Lutty Neika has revealed that filming the music video for his song “Anaconda” became one of the most nerve-racking experiences of his career after the production team used a real anaconda instead of a prop.
Appearing on Next Radio, the singer said he only realized what awaited him moments before filming began, when the producer informed the cast that the snake featured in the video was real.
The producer told us before the shoot that it would not be a dummy snake. It was going to be a real anaconda.
The announcement immediately caught Lutty Neika off guard.
Uncomfortable with the idea of sharing the set with a live snake, he asked whether the reptile would be filmed separately and edited into the final video instead of appearing alongside the cast.
I asked whether it would be in the video with us or just shot separately, and he said it had to be there to make the video impactful.
That expectation did not last long.
Lutty Neika said the producer initially assured everyone that the snake would remain away from the cast and that cutaway shots would create the illusion of close interaction.
As filming progressed, however, the plan gradually changed until everyone found themselves standing beside the anaconda, with some scenes even requiring them to touch it.
He lied to us that the snake would not be where we were and that they would use cutaway shots. But while shooting, he kept improvising until we all had to touch it or stand close to it.
The atmosphere on set quickly became even more tense as one of the video vixens struggled to cope with the experience, breaking down in tears whenever she had to move closer to the snake.
The video vixen cried so much every time she got close to it.
Just as the cast began settling into the shoot, another unexpected challenge emerged.
A rabbit brought onto the set immediately caught the anaconda’s attention, making the snake restless and forcing the production team to rethink how they would complete the remaining scenes.
We also had a rabbit on set, and it caused problems because the snake stopped being calm and wanted to catch the rabbit.
Rather than risk further disruption, the crew filmed every remaining scene involving the anaconda before removing it from the set, allowing the rest of the shoot to continue under much calmer conditions.