‘The Revenant’ Starring Leonardo DiCaprio Has Major Ties To BC

The five-time Academy Award nominee and coveted American actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest movie, The Revenant, is deeply infused with beautiful British Columbia.

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DiCaprio’s wife on screen is played by Gracey Dove, the host of APTN’s underEXPOSED. Dove is from the Canim Lake Indian Band in northern B.C and grew up in Prince George. She is now based out of Vancouver to pursue her passions and career in acting. The Revenant is the biggest of breaks for the young artist who is also a photographer. She’s definitely Hollywood bound from Hollywood North!

Filming took place at a studio in Burnaby and on location in Victoria in addition to Alberta, the States and Argentina. The film was a difficult production even for DiCaprio who called it his “most difficult film”. It was shot entirely with natural lighting, in remote locations and without green screen and added effects. Filming saw delays, an increased budget and some creative solutions: Argentina was used for the film’s ending because the weather in Canada was too warm and there wasn’t enough snow.

I am absolutely THRILLED to finally be able to reveal the biggest news of my life thus far. I had the honour this summer to work alongside some of the biggest names in the industry and I am SO grateful to the creator and my ancestors for guiding me through this whirlwind of an adventure. I am so excited to announce that I play #LeonardoDicaprio 's wife in his upcoming film #TheRevenant directed by none-other than oscar winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu! This film took me to the end of the world, and back (literally) I filmed in Ushuaia, Argentina and in the desert of California. Right from the beginning, I made bold choices in my audition, manifested greatness, and truly believed this is exactly where I belong. I can’t express how thankful I am for DiCaprio’s generosity, and for sharing his insights on the work and what it means to be a storyteller. Director Innaritu and cinematograher Emanuel Lubezki (Chivo) are the most brilliant artists I have had the opportunity of working with, and challenged me every step of the way to create the level of work to meet their vision. I truly came up against myself, and everything I have ever worked for… I had to journey deep into heart and say YES every step of the way. The biggest lesson I learned in this project is that being an actor is not “glamorous” and doesn’t necessarily feel good in the moment. Its about truth, and going to these places emotionally is exhausting and all too real. I know this is my true calling because I am able to share these emotions for the world to see. Kukwtsétsemc (thank-you) again to the Creator, my ancestors, my ARCHIE, SYME and HALL families and to my friends and fans for the continued support. This is just the beginning of a huge future for our people, and I am so hyped for all the doors that just opened… I have been working my whole life for this and I am ready. Please forward any media requests to my agent Darren Boidman: [email protected] And make sure to follow my #tvshow @underexposedtv LOVE IS THE WORD// SAY YES// IT CAN HAPPEN. #GraceDove #NDN #Secwepemc #CanimLake #Actress #Shuswap #Canada #Vancouver #LosAngeles #PrinceGeorge

A photo posted by Grace Dove (@_gracedove) on Sep 28, 2015 at 2:23pm PDT

The film also stars Tom Hardy and was directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Limited release is on December 25th, 2015 and a wide release on January 8th 2016.

By: Amar Mirchandani @amarmirch