"Mojado"

It was March of this year, and very bad things were taking place within the boarder towns of Mexico. So, I rightfully passed on the opportunity for Dylan to shoot the film "Mojado." The storyline takes place in a boarder town of Mexico and Texas and was scheduled to be shot in the deep southern desert of Mexico.

After declining, our manager called us back and informed us that the director only wanted Dylan for the role and does not want to use anyone else which we appreciated. My fear, however, is kidnapping which is common in certain areas of Mexico and South America. And I was concerned that the public awareness of the film production could allow any potential "bad guys" to know about our arrival. Simply put, it seemed like a potentially nightmarish situation.

As I thought about the situation, I could hear the logic of crazy kidnapping cartel playing out in my head: "cute American actor kid must be rich, so a nice ransom would be no problem." And I could only think of the potential wear and tear that such an occurrence would have on our son's soul. So, I don't consider the option. I say thank you, but no thank you to our manager.

Our team thought I was being over cautions until some of the realities and research on kidnappings started to be discussed. Soon everyone became aware and sensitive to the possibilities. Our manager, now on board with my concerns, calls production to once again pass on the opportunity.

We then learned that the production office here in LA once lived and worked out of Mexico City. An extended and established relationship still exists between the director who is out of London, the LA team, and the production team in Mexico City. I soon became much more comfortable knowing the extended history of our contact here with whom we had met and felt more than comfortable. Additionally, our manager decided to orchestrate a driver and guard for Dylan's protection throughout the entire shoot.

So, we were off to Mexico City. Once we landed, we had another three hour drive to our hotel location and yes, our driver and guard were there to greet us at the gate. Each day we drove 45 minutes to the film location, which was located within the Mexican Desert. The days were hot and the nights cold, but the film will be excellent and that's what matters.

It's good to be cautious and careful when traveling abroad especially in known areas of violence, so make sure you know the details of where you're going and all precautions that will be in place before making a final decision.

May your trips be safe and fun,

~CS