Filming "Get Smart"
Filming of "Get Smart" took place in Los Angeles, Montreal, Moscow's Red Square and several locations around Washington D.C. -- all in a single day. "Washington DC is the hardest place to shoot, even harder than Red Square," says Segal.
"Even though we had permits the Department of Parks and Recreation has jurisdiction over the Washington Mall. We have a shot of Steve walking along the Mall, and suddenly, they wanted us out in eight minutes. Our producer smooth-talked them into giving us an extra four and a half minutes." The clock was also ticking at the Smithsonian, which originally declined the request but ultimately granted Segal 10 minutes to get a shot of Carell crossing through the rotunda.
Photo courtesy Tracy Bennett/Warner Bros. Pictures
Steve Carell flies in one of the classic sports cars driven
in the movie.
Moscow presented a different problem. "I'd been told it's a tricky place to shoot and just because it costs X on paper, doesn't mean that's what you'll be spending," explains Segal. "We flew there to scout, and it was closed for a military rally. We weren't allowed in so we had to shake hands, with a little cash."
The climactic chase involving cars, a train and an airplane runs about five minutes in the movie but it took six weeks to film in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles. "The weather changes constantly, from fog to sun, and you have to make it look like one scene. It's very difficult," Segal points out. "But it was a blast to shoot."
In other scenes, fans of the original "Get Smart" will recognize several sports cars identical to the ones driven in the series: a blue Karmann Ghia, a gold Opel GT and a red Sunbeam Tiger.
Steve Carell's involvement got "Get Smart" the green light, and attracted other talent to the project. Peter Segal signed on after he saw an early preview of "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." And Dwayne Johnson lobbied to play super-agent 23, even though the part was small in the original script.  Photo courtesy Tony Rivetti Jr./Warner Bros. Pictures Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart As for Agent 99, "Everyone in town wanted this role. Multiple Oscar winners wanted to come in to audition because they loved Steve Carell. Segal met Anne Hathaway but thought she was a little young for the part. He couldn't get past her "Princess Diaries" history, despite "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Devil Wears Prada." But then she came in and read with Carell, "and they clicked the second she sat down. We auditioned a dozen or actresses after that and none of them came close." "Heroes'" Masi Oka, a Second City alum, jumped at the chance to do a comedy and work with Steve Carell. "He's so generous with the laughs. He gave people jokes. He wanted everyone to be funny -- it wasn't just about him," says Oka, likening the experience to "comedy camp." There are also a few choice cameos in "Get Smart" with characters from the original series, among them Hymie the Robot, played by Patrick Warburton. |
And to make things even more complicated, there's a parallel story they filmed that will be released this summer. Find out more about Bruce and Lloyd's story in the next section.
