Filming for Brad Pitt’s upcoming film, The Lost City of Z , which stars Robert Pattinson, Charlie Hunnam , and Sienna Miller, is shaking things up in the countryside of Northern Ireland. Apparently, some of the intense war scenes in the movie have scared farm animals in the Glens of Antrim, as production continues for the adventure drama.
According to Belfast Live , farmers near Ballygally have complained that their farm animals have been frightened by some of the explosions used by the filmmakers.
“It started last Monday with bangs, gunfire and small explosions. Then on Tuesday the bigger explosions started,” Jason McKillion, a local farmer, told the outlet.
“The explosions shook the house and windows and the boom echoed through the glen. My neighbor’s horses were in the field near the film set and they went spare, trying to jump the ditches.”
McKillion went on to state that the explosions occurred throughout the week and continued to frighten the animals, including his own chickens.
“On Wednesday, there was another explosion and my animals went daft. The chickens were squawking and the dog was outside, barking and shaking,” he explained. “On Friday morning, it sounded like a war was going on, and later there was another explosion. My neighbor was feeding bulls in the field when it happened. They stampeded and knocked him and the feeding trough over.”
McKillion added that the film, nor stars Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson, notified anyone in the area about their plans. “There wasn’t a single notification about this, which would have been common courtesy,” he said. “I support companies filming here, but they need to keep local people in the loop. If we had a schedule, we could put the animals into barns. At the minute we are on tenterhooks.”
Given the remoteness of the area, McKillion explained that residents are not used to hearing loud noises and are just waiting for it all to end.
“It’s totally agricultural here, totally tranquil. There’s never a sound and that makes it more disruptive as the animals aren’t used to the noise and they just went hysterical,” he explained. “This is supposed to be an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and tranquillity. It was madness for a week and we don’t know if filming is finished yet.”
Meanwhile, as the production for the movie continues, a spokeswoman for NI Screen assured residents that they would be in contact with the movie’s production crew and address the issues that have been raised.
Aside from sending the countryside into an uproar, the stars have been enjoying themselves while filming in Northern Ireland. Soon after landing in Belfast, both Hunnam and Pattinson were spotted taking pictures and signing autographs for fans all over town.
Twilight star Pattinson even crashed the wedding of a complete stranger, no doubt giving the bride and her guests a great story for years to come.
Fans have been camping out near the areas where the film is being shot as well. One fan, go the thrill of a lifetime when Hunnam spotted the man’s tattoo, which just happened to be a rendering of his Sons of Anarchycharacter Jax Teller. While leaving the set, Charlie had his driver pull over just so he could get a closer look and ask the fan some questions about his ink, posing for a picture and signing an autograph.
Tell us! Do you think that the production team should have warned the locals about the noise that the shoot would cause? Are you excited to see Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson in The Lost City of Z ? Let us know in the comments below.
[Lead Image Courtesy: Kevin Winter / Getty Images]