Apocalypto - actors, characters and roles
All actors and their roles in the film "Apocalypto"
Apocalypto (2006)
Timing:
2:18 (138 min)
7.596/10
6180
6180
8.066/10
407999
407999
7.8/10
357000
357000
Actors and characters
Amilcar Ramírez
Character Curl Nose
Israel Contreras
Character Smoke Frog
Israel Ríos
Character Cocoa Leaf
Espiridion Acosta Cache
Character Old Story Teller
Mayra Sérbulo
Character Young Woman
Rodolfo Palacios
Character Snake Ink
Lorena Heranandez
Character Village Girl
Itandehui Gutierrez
Character Wife
Sayuri Gutierrez
Character Eldest Daughter
Hiram Soto
Character Fish Hunter
José Suárez
Character First Temple Sacrifice
Ariel Galván
Character Hanging Moss
Ricardo Diaz Mendoza
Character Cut Rock
Richard Can
Character Ten Peccary
Carlos Ramos
Character Monkey Jaw
Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza
Character Buzzard Hook
Marco Antonio Argueta
Character Speaking Wind
Javier Escobar
Character Vicious Holcane
Fernando Hernández
Character High Priest
Maria Isidra Hoil
Character Oracle Girl
Aquetzali García
Character Oracle Girl
Ronaldo Eknal
Character Slave Auctioneer
Miriam Tun
Character Woman Auctioneer
Rafael Velez
Character King
Diana Botello
Character Queen
Joaquin Rendon
Character Head Chac
What's left behind the scenes
- Unrelenting rains in Mexico caused the release date of the film to be moved from March 4, 2006, to December 8, 2006.
- Due to the unpredictable climate of the Mexican forests, an additional concern for the film crew was protecting the digital equipment from sudden rains. In the event of extreme heat, it was wrapped in special blankets capable of reflecting high temperatures. Thermometers even had to be attached to all the cameras. And during the filming of the scene at the waterfall, they were placed in special waterproof bags designed by Pete Romano.
- Most of the notable roles were played by descendants of the Mayan Indians, who had never acted before in their lives. For example, the role of the small, sick girl who curses the hunters was given to a 7-year-old villager who strongly resembled the area where the Lap Yaaguara tribe lived.
- In the trailer for "Apocalypto," one can notice many characters who never actually appeared in the film itself.
- During the casting for Mel Gibson and Farad Safinia, it was important to choose actors suitable for the created characters. For example, Rudy Youngblood attracted Gibson with his correspondence to the mythical archetype of a hero.
- When Mel Gibson was a teenager, an older boy called him "Almost," which deeply offended the ambitious Mel. The same element was later added to the film by director Gibson: that is what one of the hunters calls the hero, Rudy Youngblood.
- The characters speak in the Yucatec Mayan dialect, and the film is shown in cinemas with subtitles. To help the actors learn the unfamiliar language they were to perform in, special consultants were included in the film crew to conduct Mayan language lessons. In addition, each actor had a player with them to constantly listen to and memorize their lines.
- The film was shot in Veracruz and Catemaco – one of the last places in Mexico where sections of tropical forest still remain. The film features exclusively representatives of the indigenous population of America, for most of whom this was their film debut. To find actors with the appropriate appearance, castings were held throughout Mexico, especially in Yucatan, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. Some future actors were found in other countries, including the USA and Canada. Not all of them are descendants of the Maya, but they all come from various Indian tribes, meaning they are native inhabitants of the continent.
- Before filming began, director Mel Gibson and screenwriter Farad Safinia spent several months studying Mayan texts, including the most famous, the "Popol Vuh." Subsequently, Farad Safinia noted: "We discovered that the problems considered key to Mayan civilization are surprisingly similar to the difficulties our civilization faces today, especially when it comes to widespread environmental destruction, excessive consumption, and political corruption."
- The film's title, "Apocalypto," has been incorrectly translated in Russian distribution. In fact, it is not even an English word, but a Greek verb with a range of meanings: "to reveal oneself," "to discover the truth," and so on.
- In addition to the leading actors, some scenes required the participation of at least 700 extras.
- Gibson stated that they wanted to "shake up the stagnant genre of the adventure action film," dominated by computer technology, conventional stories, and minor roles, and create a chase "like a car race where you just need to flip switches."
- In the audio commentary for the first DVD release of the film, Safinia states that the basis of the story told by the old shaman (played by Espiridion Acosta Cache, a Mayan storyteller) was a genuine Mesoamerican story, translated into modern Yucatec Maya by a young Mayan professor, Hilario Chi Canul, who participated in setting the dialogue during filming.
- While developing the script, Safinia and Gibson traveled to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the Yucatan Peninsula to scout filming locations and visit Mayan ruins.
- The film crew included a large group of makeup artists and costume designers; they worked to give a large number of performers the appearance of Mayans. A makeup team led by Aldo Signoretti applied appliques depicting tattoos, scars, and earlobe tunnels to all actors appearing on screen daily. According to consultant Richard D. Harris: “I spent hours studying ceramics and drawings in search of tattoo images. All scarifications and tattoos, jade-inlaid teeth, objects inserted into the ears were researched. A small rod threaded through the ears and nasal septum was a completely artistic innovation. An example of the attention to detail: the tattoo depiction (a horizontal stripe with two dots above it) on Seven, the wife of Jaguar Paw, is a symbolic designation used by the Maya for the number seven.”
- Mel Gibson wanted the film Apocalypto to be shot against the backdrop of real buildings and did not want to rely on computer-generated imagery. Most of the stepped pyramids in the Mayan city were models built by Thomas E. Sanders.
- Although many of the architectural details of the Mayan city are correct, they are a mixture taken from different areas and eras. Farad Safinia stated that this was done for aesthetic reasons.
- Although the film is set in the Postclassic period of Mayan civilization, the central pyramid is taken from the Classic period, which ended in 900 AD. Moreover, the temples are modeled on the temples of Tikal in the Classic style of the central valleys and, at the same time, decorated in the Puuc architectural style of the northwestern region of Yucatan, which became established centuries later.
- The images on the frescoes depicting the heroes' journey were taken from Mayan codices, the ruins of Bonampak (frescoes made 700 years before the film was created), and the ruins of San Bartolo (1500 years before filming).
- The waterfall shown in the film is a real waterfall called Salto de Eyipantla in San Andrés Tuxtla.
- The film featured many animals, including the Central American tapir and the black panther. In scenes where animals are wounded, animatronics or puppets were used.
- The film drew criticism from a number of Mayan scholars and archaeologists, who believed that Mayan society was presented by the director as exclusively cruel. Among other things, critics expressed the opinion that the ancient Maya were depicted as “bloodthirsty savages,” while their achievements in mathematics and astronomy were not given due attention. Furthermore, some historians and representatives of indigenous communities accused the film of distorting historical facts and racism.
- During filming at the waterfall, when Jaguar Paw escapes from the hunters and jumps down, a real cow heading upstream actually ran across the waterfall. Only after a local resident swam to the cow and calmed it down did it return to the shore and continue grazing as if nothing had happened.
- For the waterfall jump scene, Rudy Youngblood performed the dangerous stunt himself. Using a safety harness, he jumped from a 15-story building in Veracruz. This jump was later digitally composited onto footage of a real waterfall.
- English armorer and weapons maker Simon Atherton, who had worked with Gibson on the film 'Braveheart,' was hired to research Maya weaponry and create its replicas. Gibson cast Atherton as a Franciscan monk holding a cross in one of the film's final scenes.
- Representatives of Maya indigenous communities filed a complaint with the human rights commission of the Mexican state of Yucatan. They believe the film is “discriminatory and denigrates the history and culture of the Maya.” The complaint states, with references to historical works, that human sacrifice was very rare among the Maya and practiced only in isolated cases. The complaint also expresses dissatisfaction with the depiction of Spanish conquistadors as saviors: “It was these ‘peacekeepers’ who, with fire and sword, destroyed temples and manuscript repositories, demolished cities, threw all those who refused to accept Christianity into the flames of bonfires, and turned a free people into slaves.” Indigenous leaders also believe that the film incorrectly portrays historical details: “The director should have known that the Maya never pierced their noses, lips, or cheeks to adorn themselves with gold rods, wood, or silver wire.” Despite the protests of the elders, 'Apocalypto' was released in Mexican theaters.
- On the 78th minute of the film, a solar eclipse occurs on screen. During a solar eclipse, the Moon faces the Earth with its unlit side (new moon). On the 98th minute of the film, a full moon is shown. Approximately 12 hours pass between these events in the course of the film (the eclipse was during the day, the full moon rose at night). In reality, approximately two weeks (half of a synodic month – 14.765 days) should pass between a new moon and a full moon.
- Unrelenting rains in Mexico caused the release of the film to be postponed from March 4, 2006, to December 8, 2006.
- Due to the unpredictable climate of the Mexican forests, the film crew had to take extra care to protect the digital equipment from sudden downpours. In case of extreme heat, it was wrapped in special blankets capable of reflecting high temperatures. They even had to attach thermometers to all the cameras. And during the filming of the waterfall scene, they were placed in special waterproof bags designed by Pete Romano.
- Most of the prominent roles were played by descendants of the Maya Indians, who had never acted before. For example, the role of the small, sick girl who curses the hunters was given to a 7-year-old girl from a village that strongly resembled the place where the Lapu Jaguar tribe lived.
- The trailer for "Apocalypto" features many characters who do not appear in the film itself.
- During casting for Mel Gibson and Farad Safinia, it was important to choose actors suitable for the created characters. Thus, Rudy Youngblood attracted Gibson with his correspondence to the mythical archetype of a hero.
- When Mel Gibson was a teenager, an older boy called him “Almost,” which deeply offended the ambitious Mel. The same element was later added to the film by director Gibson: this is how one of the hunters addresses the hero Rudy Youngblood.
- Before filming began, director Mel Gibson and screenwriter Farad Safinia spent several months studying Mayan texts, including the most famous one, the “Popol Vuh.” Later, Farad Safinia noted: “We discovered that the problems considered key to Mayan civilization surprisingly resemble the difficulties our civilization faces now, especially when it comes to widespread environmental destruction, excessive consumption, and political corruption.”
- Gibson stated that they wanted to “shake up the stagnant genre of adventure action,” dominated by computer technology, ordinary stories, and minor roles, and create a chase “like a car race where you just have to flip switches.”
- For the waterfall jump scene, Rudy Youngblood performed the dangerous stunt himself. With the help of a safety harness, he jumped from a 15-story building in Veracruz. Later, this jump was overlaid with computer graphics onto footage of a real waterfall.
- An English armorer and weaponsmith, Simon Atherton, who had previously worked with Gibson on the film "Braveheart," was hired to research Mayan weapons and create replicas. Gibson cast Atherton as a Franciscan monk holding a cross in one of the film’s final scenes.
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