By SOPHIE FORBES

Big and scary: Matt Damon comes face to face with a grizzly bear on the set of his new film We Bought A Zoo


Coming nose to nose with an enormous bear would be a terrifying experience for most people - but not Matt Damon.

The 40-year-old actor appeared to take it all in his stride when he came within inches of the animal as is climbed up the side of his car with it's enormous paws on the roof and it's nose pressed against the driver's side window.

Luckily for Matt, the massive animal was a fully trained and highly cooperative stunt bear that was being used during a scene for his new film We Bought A Zoo.


Uh oh: The actor looked a little nervous as the bear placed his nose right up to the window of his car


Matt actually appeared intrigued by the beast as he sniffed his way around the car his was sitting in.

The bear was also being directed by two handlers who stayed close by and gave orders to the animal by way of hand signals and audible commands.

In between takes the bear, believed to be a Grizzly which can weigh up to one ton, sat and relaxed in the sunshine.

He even appeared to notice a group of onlookers nearby and stared at them for a while.


What you looking at? The bear appears completely relaxed between takes and even checks out his audience


In the film, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles, Matt plays a father who moves his family to Southern California to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

It is based on the true story of Benjamin Mee, who's family bought the failing Dartmoor Zoological Park in England in 2006 for £1.1 million.

In 2007 the zoo was the subject of a four part documentary called Ben's Zoo, which followed Benjamin and the family as they put the 30 acre zoological garden through a massive refurbishment before reopening to the public in August of that year.

Ben also wrote a book about the experience which In 2009 20th Century Fox bought the rights to.

The film is set to be released in the U.S. on the 23 December 2011.

source: dailymail