King Kong cast enjoyed NZ adventure tourism

Working in New Zealand took careers to new heights, King Kong cast members said in New York today.

"Actors are not encouraged to take any physical risks while filming," said actor Colin Hanks (son of Tom Hanks), who played movie-making Preston in the film. "Actors even have to walk from set to set so they do not hurt themselves.

"In this case our director, Peter Jackson, paid for us to jump off a ledge and swing out into a canyon ... they call it the canyon swing.

"We had buckets over our heads and we were swinging upside down."

Hanks said New Zealand was an easy place to work and like. During the many months they were living in Wellington, Hanks, fellow actors Jamie Bell, Evan Parke, Kyle Chandler and Thomas Kretschmann took a weekend off to celebrate Hanks' birthday and do the jump in Queenstown.

However, Bell (who was the star of the British film hit Billy Elliott) said he then chickened out.

"No way was I going to do it. The others said 'let's do it again' but ...some things I can't do."

Chandler, who played the egotistical movie star Bruce Baxter in Kong, said he also did not jump, but his wife did on another occasion.

"I was rather stunned by it all. "

Chandler's family had accompanied him to New Zealand.

"I worked on the set all day as an actor and then I would go home and do parent duties. Good working experience."

Parke, who played pivotal ship crew member Hayes, said Jackson had encouraged a sense of community.

"We were coming a really long way, and we were going to be there for a while.

"Jackson and his team went out of his way to make us feel at home. We felt right at home."

Parke confessed he "got into the local wine".

Chandler said he felt the movie would reach audiences in any culture.

He knew it would be "as big as Titanic".

It had been difficult, when filming, to know how big the movie would be.

"But this is a new kind of love story, in which the leading man just happens to be hairy."

- NZPA