Little Known Facts About Celebrities and the Pacific Northwest

When most ask where you are from and you say Oregon, the typical response is :'Where exactly is that?' My home state has had a lush history even though it was not established as a state until 1859. There are those who still think of my home as a territory, of all things! It has been the stomping grounds of explorers Lewis and Clark, has one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world (Portland) and is known for the many wood products, handcrafted items, and computers as well.

However, what most do not know is that Oregon and Washington are also known for their rich Hollywood history as well, serving as the backdrops for many past and present films and television series. What many may ask now is: why all of the sudden allure with two states that barely are given any recognition from the other states in the country? In a recent television report when TNT's new series 'Leverage' began filming in Portland, their sources had stated that it was the fact that there were fewer dollars that would need to be spent by movie and television production companies to make their shows and was cost-efective due to the current status of the economy. In this same broadcast, Timothy Hutton who stars as 'Leverage's lead actor has even fancied getting an apartment in protland due to the 'nice people and the laid-back atmosphere that the city had to offer.'

So, the next question is: why here and why now? Before I get into that, let me get into a little more of Hollywood's past business with the state and give some basic rundowns on some things that you may not know:

1) Actor Sam Elliot (whom you may know from such films as 'The Hulk', 'Gettysburg', 'Ghost Rider' and even 'Barnyard') has taken up residence in the small mountain town of Sweet Home where he is currently residing now. My sources say that when he first arrived, he actually had a BBQ to introduce himself to his new neighbors who may have been living close by. He did sign a few autographs, of course, but had stated that this BBQ would be the only time that he would be giving them out. Rumors have it that he is a very quiet resident and that his lifestyle is fashioned after the simple cowboy way. I, myself, had never met the man personally but if I had that is really what most of the people are like in my area. They are laid back, quiet, and a lot of times very easy to talk to.

2) Just recently, megastars Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser have made a stop in Portland to cast for extras for a forthcoming film that Ford is suspected to be directing and producing himself. It is a true story of a father who is trying to find the cure for his son's mysterious ailment. There has been no title yet released on the film, but I am sure that it should be forth coming.

Also, there has also been rumors that Mr. Ford may have also purchased some real estate in the Sweet Home area: a golf course that he has wanted to purchase for his own use as well as a business investment. There has still been no news as to whether the deal has went through as of yet.

3) The well-loved children's movie classic, 'The Goonies' (starring Sean Astin), was also shot here on the coast in the city of Newport. The house that was used in the film still stands on Newport Beach and the caves that were used in the making of the film were actually shot on location there as well. The woman that owns the home has actually written Mr. Steven Spielberg himself to request that a sequel to the film be made and she is giving full use of the house again if he wished to use it. The response that she received from Mr. Spielberg was 'it may be a definite possibility'.

4) The 1972 Oscar-winning film 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' was shot in the state capitol of Salem just twenty miles north from my home. The entire film was shot within the Oregon State Mental Hospital. The building is still there, but is suffering bad ramifications due to the lack of funding. My grandmother, who was a manager of one of the hotels in the local area, had actually gotten to know the two main stars, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson, on a first-name basis during their stay at the Black Angus Hotel and Restaurant during the time of the shooting.

5) Actor Bruce Campbell, star of the 'Evil Dead' series of films and the hit television series 'The Adventures of brisco County, Jr.' resides in the Southern Oregon city of Bend, where he lives a quiet life and tries his best not to be bothered due to his celebrity status.

6) 'Family Ties' star Michael Gross and 'MASH' alumni David Ogden Stiers are actually Oregonians themselves by birthright. The two actually are both from Eugene and studied at the University of Oregon in order to receive their degrees. Also, both have recently been in Eugene acting in off-Broadway shows at local theater houses.

7) Actor and now California governor, Arnold Schwartzenegger, has also not been a stranger to our state. The 1990's comedy megahit 'Kindergarten Cop' was filmed in the coastal city of Astoria. Schwartzenegger himself was amazed at how beautiful the old coastal town was during the time of his filming.

8) The erotic thriller, 'Body of Evidence' (starring Willem Dafoe and Madonna), was also shot in what we call 'Old Town Portland' just off of Burnside Avenue. Many of the shops and locations that were used for this film were also actual locations and are still there.

9) Kevin Costner starred in the sci-fi epic 'The Postman' while working in the southern city of Bend. When asked why the company chose this particular area, the response was that 'it had the feel of the post-apocalyptic Earth that they needed for the film since the southern part of the state is mostly dunes and flatlands. It just had the perfect look.'. The other reason they gave was it was good land for horses to run, as a scene in the film depicts a group of wild stallions that ran across the prairies.

10) Do you remember Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in that surfing movie? What was its name... 'Point Something'? In the crime thriller, 'Point Break', the opening and closing scenes where Keanu faced off against Swayze's surfer/bankrobber character, Bodi, were not shot in Australia. In truth, both scenes were shot in Indian Beach, Oregon. The producers chose the location for its natural feel as well as for the waves themselves which apparently could grow as large as the same ones that came in during the specific time that Swayze was describing in the film.

11) In the thriller, 'The Hunted' (starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro), there is a scene where we see Tommy Lee Jones peeking his head out of the top of what looks like some sort of commuter train. In truth, the very train that we see in the film is Portland's premier commuter lighttrain, the IMAX. The IMAX travels between Portland and surrounding other communities such as Woodburn and Gresham for people to do shopping or simply commute back and forth between work in the city. The typical fare for such a ride is usually between $8-12 one way.

These are only but a few little tidbits of trivia that have come from my home that I have found to be very interesting. In some ways, it makes me very proud of where I come from. While most people who live in big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York see these kinds of things as commonplace, those of us that live in wilder territories like Oregon consider shootings like these a very premiere event. If you ever have the time or the inclination, take a look on the Internet and see what you can dig up yourself about where you come from and if Tinsel Town has left its mark. Happy hunting!