Rachel Weisz recalls Manila stunts

MANILA, Philippines - When moviegoers see a seemingly terrified Rachel Weisz in the action-filled movie The Bourne Legacy with lead star Jeremy Renner, they will realize it was not just acting. Weisz herself reveals that she will never forget the stunts that were mostly done by Renner and herself in Manila.

“The stunts were the challenge. There are a lot in the film. In Manila, we have this huge chase scene on a motorcycle and Jeremy and I did most of it. We drove through that city and jumped over bridges and crashed into buses,” said Weisz in an e-mailed statement sent through United International Pictures.

When interviewed and asked about her own legacy, she replied, “Beyond my child, I cannot think of anything. I am sure there will be some movies on DVD that might be a legacy. Hopefully, my carbon footprint won’t be too big.”

Weisz also remembered the park in San Andres, Manila that she sponsored for the children there to have fun in. She reminisced, “We filmed in a disadvantaged area of Manila and I funded a playground for the kids there. They had no resources there to do it themselves. I actually wanted to call it The Bourne Legacy, but we couldn’t for legal reasons. Is that a legacy?”

Weisz admitted she was really terrified making the Bourne Legacy chase sequence in Manila. She said, “I just had to hold on (tight). I don’t drive. It was terrifying.”

The 42-year-old actress revealed that she and Renner made 99 percent of the stunts. Weisz continued, “I would say about 99 percent of the time Jeremy and I were doing the stunts. Jeremy is a really good rider. He is just very physically adept at stunts. I felt safe with him. We practiced for a couple of weeks in a big parking lot.”

During the shoot, the actress felt the very physical demands of the stunts. Weisz said, “You need a lot of takes and your body starts to rebel. You do get some aches and pains. I did something to my elbow while we were running through the streets of Manila. I jammed it and it still sort of hurts. Sometimes you have to look completely desperate and after take 30, you don’t have to act anymore because you are feeling that way.”

Weisz described the realistic events in the movie. “Sometimes when you watch a film, you see action scenes and car crashes and you just know it is fake. Here we are on the streets of Manila, on this bike, going fast.”

Weisz finally described her character in the film, “My role was a realistic journey about someone who has never had to fight for her life. Marta has always been in a lab doing things with test tubes and she suddenly has to learn to fight. She is not a superhero. She is a real person who has to fight for her life.”

While filming The Bourne Legacy in Manila, Weisz’s hubby Daniel Craig, who played the famous Agent 007 James Bond in a couple of movies, visited her. Weisz said that she prudently divorces her career and her personal life to obtain balance in her life. She said further, “I see them (family and career) as two separate things. I cannot say that I am not a celebrity at this point. That would be silly. Of course it is difficult, but it is difficult for any working mother. All moms face the challenge. I am lucky that I work extensively and then I am off. Some moms work all day and they get home late and have to be a mom.” 

The Bourne Legacy also stars Edward Norton and local talents like Joel Torre and Lou Veloso. It is distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp. It will open Aug. 8 in theaters.