Joanna James
Thailand has been a favourite location for Hollywood due to its natural beauty, exotic locations and cultural heritage. If you want to travel down the road with some of the finest A-listers in the movie business, check out these places the next time you're in Phuket.
Starring Leonardo Dicaprio and directed by Danny Boyle, the movie Beach was filmed in 2000. Maya Bay, a small cove on the west side of Koh Phi Phi Leh, gained worldwide fame after being featured in this movie. Although the majority of the movie was shot in Koh Phi Phi, several of the film's earlier footage was shot in Phuket. For instance, the hotel room occupied by DiCaprio at the start of the movie was in Phuket Old Town. If you want to stay there yourself, look up the On On Hotel!
The 9th movie in the Bond franchise was shot in 1974 and featured Roger Moore as 007 and legendary actor Christopher Lee as the Bond villain, Francisco Scaramanga. The movie was primarily shot in locations in several Asian regions like Macau, Hong Kong and Thailand. In the movie, Scaramanga’s covert headquarters was concealed in Koh Ping Khan in exquisite Phang Nga Bay. The little islet has been fondly called James Bond Island and is a popular site that gets visited by many travellers each year.
Filmed in 2004, the sequel to the highly successful movie Bridget Jones Diary featured some locations of Phuket, while most of it was shot in Bangkok. Directed by Beeban Kidron, the movie featured the same stars as the original, like Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. The movie’s plot unfolds in Bangkok and Phuket Island. Phang Nga Bay was the shooting location for several of the movie's cruise scenes, and while watching the movie, you can catch glimpses of the airport and Nai Yang Beach. Additionally, some of the scenes were filmed near Panyee Island.
Filmed in 1993 by Oliver Stone, the movie was about the Vietnamese War and its repercussions. The screenplay was based on a factual account documented by Le Ly Hayslip. Its story tells of a young Vietnamese woman and her confrontations with the horrors of war and its aftermath. The Sino-Portuguese home shown in the film is Baan Chinpracha in Phuket Old Town. Sets of Vietnam's rural life were recreated in Krabi, just 2 hours away from Phuket.
The 18th Bond movie, released in 1997 and directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starred Pierce Brosnan as the charismatic spy 007. The film used several locations in Thailand, while Ho Chi Minh City locations were filmed in Bangkok and Phang Nga Bay was featured in the Bond movie for the second time. A Phuket junk boat also came to be featured in the movie: June Bahtra. It still operates sunset voyages in Phang Nga Bay. You can find many a luxury hotel in Phuket, and the likes of SAii Laguna Phuket are among the top choices.
Filmed in 2005 and produced by George Lucas, the 3rd prequel instalment of the Star Wars franchise featured some locations in southern Thailand. The massive limestone karsts and green vegetation of Krabi Province represented Kaashyyk, the planet of the Wookiees!
Released in 1987 and directed by Barry Levinson, the movie starred the late Robin Williams. The film had to use several locations to depict Vietnam, as the Vietnamese political regime prevented anyone from filming in the country. Most of the movie's jungle scenes were filmed on location in Phuket Island.
Starring Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox, this 1989 movie directed by Brian Di Palma was another Vietnam war story, which had to be filmed
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
