20 Things You Didn’t Know About Quantum Of Solace (2008)
16. Welcome To “Bolivia”, Mr Bond
It is well-known that both Bolivia and Chile were dissatisfied with the decision that Chile would represent Bolivia during filming. However, the Bolivian reaction to locations in Panama, including Panama City, representing their country was far more positive.
When extras casting agent, Ana Endara learned that Panama would represent Bolivia in the film, she contacted the Bolivian embassy, which suggested that the Embera tribe could believably portray the Bolivian peasants seen onscreen.
Living off the Chagres River, which is part of a national park and feeds into the Panama Canal, some of the Embera living further away from Panama City (which represented La Paz, Bolivia during filming) took a 40-minute boat trip downriver to the coast followed by an hour-long bus ride to reach the set each day.
Humorously, when Ana Endara first broached the topic of appearing in a James Bond film with the Embera, they believed that she was saying “King Kong” until one of them explained what she was actually saying!