In early 2008, our company was hired to provide protection for a movie that was being filmed in and around La Paz, Bolivia. This was a major motion picture with A-list stars and a director who had won an Oscar. Unlike other productions that we had worked on, this director was very low-key and brought down only a handful of people to assist with the filming. They also preferred to work under the radar, so no press was aware that the filming would occur.
In preparation for the assignment, I traveled to La Paz and met with the Chief of police to advise him of the project and to request his assistance should it be required at any point. The Chief was excited about the project and assigned three Presidential guards to me for the duration to assist with protecting the actors and director. The Chief called the guards in and instructed them that, for the next 10 days, they were to take orders only from me.
While the director’s name is known around the world, his face is pretty much unknown outside of Hollywood. And given his low-key attitude, he pretty much went undetected throughout the entire ordeal. The A-list actor, on the other hand, was a different story.
The first day in country, they were at a restaurant having an early lunch when a gentleman in a suit jumped up and headed towards their table. I intercepted the gentleman who identified himself as the Cuban Ambassador in Bolivia. He stated that they were having an event that evening and that he wanted to invite the actor to attend. Overhearing the conversation, the actor waved the ambassador over and thanked him for the invitation. He also requested that the ambassador provide me with his cell phone number and that he would do his best make an appearance that evening.
A short while later, I contacted the Ambassador who told me that the event in question was to honor 100 Cuban doctors who had spent the last year volunteering in Bolivia. The Bolivian President would be in attendance, as well as the Minister of Health, and that it would be extra special for the doctors if the great Hollywood actor could also attend. I asked the ambassador how many people would be in attendance, to which he responded “just the doctors plus about 50 brothers of the revolution”. I told the ambassador that I would speak with the actor and get back to him. I also asked the ambassador to please not tell anybody about this, particularly the press, as we were trying not to attract much attention in country.
I went back to the actor and advised him that I recommended not attending. The building where it would be held was located in a closed part of town and had only one entrance/exit, so going in and out would be challenging. I also mentioned that the President would be attending, which meant that there would be press and likely many more guests than just the doctors and a few dignitaries. Finally, I mentioned that with just the three Presidential guards, that it would be difficult to ensure his safety at the event.
As to be expected, the actor rejected my recommendation. He stated that it would be an honor to give back to those that had volunteered a year of their lives and that I was overreacting. He instructed me to advise the ambassador that he would attend. I’m guessing that the lure of the President and free press being in attendance had nothing to do with his decision.
I called the ambassador back on his cell, which was answered by his secretary who told me that the ambassador was on another line, but that he would be with me shortly. She then laid the cellphone on his desk. For the next minute or so, I could clearly hear the ambassador coordinating the invitation of numerous additional guests and calling for the press to come out in droves, mentioning repeatedly the name of the actor – so much for my request to keep the press out.
After confirming a with the ambassador a short appearance that evening, I went back to the actor and asked him to reconsider attending. I informed him that the ambassador was increasing the invitation list and calling for the press. I reiterated my recommendation that he should not attend. At this point, the actor became irate and told me that he did not care what my recommendation was, that he was going and to make it happen. He then shut the hotel room door in my face.
I arranged for us to arrive at the location late, after the ceremony had begun to avoid the crowds. We entered the room when the President was speaking. The President stopped and welcomed the actor, calling for him to stand next to the President on the dais. So now, we were apparently committed to staying for the entire ceremony.
The room was packed wall-to-wall with people, standing room only. There were easily over 500 guests and a press section with at least 50 reporters and a half dozen television cameras. And here we were with just 3 security agents and myself.
The President spoke for about 30 minutes, followed by the Minister of Health and then the Cuban Ambassador. Last, he asked the actor to say a few words, which he graciously did.
At one point, a popular female television reporter approached me and gave me her business card. She asked me if I could coordinate a private interview with the actor later that evening in his hotel room. I told her that I would pass along the message.
As the ceremony was coming to a close, everybody started inching closer. And when the President left, they all rushed to the makeshift stage where the actor and ambassador remained chatting.
We had positioned our security guards close, but three men are not enough to protect against a surging crowd. Soon they were calling out to the actor requesting photos, the first two or three in which the actor was actually smiling. But then they starting grabbing at him, and pulling him in different directions. One person grabbed his hat, while another ended up ripping his shirt.
We stepped in and took control the best that we could, with the agents flanking him on three sides while I pushed forward trying to open a path to the door. We were only 30 feet from the exit, but it took us several minutes of pushing and fighting to get him out the door and into one of the vehicles that we had staged out front.
The actor was quite frazzled. His clothes were ripped, his hat was gone and he had bruises and scratch marks along both arms where people were grabbing for him. One woman had even managed to grab his crotch.
Back at the hotel, he called me over and apologized, stating that he did not think that it would be that bad. He thanked me for protecting him and getting him out. He said that he had learned his lesson and swore that for the rest of the shoot he would not stray from the itinerary – a promise that he would soon break.
Two days later, the actor came up to me telling me that he would be going to a bar that evening that he had heard about in El Alto, on the outskirts of La Paz. After providing me the name of the bar, I told him that I would do some checking and get back to him.
The bar was actually a strip joint frequented by the indigenous population and had a very dubious reputation. The glasses used to serve the drinks were actually bolted to a short chain, which in turn was bolted to the table to prevent the patrons from throwing them at the performers. The night before, there had been a shooting outside the bar and the police informed me that there are fights outside almost every night.
I told the actor that he would not be going to the bar after all. When he began to protest, I reminded him of the other night. After reflection, he agreed to leave the excursion for a later trip.
While I very much enjoy working on movie productions, there is no better feeling than when the flight goes wheels-up, with everybody on board safely. The same holds true for most executive protection assignments.