Summer a breeze for cast of Bones

After 43 days of hour-long commutes and filming in freezing conditions in the United States, film-maker Peter Jackson is home to film his version of heaven for The Lovely Bones.

Completing the movie in Wellington during an uncharacteristically dry summer felt almost like making two separate movies, Jackson told The Dominion Post yesterday. He was giving an exclusive interview during a photo call with his main stars Mark Wahlberg, 13-year-old Irish actress Saoirse Ronan and 18-year-old Kiwi Rose McIver.

"It has got a strange feeling about it. I had psychologically got used to the idea that we were done with the movie when we'd shot our chunk in Pennsylvania. But what we are doing here is very different."

The 26-day shoot in Wellington began this week and his main actors are enjoying it.

Wahlberg, who is considered one of Hollywood's best actors, plays Jack Salmon, a man dealing with the horror of his daughter Susie being raped and murdered. It is a grim topic, but away from the cameras he and his on-screen daughters, played by Ronan and McIver, laughed and teased.

"They're so talented, it's amazing to see," Wahlberg said. "It's easy for me. I just show up and talk. They have to do accents.

"These girls work tremendously hard. They re-instil the importance of professionalism for myself. I like to show up late and kind of goof off."

McIver said: "He's always messing about and laughing about on the job."

Ronan said: "When he's trying to do a serious scene and he's supposed to be crying, he decides to laugh instead and throws off all the other actors."

Wahlberg shot back: "It's a little hard working with her with the nomination and stuff," referring to Ronan's nomination last week for a best supporting actress Oscar in the film Atonement.

"She's my sweetheart. She was the one that promised me I'd would be safe when I came here," he joked. "I was worried. I have never travelled this far, especially being away from my family."

But he was enjoying the Kiwi experience. "People just work so hard here. They all want to bring Pete's vision to the screen. They are all working for the same thing, everybody's very much a part of it. You see people doing multiple jobs.

"It's very much a family atmosphere. I like it a lot."