Chuck Russell: I couldn’t do the movie unless the elephants were safe and happy

Chuck Russell ‘directed’ a real elephant herd for the first time in his life for 'Junglee'. He tells us that it was very important for him that the elephants were comfortable and happy, which is why he brought no animal trainers along with him for the shoot – the default Hollywood way. Chuck wanted to work only with the elephants and their mahouts, which elicited grim warnings from his Hollywood colleagues.But for the director, the journey which began in fear soon transformed into respect, and then love.
“I’ve worked with a guy who’s a legend in Hollywood, Sled Reynolds (animal trainer Paul ‘Sled’ Reynolds) who did 'Tarzan', 'The Ape Man' (1981) with Bo Derek, he did 'The Scorpion King' for me. He was kind of a mentor for me in working with animals, and he told me, ‘Chuck, do not go out there and think you’re the elephant whisperer. They are very dangerous, wild animals’. He wanted me to take some of his trainers with me and he basically made me promise not to get too close to the elephants. Because elephants can kill you accidentally,” says Chuck, and then adds with a chuckle, “I haven’t sent him the trailer yet, ‘coz he’s going to kill me! I did tell him that I wanted to work with the mahouts, and he just... This is the Hollywood thinking, and Sled is a master. But 'Junglee' is a different situation. This is a real herd of elephants, with each having a mahout that stays with his/her elephant for life. So this was a much more naturalistic approach to shooting elephants.”
What fears did he bring with him? “From the beginning, I knew it was dangerous,” replies Chuck, “Our protocols were developed one step at a time until I felt it was safe. Vidyut was always at the lead because he’s got his own opinion about what is safe, but around the animals, it was only respect. I didn’t tell them when to work, they told me. We earned their trust first, and then I was amazed at the things that happened between them. So it was a slow process, I was there a couple of weeks before we started filming, Vidyut spent a couple of weeks just with Bhola. And then we brought the rest of the crew in.”
He adds, “By the time we were done, we knew what he liked, we knew his apples. Bhola does not let other people approach him. Just his mahout, and Vidyut and fortunately, myself, thanks to the time we spent together. So this was a legit wildlife adventure. I couldn’t do a movie about my love for elephants and the fact that we could lose them, unless the elephants I worked with were truly safe, happy and enjoyed working on our set.”