Shooting star zips through Gimli

March 8, 2001
by Pat St. Germain

Harrison Ford has left the building.

After a one-night stand, the actor made a fast getaway from Gimli's Lakeview Resort yesterday. As a few dozen fans and a herd of media staked out the hotel lobby, staff whisked Ford out through an adjoining construction site at about 2 p.m.

Ford, best known for heroic roles in Star Wars, Patriot Games and the Indiana Jones series, arrived Tuesday evening to film a scene for submarine drama K-19: The Widowmaker.

But if he had a quiet morning on the Lake Winnipeg set, it was in stark contrast to the action in town, where his every move was fodder for spirited discussion.

Ford left a $5 tip on his $10.93 breakfast bill, served at table 23 in the hotel restaurant overlooking the lake. He got a 6 a.m. wakeup call. He looked just the way he does in the movies.

But while traffic was unusually heavy, Ford sightings were scarce yesterday. One man drove from Falcon Lake to check out the film site and Riverton mom Sheryl Kozub joined her 15-year-old daughter Lauren and school chums who were skipping classes in hopes of snapping photos of Ford.

Townsfolk say the hotel lounge is virtually empty most weekdays, but it did boffo business this week.

"I was there with another girl, we just peeked in and we left," says Deals for Dollars clerk Ann Frederikson, whose Ford sighting Tuesday cost her an extra hour on the job yesterday. She went to work early so fellow clerk Liane Schnerch could nip over to the hotel and try to get a gander at Ford herself.

Alas, after more than two hours of loitering, Schnerch's only brush with fame was talking an employee out of a copy of Ford's breakfast bill.

NOBODY WANTED SNOWMOBILES

Eleanor Danielson, 90, stopped in and was amused by reports crew members and 70 extras were warned not to jump on the ice on the set. "We have about four feet of ice and they talk as if they could fall through," she chuckled.

Cliff Heinz, a retiree whose home overlooks the set, took a two-day job as a security helper, shooing away media and area snowmobilers. Since Lake Winnipeg is a stand-in for the Arctic, nobody wanted snowmobiles ruining the pristine scenery.

"It's been quite interesting," Heinz said. "We've been watching most days from our window so we could see the sub being built." A stage on the ice holds a mockup submarine hull. In the film sequence, the sub surfaces and Russian sailors emerge to stretch their legs and play soccer.

The crew is scheduled to begin shooting interior scenes at a Toronto studio today. Ford will reportedly earn $25 million for the film, which is based on the story of Russia's first nuclear submarine in 1961. He plays Capt. Nikolai Zateyev, who has to prevent a Third World War after a devastating onboard nuclear accident.

Lakeview Resort sales manager Tracy Dandeneau said hosting the actor was fun, but now it's back to business as usual. "Basically, it was exciting for today. He checked in and he checked out. We put him up for the night and that was it."

Gimli Mayor Bill Barlow said the entire town benefited. The production company hired about 40 local extras and made a point of spending locally on construction supplies, accommodation and catering.

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