In other words, Schneider wanted the money set aside for the film to actually be seen in the film-- not in his pocketbook or in the hands of some special effects company.
"I tried to do everything I could physically," Schneider said. "I did a lot of Yoga and I had a Chinese medicine guy on the set, so I could really get my leg up high to my head when I was acting like a dog. Sure it wasn't straight up, but it was close enough to be believable."
Getting his own leg close to a 90 degree angle wasn't the only challenge Schneider faced on the set of "The Animal"-- trying not to die while filming the movie was a challenge in itself. Despite having to do some dangerous one-take, six-camera shots, Schneider also had to worry about his allergies-- or to be more specific, his allergies towards animals in general.
That's right. The 'man-mal' is allergic to animals.
"I don't have any pets because I am allergic to animals," Schneider admitted. "I got so focused during this movie though that I didn't sneeze once during the shoot. Horses, goats, monkeys, dogs... nothing had me sneezing."
Schneider wasn't the only one on the set that found the shoot to be a bit challenging. CBS "Survivor" sweetheart Colleen Haskell, who spent over 30 days on an island in Malaysia fighting for her life, insists that her experience on the set of her first feature film was even more of an adventure than being stranded with Richard Hatch miles away from home.
""The Animal" was a job while "Survivor" was a game show, so it was a lot harder this time around," Haskell said. "Sure, maybe I could have been bitten by a snake in "Survivor," but I knew the guys would rescue me beforehand. Or maybe I was hungry, but I knew I would get food somewhere. This time though I had to wake up at 5 a.m. and was working not just for myself, like "Survivor," but for everyone else there-- the crew, the audience, everyone."
Haskell said that while many people would think that "Survivor" helped prepare her for the role, in reality the only thing being on "Survivor" prepared her for was getting used to the cameras taping her every move.
