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Home / Entertainment

Paddington bears his soul on fame

Chris Schulz
By Chris Schulz
NZ Herald·
16 Dec, 2014 04:00 PM5 mins to read

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Cute but troublesome Paddington Bear stars in the movie named after him.

Cute but troublesome Paddington Bear stars in the movie named after him.

Furry star surprised by success, denies eating earwax and tells of his love of marmalade made the right way.

Paddington is set to be one of the year's biggest films for kids - so we got Arlo Schulz, aged four-and-three-quarters, to help his entertainment writer dad Chris, to think up some questions for its cuddly but troublesome star, Paddington Bear.

Good morning Mr Paddington, and congratulations on your film. Did you have any concerns about becoming a movie star?

When I was first asked to make the film I didn't even think about the fact that I might become a movie star so by the time it happened it was a bit too late to change my mind. I do quite enjoy being famous although sometimes it does take a long time to get anywhere as people keep stopping me in the street to take my photo.

You have some celebrity co-stars helping you out, including Nicole Kidman and Peter Capaldi. How did you get along with all the other actors?

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They were all very kind to me. I don't think any of them had ever worked with a bear before but then I'd never worked with actors before, either. Even Mr Capaldi, who plays the part of the Browns' neighbour Mr Curry, was very friendly although I must admit I didn't like it very much when he was wearing his costume and make-up because he looked so like him.

Everyone seems to be saying nice things - are you happy with the reviews the film has had?

It's very exciting and I couldn't quite believe it when I read some of them. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because lots of Mr [David] Heyman's other films have had nice reviews and I thought Mr [Paul] King was a very good director. Not that I've worked with any directors before but he seemed very good at telling people what to do.

You travel between Peru and London in the film. If you had a choice, where would you prefer to live?

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That's a very hard question because there are so many lovely things about both places. Now that the Browns have made me feel so welcome and part of the family I think of London as being my home but I do miss my Aunt Lucy who still lives in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima.

The film makes much of your love of marmalade? Can you share your secret recipe? It looks very yummy.

The first thing to remember is that you have to use the right sort of oranges. Then you have to cut up the peel. It takes rather a long time with paws but it's worth doing it properly because the chunks are very important. After you've added the sugar you have to cook it until it sets. That's the part I enjoy most because you have to keep testing it. I always make sure I test it lots of times to be on the safe side.

You're always in mischief. How do you always manage to get into so much trouble?

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I'm not really sure. I don't ever intend to get into trouble but things just seem to happen to me. I'm that sort of a bear. I always start out with the best of intentions but for some reason things always seem to go wrong.

What is the worst trouble you've been in?

That's another difficult question to answer as there are a lot of occasions to choose from. Mr Brown says that his insurance premium has gone through the roof since I arrived. I don't know about that but I do know that I nearly fell through the roof once. Even things like having a bath can become quite complicated when you're a bear.

Why did you eat your own earwax and what does it taste like?

I'm very pleased to say I didn't really do that. I think it's called 'artistic licence'. I'm not sure what they used instead but it didn't taste very nice, whatever it was. They probably did that so that I would pull a face when I had to lick it.

You seem to enjoy travelling. Would you like to visit New Zealand one day?

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I enjoy travelling so I'm sure I would like it very much. Do you have marmalade in New Zealand? If not then I would have to bring a few extra jars in my suitcase. I've heard that it's on the other side of the world from London so I expect it would be quite a long journey and I might get hungry on the way.

What adventures would you like to get up to while you're here?

Mr Gruber told me that people often go to New Zealand to do things like white water rafting and skydiving. Although I like going on adventures, that sounds a bit too exciting even for me. I prefer to keep my paws on the ground if I can so I expect I would enjoy sightseeing. I've seen some photographs and the scenery looks lovely. Some of it even reminds me a little of darkest Peru.

• As told to Karen Jankel, the daughter of Paddington author Michael Bond.

Movie interview
Who: Paddington Bear
What: Paddington, the movie
When and where: Opens at cinemas tomorrow.

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