In addition to being a production assistant, Olenski is a snake shaman; a snake charmer if you will. He's the guy they go to when you need snakes for your shoot. Snakes have special significance in Asia, so there's a lot of call for snakes. Also, Olenski is just an all around nature guy.
One time, they needed butterflies and so Cris was asking the art department about it.
"Why don't you ask Olenski?" they said. Cris did and an hour later, Olenski arrived with a box full of butterflies. And this, according to Cris was in the middle of the city. No one knew how or where he got them. He just did.
Another time, the director was looking up at some bird in a tree overhead and mentioned how nice it would be if they could get a bird like that. Olenski was called and he climbed the tree, grabbed the bird and delivered it to the director. How he did it, no one could answer. He literally climbed the tree and grabbed the bird.
But the story that, to me, comes through as the quintessential Olenski story has to do with snakes.
Cris had a conversation with Olenski about snakes wherein Cris told him not to bring Cobras anymore because they freaked out the clients. Olenski nodded in understanding and the matter was dropped. A couple of days later, they needed snakes, and of course, Olenski had brought a canvas bag full of them.
But when it came time for the snakes, Cris saw that they were in fact Cobras.
"Olenski," he said, "What did I tell you about Cobras. They freak everybody out. I told you no Cobras."
Olenski answered with complete conviction, "But Cobras listen!"
--
In keeping with the animals theme, there was another fellow that Cris worked with (he couldn't remember his name) that had literally grown up at the Jakarta Zoo. This guy was world famous. He was flown to zoos all over the world to work with animals that couldn't or wouldn't mate in captivity. He would go live with them, sometimes for weeks, and they would relax.
"He would talk to them," Cris explained. "In Indonesian of course, not animals noises or anything. And after awhile they would relax enough so that they could mate." He'd worked with everything from rhinos to eagles.
Walking through the zoo with him was something to behold as all the animals seemed to notice him and call out to him.
One time, Cris was following him through the zoo and this guy entered the otter cage. Cris said he never saw anything like it. The guy started talking and the otters all lined up in front of him in a semi-circle and listened attentively.
--
Not to be outdone, Wade, another producer told a story about a time in his youth. They used to like to take hallucinogenic mushrooms and go a different place each time in order to experience them. One day they went to the zoo.
Wade was wandering around the zoo and found himself in the primate hall. It was a "U" shaped room with chimps and apes surrounding you. Wade was tripping pretty hard at this point and was wearing sunglasses. As he walked into the room, he noticed the alpha male chimp...and he was staring at Wade. Of course, Wade's first thought was, "Is that monkey staring at me?" but dismissed it as paranoia brought on by the drugs. But then the chimp began to get agitated and rushed the bars, screaming at Wade. At this point, all the other primates, most of whom had been laying around lazily, began to jump up and down and scream as well.
Wade claims he had done nothing unusual, but just assumed that this monkey knew he was wasted, and for whatever reason, did not approve. But even this he had to question as paranoia until a little girl near him pointed at Wade and said to her father, "Daddy, the monkey doesn't like that man."
Wade left quickly, his murky memory suggests he might have even run, and has never been back.
He's afraid the chimp will remember him.
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