With ferocious werewolves and pale-faced vampires setting the scene, the highly anticipated release of Breaking Dawn Part 1 will generate even more interest here in Squamish than elsewhere because scenes from the movie were filmed in Paradise Valley and up-and-coming local actor Swo-wo Gabriel plays a role in the film.
The latest film in the Twilight Saga series is set for release today (Nov. 18) and is categorized as an action fantasy movie based on Stephenie Meyer's cult Twilight Saga book series.
Gabriel, who was featured in the new TV series Blackstone in January this year, told The Chief that he was surprised when he landed the role of Brady Fuller in Breaking Dawn.
"My agent sent me to the audition that was being held in Vancouver," the 16-year-old said, explaining that his audition consisted of being filmed pretending to play soccer with someone else in front of the casting director. "They were trying to see if I could make them believe I was actually having fun."
And it turns out they believed him.
Gabriel says he was stunned when a couple of months later, his agent sent him an email with the title "Surprise!"
"I actually didn't think I had it because they usually contact you a week after," he said. "I was really happy. It feels good when you get a role like that."
But there was little time to allow it all to sink in as a mere two weeks later, the producers started shooting.
Gabriel plays Brady Fuller, one of the youngest members of the Uley wolf pack and a protector of the Quileute tribe. Known as shape-shifters, the characters in the film are able to change shape into wolves, namely when in the presence of vampires or when in danger.
The first shooting took place in an undisclosed location near Vancouver and Gabriel says the greatest challenge was the fact the cast had to pretend it was summer, even though in reality, conditions were cold.
"We were all sitting there shivering," he said. "When the shooting started we couldn't shiver because the wolves on Twilight, no matter how cold it is, they are always warm."
The next filming session took place at Tofino, where they shot the scene that he had auditioned for, playing soccer with the rest of the tribe.
Gabriel says he loved working with the main cast of talented actors, including Taylor Lautner, who plays the main character, Jacob.
"My highlight was just hanging out with them," Gabriel said. "They are really funny - they acted as if I was just one of their friends. We had a lot of laughs... they would always invite us to dinner down in the main restaurant."
Confessing that he has always been "slightly obsessed" with vampires, director Bill Condon expressed his feelings on Breaking Dawn in an open letter to Twilight fans. "For me, [Meyer's] characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern," he wrote. "Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push [Wash.] menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy - and it all comes to fruition in Breaking Dawn. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout."
Viewed as a great stepping stone in his acting career, Gabriel admitted it was a great learning experience.
"Yeah, now that I have been on a major film, it has changed a lot for me," he said. "Now that I have experienced it, I will know what to expect if I get a big film role."
It was Diana Billy, Gabriel's mother, who introduced him to the world of acting and he confesses that at first he didn't like it.
"But after I got an actual role, I figured out that I am actually pretty good at acting, and I could go somewhere with this," he said.
Billy said she is extremely proud of Gabriel's achievements and that his three older siblings have also been involved in the film and television industries.
"He is enjoying making movies as he earns money... and is coming into being a great young man," she said. "That is my only hope for all my children - is to be who they like to be and stay true to themselves in everything they do."
