as many awe-struck girls whipped out cellphones and hurriedly dialed their friends.
By noon, the gawkers were out in full force. Hundreds of them milled around the production site, which had moved to the Quad in front of Hughes Hall.
Hartnett, 25, clad in a non-descript grey sweatshirt, jeans and aviators, didn't seem distracted by the hordes of female fans, largely keeping to himself. At one point, he cut off an impromptu autograph session, explaining he had to go eat lunch. Meanwhile, adoring fans summoned up everything from camera phones to scrap pieces of paper just to take home a memento.
"Mozart" is a romantic comedy involving two young people afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Ron Bass, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of such films as "Rain Man," "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," penned the script. This is Norwegian director Petter Naess' first English-language film. Previously, he directed "Elling" in 2001, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
Upon hearing of a need for crowd extras, students eagerly jumped at the chance. Since the film is set in autumn, the crew excluded any people wearing sandals, shorts or any other summer garb, leading a few students to dash back to their dorms to don jackets and long pants, despite the hot weather.
Junior Calley Ekberg enjoyed her time in the spotlight.
"It shook things up a little in my day ... it was just cool to see a famous person," she said.
Junior Mike Zavaglia was also an extra.
"It was the first time I ever got to be a part of something like that," he said. "It brought a little more excitement to the atmosphere of Gonzaga."
The question on many people's minds was "Why film in Spokane?"
According to Juan Mas, a line producer with Spokane-based North by Northwest Productions, the director chose the Lilac City for its low profile as well as its industrial look without the huge metropolitan feel of a major city. The crew was particularly drawn to the Riverfront Park area, with its location along the Spokane River and the lush vegetation.
Shooting began on March 1 and will continue until April 12. The film will be shot entirely in Spokane, using many landmark areas, including Manito Park, the Davenport Hotel, the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza and various downtown areas. At Gonzaga, scenes were filmed at the Dakota and Desmet intersection (behind the COG) and in the Foley Center.
Playing opposite Hartnett is Australian up-and-comer Radha Mitchell, who was also seen on campus Monday. She had a lead role in the 2002 thriller "Phone Booth," and will soon be seen alongside Johnny Depp in "J.M Barrie's Neverland," scheduled to drop in October.
Hartnett, a regular fixture on the covers of teen magazines, rose to fame in the late 1990s with a starring role in "Halloween: H20" and later hit it big in 1999's "The Virgin Suicides" and 2000's "Pearl Harbor."
Having whetted the palate of Hollywood-starved Spokanites, what are the chances of more movies coming through town? Apparently, good.
"[We're] talking to a lot of companies," said Mas. And while they might be low-budget indie flicks, there are "high-profile actors attached to [them] because of their love for independents."
He said there are high hopes for a couple more films to shoot in town by the end of the year.
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