A new Netflix series – called "FUBAR" – starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is partly set in the city of Antwerp and shows the famous actor tearing through the streets of the city centre in a sports car and drinking a local beer.
The new series has been online since Thursday and features Schwarzenegger as a CIA agent who finds out that his daughter is also a secret agent. Part of the story takes place in Antwerp, where the world-famous actor drinks a 'Bolleke,' the local Antwerp beer from brewery De Koninck.
"Friends were already sending me messages on Thursday about Schwarzenegger drinking our beer," De Koninck brewer Sven Dekleermaeker told VRT. "Isn't that great! The series is set in Antwerp and a Bolleke is typical Antwerp beer; fantastic. Although I must admit I have not seen the series yet."
The American writers of the show apparently did not choose the Bolleke at random, according to Dekleermaeker. "I am told they did effective research to choose the beer. There are a few icons in Antwerp, but the Bolleke is local, the focus is on our city and the beer has been around since 1952. A great choice."
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Additionally, the Antwerp police and firefighting district also feature in the series, in a chase scene. "I was the driver of the fire truck and had to drive through the centre of Antwerp, with Schwarzenegger's stuntman hanging off the back of the truck," firefighter Kristof Demuys said.
"It was a scene of three to four minutes, from the Boerentoren to the Kaaien and the Grote Markt. The streets were closed during filming," he said, adding that he first received some training for his role.
The series director visited to the barracks to see if it was possible to drive the fire truck with a stuntman hanging off the back, before the stuntman came to the barracks to practise. "The filming in the streets of Antwerp took three days. For the job I did, they have their own stuntmen in America, but they were too expensive to bring to Belgium."
