Mayor gate-crashes production of James Bond film
Filming on Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, was interrupted yesterday when an angry Chilean mayor drove onto the 007 set between cameras and Craig.
According to a Reuters eport, Carlos Lopez, mayor of the northern Chilean town Baquedano, was detained by police as a result of the incident.
‘He got angry, entered into a private enclosure… and caused public disorder and was detained,’ an anonymous police official stated by telephone from Baquedano. ‘Now it is in the hands of the prosecutor.’
Lopez was protesting the Quantum of Solace filming, upset over what he deemed to be an excessive police presence in the small town because of the filming and the fact that Chilean soil was being used to ultimately represent Bolivia in the Bond film.
‘For a town that has just 1,000 residents, sending in special forces and water cannon, preventing people from walking in the street, reminded me of the worst of the Pinochet years,’ said Lopez, referring to the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
‘I also disagree with national territory being used as locations (to represent) other countries,’ he said. ‘Even in a fictional film, unfortunately friendly, neighbouring countries use decisions like this to make unjustified claims.’
Chile annexed part of northern Bolivia in the late 19th century—an issue that continues to divide the two countries politically today.
