After rising to fame with his performance in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Marlon Brando became one of the greatest and most influential actors in the film industry of the 20th century. His intense artistic career led him to receive two Oscars for best actor with the films ‘The Law of Silence’ and ‘The Godfather’, both becoming cult works for lovers of the seventh art.
His great fame led him to build a fortune of approximately $21.6 million, including properties such as his home on Mulholland Drive, in the exclusive neighborhood of Beverly Hills, and a spa built on Tetiaroa, an atoll in French Polynesia. A land from which He fell in love when he was filming the movie ‘Rebellion on the Board’during the 1960s, and decided to protect it, just as Jack Nicholson did in California.
The actor decided to sign a 99-year lease
Located north of Tahiti, this atoll was one of the settings in which Marlon Brando’s character, Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, began a rebellion against the cruelty and tyranny of Captain William Bligh, played by Trevor Howard. A filming in which the actor also fell in love with his co-star, Tarita Teriipaiawith whom he had two children.
After observing the beauty of its beaches and the importance they had for the marine ecosystem, the American decided to sign a 99-year lease of the 6 square kilometers of surface and the 12 islands that make up the atoll. All with the aim of protecting it and creating a refuge for the marine fauna that was in its waters, among which were sea turtles.
As Mike Medavoy, one of the executors of his estate, explained to “The Hollywood Reporter,” this territory “It was a place where I could disconnect from everything.. This was especially important for someone who was very clear about the difference between being a celebrity and being a human being.” Therefore, and until his death at the age of 80, he decided to conserve the land to protect the ecosystem and scenery that had so marked his personal and professional life.
A nature reserve for green turtles
After his death in 2004, the atoll was assigned to two complementary missions. Firstly, and following the work that the actor began, the Tetiaroa Society was founded, whose objective was to continue the conservation and research work that had been carried out on the islands. To do this, they focused on the green turtle or honu, in Tahitian, an endangered species.
Thanks to the work carried out by the Ecostation research center and its workers, currently they have registered more than 15,000 babies that hatched their eggs in the sands of the different islands and headed towards the sea. However, this is not the only activity carried out on the atoll, since since 2014 there has also been the luxurious and exclusive The Brando spa.
A luxurious eco-sustainable spa
Following the actor’s desire to turn the atoll into an ecological haven, the building offers its guests carbon-neutral and self-sustaining luxury. An achievement achieved through solar panels and biofuelswhich are capable of generating enough electricity to give life to the tourist complex.
Specifically, and according to “Forbes Travel Guide”, The Brando has 35 villas located both on the beaches and in their surroundings, although surrounded by vegetation to prevent light from disorienting turtles nesting in your sand. Likewise, to achieve a cool environment without harming the environment, the complex has an air conditioning system that takes advantage of the freshness of sea water to cool the rooms.
All this has turned Tetiaroa Atoll into an example of how Respect for nature and the environment can coexist with responsible tourism. A lesson that Marlon Brando wanted to demonstrate at the time, after obtaining the lease of a stage that marked both his professional career and his personal life.