Hollywood actor Liam Neeson pictured with Peter Hodge of Peter Hodge Camel Hire and Training.
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To misquote Oscar nominee Liam Neeson’s most famous movie line, I will look for you, I will find you and I will cast you.
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This is not how Peter Hodge of Peter Hodge Camel Hire and Training was asked to appear in Neeson’s latest movie, The Mongoose, which is currently being filmed in Victoria (although that would have been cool).
Instead, the Cosgrave local was contacted by Paws on Film producer Lauren Sellwood.
“Lauren has quite a few animals, but she also sources other animals, and obviously, when any camel jobs come up, she rings me,” Mr Hodge said.
“The timing is funny because we’ve got Netflix, and my wife and I have been watching all these Liam Neeson movies.”
The Mongoose stars Neeson as Ryan ‘Fang’ Flanagan, a war hero wrongfully accused of a crime.
With nothing to lose, he leads the police on an epic televised cross-country car chase, assisted by members of his former Special Forces army battalion, as a fascinated public cheers him on.
The film is directed by veteran stunt professional Mark Vanselow and boasts a star-studded lineup, including Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, Mission Impossible star Ving Rhames and Emmy winner Michael Chiklis (The Shield).
Although The Mongoose is being filmed primarily in Bacchus Marsh, Castlemaine and Bangholme, Mr Hodge’s scenes were shot at Wilson’s Quarry in Altona over two days during the last week of January.
“Liam Neeson’s been captured by the Taliban, and of course, the Taliban have donkeys, camels and goats,” Mr Hodge said.
“I had to dress up as a Taliban and walk my camels around the place.
“They had the drone filming us, and we had to pretend that we were getting shot at, and I try to hide behind the camels and run away while he (Neeson) is being tortured, so it’s all good fun.”
Speaking of fun, Mr Hodge didn’t just leave with a new addition to his CV, but an amusing yarn to spin.
While walking out from set with camels in tow, he noticed a black car driving down the road with a woman hanging out of the window, recording the camels.
“Everyone who sees camels wants to video them,” he said.
“So, of course, I walk over to put the camel’s head in the car so she can take a picture of it, and Liam Neeson’s on the other side — can you believe that?
“I said, ‘Oh, Liam! Can I get a photo?’
“And he said, ‘Oh god, no’.”
Fans of Neeson fear not.
Unlike his hardened characters in Taken and Schindler’s List, Neeson was simply running late to set that day.
And Mr Hodge’s story has a happy ending.
“I was devastated, but it gets better,” he said.
“The next day, we’re standing there with the camels, and he comes over, puts his arm around me and says, ‘Sorry about yesterday, I was just in a hurry’.
“I was actually happy that it happened because otherwise, he wouldn’t have known who I was or come up to me, put his arm around me, and got a photo.
“Here I am with one of the biggest actors in the world ... and he’s a very nice man.”
Mr Hodge shared that sentiment with everyone he met during filming, describing it as a “comfortable environment”.
Although they may not have much in common, Neeson mirrored the feelings of the regional camel worker, expressing his excitement about filming in Victoria for the third time in four years.
“I’m honoured to be back in Victoria working on my latest film with one of the best crews, again, that I have ever worked with in over 100 movies,” he said.
Expect to see Mr Hodge and his A-list camels (and some Hollywood actors) on the big screen when The Mongoose hits theatres in 2026.
Peter Hodge with a fellow animal handler on location during filming of The Mongoose.
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