She was hired by Sled and Tamara Reynolds of Gentle Jungle in Cali-fornia to work as a stunt woman in the film, but Megan was also given two small parts to play. She appears in the film as a belly dancer and a menagerie man.
It was quite a thrill for her to get to know Reese Witherspoon who has the main role in the love story which is enacted in a circus. She taught Witherspoon to do Roman riding which involved standing astride on two horses while cantering. "I found her to be very friendly and easy to work with. Reese is a lovely, kind, professional actress that helps make everyone on set feel right at home.
"Robert Pattinson is also really a cool guy, yet a very shy man who keeps to himself. He asked me a lot of questions about horses and animals," remarked Megan who noticed women swarming around him when they got the chance.
Animal power
Megan, who shows a special affinity with animals and has grown up on a horse’s saddle, helped teach the "liberty" horses to do their circus acts - to lie down and sit up. She rode the Indian elephant and helped control other circus animals like the camel, zebra, and giraffes. This even involved standing poised with a pitch fork and fire extinguisher when it came to moving the big cats like tigers and lions to and from the circus tent.
Whilst working on location Megan wrestled a lama to the ground, much to the amusement of the film extras who applauded spontaneously. This followed a scene in the film where the animals escaped from the circus. This hands-on approach comes naturally to her. Being in tune with animals means you simply are very sensitive to and aware of their moods. They respond to kindness and the animals are rewarded for their performance.
The film, which also stars Christoph Waltz is to be released on 22 April.
At the Reynolds’ Californian ranch, Frazier Park, animals are trained to be used in the film industry. Filming took place in a valley one hour’s drive from Hollywood.
Love story
Megan’s parents, Edda and Elbrus Ourtaev’s love story of having met at the circus is equally as romantic as the love story in the film, and it helps to explain how a 22-year-old woman, besotted with animals, especially horses, has become such a skilled acrobat.
Megan spent a great deal of time in a circus environment where her stepfather worked and time on her grandfather, Fritz Matern’s, Arabian horsebreeding farm in Vanderbijlpark. He has now relocated to a farm near Pacaltsdorp where Megan lives on a cottage near her four horses. From the age of six she was quite infatuated with these noble animals.
Always at ease in the saddle, Megan’s career as a stunt-rider got launched when, interestingly enough, her mother took her to the circus where she nagged to have a closer look at the horses. This is were both she and her mother fell head over heels in love with Russian Cossack horse rider Elbrus Ourtaev, who is a consummate horseman and stunt showman, having worked for the circus for many years. After a six-month whirlwind courtship, involving a lot of sign language (the Russian’s English vocabulary was limited), Edda and Elbrus got hitched. This was with a nudge from young Megan who did some of the asking, "Will you be my daddy please...", much to her mother’s embarrassment who was afraid her suitor would think she had put the little girl up to it.
It follows that she learnt every acrobatic trick on horseback from her stepfather whom she regards as her own father.
Bush lure
Edda sums up her daughter’s film debut: "For our girl from Wilderness this was one amazing experience during which she learnt so much and she looks forward to returning to California as she has been invited to do so. Plans for now are to do a field guiding course in the Kruger National Park to work as a game ranger as this has been Megan’s passion."
She has been invited to return to Hollywood, but for now the lure of nature and the bush is stronger. Megan still gives riding lessons and will continue to hold her famous pony camps for her regular kids who adore her, before she heads out to the Kruger Park.
Megan has grown up on a horse’s saddle.
ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS
