Tuesday 1 July 2008

Davis Filming Halted By Australian Residents

Hollywood actress Geena Davis has had filming for her forthcoming movie cut short - because residents in an upmarket Sydney, Australia suburb launched a campaign to stop the crew shooting in the area. The Thelma & Louise star was filming Accidents Happen in the Australian city - but producers were bombarded with complaints from locals who threatened to sabotage filming if the production continued to disrupt their sleep patterns. Producers agreed to cut the amount of shooting taking place from four days to two and have increased the $500 (?250) inconvenience payment to residents - but only because locals demanded action from their council. They signed a petition calling for the moviemakers to be banned from filming near their properties and to abandon plans to be in the area until the early hours of the morning. The crew was slated to film in the city's St Ives area from Tuesday until Friday from 12.30pm to 1.30am, but Ku-ring-gai Council officers have now approved a revised schedule put forward by the production team, cutting back filming to just two days. The finishing time was also brought forward by an hour to 12.30am and filming will now be confined to just one end of the street. Residents who live in the area of filming will get more on top of their $500 cash payment - but those at the other end of the road will now receive nothing. But Guy Yeomans, who spearheaded the protest against moviemakers, has no problem with the star of the film - and has even invited Davis to his home to show there are no hard feelings. He says, "Geena would be very welcome any time she wants to have a cup of tea, providing it's before lights out, and I'll even put on a roast dinner for her. "But she'd have to introduce herself first because I'm not into Hollywood and all that, so I wouldn't really recognise her."


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