In THE GREY, Liam Neeson's character leads an unruly group of oil-rig roughnecks when their plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. Battling mortal injuries and merciless weather, the survivors have only a few days to escape the icy elements – and a vicious pack of rogue wolves on the hunt – before their time runs out.

Latino stuntman Ben Bray plays “Hernandez” in the film. After 23 years as a stuntman with over 100 film and television credits Ben decided to start pursuing his acting career. We got the opportunity to talk with Ben about his work on “The Grey”.

Entertainment Affair: How was it working in such cold weather?
Ben Bray: “It was cold. It was cold and did I mention it was cold. Oh my God it was so cold. In my 20 years in the business it was physically one of the most demanding jobs I’ve ever done. When you watch the film and you see these winds, the snow and the storm and everything that’s going on; people are going to ask what was that a wind machine, was that CGI (computer-generated imagery), was that special effects? Nope that was the real deal. We were in a place called Smithers, Canada. It was 30 below weather with 80 mph winds. There were moments we didn’t think we were going to make it through. We were really living those characters.”

EA: Stunt coordinator, second unit director and actor on The Grey? How do you juggle your three roles during the movie?
BB: “I’ll never do it again.” –he jokes. “I was wearing three hats. It was challenging but Joe Carnahan (director) is a wonderful guy. He really believed in me and he knew my ability as an actor and he really wanted me to play this part. I was very privileged, very proud, very thankful to be able to do it.”

EA: You also did shooting on a backlot; how were you able to recreate the location?
BB: “It was the wonderful work of the crew. What’s great about this industry that we’re in is that we have a lot of creative people and artists that just do a fantastic job. And I think it was the fact that everybody really believed in this movie. I know it sounds so cliché but really everybody loved the story and what it was about and everybody loved Joe, the director. When you work with people you really care about, especially the director, you want to give 150%.”

EA: How was it working with wolves? Were they real wolves or did you have animatronics or computer generated wolves?
BB: “You just named all the list. We had real wolves, we had animatronic wolves and we also had the cg wolves. We had all three. And the reason being what we learned during preproduction and filming is that real wolves don’t act like the wolves we see obviously on film and television. They’re a lot like dogs. Of course they are going to protect and attack and do what they have to do to survive but to the level of what the story was that Joe was telling these things were vicious. They were like wolves on steroids. It’s really scary. I hope they don’t exist in real life.”

EA: In such a testosterone charged film does it have a different feel to you to be on a set with mostly men rather than any women?
BB: “There is a family, camaraderie element. It’s like the guys club. You feel like it was a fraternity. It was really smart what Joe did. Joe put us together very early on in the film just hanging out. We built this relationship. He didn’t want us just to be acting in front of the camera. He wanted to see behavior. Talking about sports and politics and everything. It was very real and that was important. We all worked together as a team, like a familia. I don’t think I’ll ever experience that again.”

EA: Is it tough to see yourself on the screen when you watch the movie back?
BB: “Always. It’s always hard to talk about yourself and see yourself and at the same time I’m very thankful, so privileged. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel blessed. This is a very difficult industry to be in and to make a living. You are your worst critic. Its hard but I think that’s important for me to be that way because it keeps me on my toes and makes me want to be better.”

EA: You have achieved many great things in your career so far; is there something that you want to do that you haven’t done yet?
BB: “Direct.  I want to direct. Right now I’m in the middle of writing a screenplay with Joe Carnahan so that’s the next challenge. I’ve had this progression in my career the last 20 years where I’ve been a stuntman, a stunt coordinator and second unit director. Really the next step is to direct and also produce.

EA: Any message you would like to give to our Latino readers that are trying to make it in the business?
BB: “Don’t give up. That’s the most important thing. Especially being part of the Latino community boys and girls, men and women believe in your dreams. Stay focused. Don’t listen to anything that’s negative. Don’t give up. If you believe in yourself it’s all about perseverance. The more Latinos we have working in the industry the better.”

Catch ‘The Grey’ in theaters nationwide this Friday, January 27!

Photo Credit: Dininger