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Vernon  

Hollywood meets Vernon

The North Okanagan is abuzz with movie crews running between locations in Enderby, Lumby and Vernon.

Unlike many movies that have filmed in the area in the past, these stars are not the elusive type and are making appearances around town.

Last week the main star himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins, window-shopped through Vernon’s Village Green Mall with his wife.

Although he tried to stay ‘hidden’ in a newsboy cap, glasses and a scarf, some excited fans spotted the star.

Nancy MacKinnon, store manager of Things Engraved, was ecstatic to get a picture with the star (right).

“He came around the corner and I thought oh my gosh that is him,” says MacKinnon. “I asked him if he would mind taking some pictures with us and he said, “Absolutely not”. He put his arm around me and smiled, it was awesome, it was so cool.”

She laughs that Hopkins sounds and looks exactly like he does in the movies.

“I loved it,” she adds. “He put his arm around me nice and tight.”

Hopkins and his wife, Stella Arroyave, also made a big impact on mall kiosk worker Tina Cloutier.

The Hollywood duo took time to chat with her, talk about the kiosk products at ‘The Crystal Man Gallery’, and were her biggest sale of the year.

“He was very nice, very grounded, down to earth,” says Cloutier. “You wouldn’t have thought he was a person that has lots of money and fame, very down to earth, very grounded, very nice, good energy. A real person.”

Cloutier says his wife, Arroyave, dropped several hundred dollars on their selection of crystals and jewellery.

She chose not to ask for a photo as she felt he deserved the privacy.

“I thought he is disguised for a reason, he doesn’t want to be bugged. So I just smiled at him and he smiled back.”

While in the mall, Hopkins also grabbed a warm beverage at the local Starbucks. Starbucks staff tell Castanet none of them realized who he was and Hopkins got out with his coffee unnoticed.

Hopkins is in town filming his next blockbuster ‘Go With Me’. Alexander Ludwig, Ray Liotta and Julia Stiles are also starring in the movie and some have been spotted around Vernon as well.

Scenes for the movie were filmed last week in downtown Vernon in an old warehouse. Yesterday (Monday), crews took over the hills between Coldstream and Lumby, filming several kilometres off the highway south of Coldstream Lumber (pictured above).

According to crews on set, the action heads to Enderby for the rest of the week. 



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