The day has arrived that I have been waiting for since the middle of August and you too can now go and enjoy Dolphin Tale 2 at the cinemas and I promise you that you will not be disappointed.I have really enjoyed sharing my adventure in Clearwater with you as we went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and met the staff and also met the animals who are featured in the movie. I have also shared with you my interview with Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff when we looked out how their characters had developed and how they help to run CMA in the film. Today however I want to share with you a few other moments from our trip to Florida to meet these amazing animals and people and why I think you should make going to see Dolphin Tale 2 a priority.
Alison and I spent a morning interviewing the director and the stars of the film as part of a roundtable with other journalists and it was really interesting to not only meet and talk to the actors but also to listen to the questions the other journalists had to ask. Alison spent the whole morning ignoring whoever was sitting next to her even when Morgan Freeman sang to her!
Unfortunately, my photos are not fantastic from our interviews but at least Cuddly Cow got close enough to the stars to prove we were there.
Interviewing Morgan Freeman was amazing and he is such a lovely down to earth eye that it was a real pleasure to speak to him. One of my favourite quotes from the first film is when Morgan Freeman’s character says “Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean you are broken”. That resonates really well with me after all Elizabeth has been through and I asked Morgan about that quote. As a FibroMyalgia sufferer that was caused by a bad car crash about six years ago, Morgan has lost the use of his left hand. He explained that he misses being able to do more stuff for himself and has been unable to take roles he really wanted because of his disability but like Winter he just gets on with it and does what he can. One of the other journalists asked him how he prevents his fame from going to his head and his response really made me think.
I love sailing. The sea is one of the best equalizers on this planet. It doesnt care who you are or what you do, it can still kill you. When I feel that everything is getting to much I go sailing, out there I dont have time to think.
Out of all of the stars that I interviewed Ashley Judd made an impression on me. She loves nature and after battling a horrific childhood and adult addictions she has turned herself around and now looks at the world in a different way. I could honestly have spent hours listening to her talk about the way she lives her life. She loves going for walks in the hills near her home with no shoes on, she recycles whenever she can including carrying her rubbish home to put it in the bin even if she has to get a flight home. She describes working on set and how she believes that Winter had a choice to die or to stay alive and live with humans and how we should be grateful for her choice. She talks about the other animals she met including Wally the Sea Otter who was her favourite resident and how cuddling a pelican is such an awesome experience. She really enjoyed filming Dolphin Tale 2 and working with the animals and was glad that the film focused on the good work that CMA does as well as the storyline around Winter and Hope. One of the things that will stay with me for a long time is something she learned in life that she shared
Unsolicited advice is critisism
Dolphin Tale 2 is an inspirational film, featuring inspirational actors and based on an inspirational true story. It is cute, funny and a great feel-good movie that is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I would also recommend staying to the end and seeing the real-life footage taken by the CMA staff of the rescues and releases of the animals featured in the films.Come back and let me know what you thought when you have seen it!