LMGI COMPASS
|
Winter 2026
•
37
"We called him our medic and savior," adds Wesley.
"I always say everybody needs a 'Dave' at their location," says
Daoussis, "because he was unbelievably helpful in so many ways
… I mean, we ended up building a road on his property in the
middle of all this weather and he even had the equipment to do it!"
Another nearby property provided the reveal at the end of Bob's
escape tunnel—which emerges into an old redwood stump that
features, of all things, a toilet.
"There's a guy who works with those giant redwood stumps in
town," Glaser says. "They had basically asked him to fabricate a
real stump into that set and we placed it on a piece of property up
the road. Dug a hole, put a trench plate, put a toilet on it and then
put the stump down."
Prior to the filming, Glaser had hosted a dinner with local
liaisons to share production's vision for the movie. "This film
pushed the boundaries of filming in this area," admits Humbolt-Del
Norte Commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine. "Usually, productions
are hidden in the woods. These guys were at a popular grocery
store, a main high school, a well-known park, the on-ramp in front
of the university and more—and all while very visible.
"It was definitely out of our norm, but I knew the community
would rise to the occasion. And we did, we got buy-in from everyone
and then were able to properly inform the local community while
keeping the integrity of the film."
One night, when DiCaprio was being filmed in a bathrobe on
an Arcata on-ramp, crowds gathered. Instead of treating them
as a disruption, the crew folded them in—extras in their own
community.
Hesseltine praises Glaser and the team for how they handled it
all. "They're all just absolutely stellar," she says.
Sisters of the Brave Beaver compound- La Purisima Mission, Lompoc
Sensei Sergio (Benicio Del Toro) and Bob (Leo DiCaprio)
"Baktan Cross" dojo, El Paso Texas
