Jerry's Blog: On the Set of 'Bond' in Chile

Hey there,

Just got in from a 5 day whirlwind trip to Chile. Extra was the only American television show invited on the top secret set of the newest James Bond thriller "Quantum of Solace" -- and what a trip it was.

Coming soon you'll see my video blog on the adventure it took just getting there, and what it's like travelling to a remote location for a TV show, and getting the story.

In the meantime, let it suffice that half a world away doesn't always mean exotic! The location for the film, however, was amazing. The Paranal Observatory in the middle of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth! Nothing lives, not a mosquito, not a blade of grass, and the scientists who have to live and work there do so in a very BOND-like Biosphere structure, which is why director Marc Forster chose this location. It will feature prominently in the end of the movie, as the lair of Dominic Greene, played by French actor Mathieu Amalric (Diving Bell and the Butterfly).

Daniel Craig was every bit the gentleman on the set, even dishing a bit on the rumors about his alleged pending nuptials to girlfriend, movie producer Satsuki Mitchell -- he goes only so far as to say he needs to speak to a few other people (family and close friends) before making any kind of announcement on Extra. But he was very gracious. He also joked about the rumor regarding the sexless scenes (??) between him and new Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko... HE says you can't believe everything you hear, and SHE says, well, either way, she's not disappointed. A very independent and perhaps feminist Bond girl?? Bond does hook up, however with beauty Gemma Atherton in the movie. And the movie promises to be FULL of action, according to Forster, and producer Michael Wilson, whom I had the pleasure of dining with in Chile, along with his lovely wife.

Wilson informed me that "Quantum" picks up exactly one hour after the ending of the wildly popular "Casino Royale" -- Daniel's debut Bond film, and by the way, the highest-grossing Bond installment EVER. Daniel admits to feeling the pressure of coming through for the fans.