STEVEN SEAGAL - SEAGAL PLEDGES HELP TO COSTA RICA

SEAGAL PLEDGES HELP TO COSTA RICA

Actor STEVEN SEAGAL has vowed to help officials in Costa Rica boost the country's movie industry.
The Under Siege star met with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias on Wednesday (11Feb09) to discuss ways to encourage more American filmmakers to work in the Central American country.
Seagal is adamant that the region's dramatic landscapes make perfect movie backdrops and would be a cheaper alternative for directors on tight budgets.
And the star has promised to use his Hollywood expertise to help bring more film projects to the area.
He says, "Costa Rica has everything - both rain forest and dry climate. What it lacks is an infrastructure to make movies."
Gerard Depardieu's 1992 movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise was shot in the country, while Mel Gibson also considered filming his 2006 epic Apocalypto there, but instead took the shoot to Mexico.