Goldblum throws self into 'Adam' role

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Jeff Goldblum says he took violin lessons and visited concentration camps in the long run-up to his role in the upcoming movie "Adam Resurrected."

Goldblum plays Adam Stein, a real-life Jewish entertainer who was kept as a virtual pet by a Nazi officer at a camp during World War II and survived the war, although not unscathed psychologically.

The New York Post reported Sunday that the role was extremely taxing but also rewarding for Goldblum. The veteran actor said he and director Paul Schrader spent a year in Israel and Europe meeting with Holocaust survivors and visiting actual camps.

Goldblum also learned to play the violin and worked with television's "Dog Whisperer" animal trainer Cesar Millan so he could better interact with a pet dog that plays a significant role in Stein's story.

The Post said the most dramatic incident during filming might have been when Goldblum was shooting a scene in which Stein visits the grave of his pregnant daughter.

"After a take he said, 'That's very good, but on the next take, get a handful of dirt, put it in your mouth, and eat it,'" Goldblum told the newspaper. "I said, 'Yeah, that's a good idea. That's very crazy.'"