Fremont Troll

Fremont Troll is a large public sculpture located beneath the northern end of the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighbourhood of Seattle, Washington. The sculpture was completed in 1990 after the Fremont Arts Council organised a competition to transform the neglected space beneath the bridge into a community landmark. The winning design was created by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead, with local volunteers assisting during construction. Built around a steel framework and covered with wire mesh and ferrocement, the sculpture depicts a giant troll emerging from the ground. A metal hubcap forms its visible eye, while one of its hands clutches a real Volkswagen Beetle that appears to have been seized from the road above.

Fremont Troll has appeared in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and Love Happens (2009). Both films use the sculpture as a recognisable Seattle landmark, with its concrete hands, captured Volkswagen and position beneath the Aurora Bridge clearly visible.

In 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Fremont Troll is used for a conversation between Cameron James and Bianca Stratford as they continue their plan to find someone willing to date Bianca’s older sister, Kat. Bianca’s father has ruled that she cannot begin dating until Kat does, leading Cameron to persuade Joey Donner to pay Patrick Verona to take Kat out. At the Troll, Bianca provides Cameron with information about Kat’s personality and interests so that Patrick can approach her more successfully. Cameron and Bianca sit among the sculpture’s enormous fingers while the Troll and its Volkswagen tower above them. The scene helps establish their growing alliance and places one of Seattle’s most distinctive public artworks directly within the story.

In Love Happens (2009), Fremont Troll appears during a night in which self-help author Burke Ryan and florist Eloise Chandler explore Seattle with their friends. After spending time at a hookah bar, the group visits several local landmarks, including the Gum Wall in Post Alley, Fremont Troll and the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee at Lake View Cemetery. At the Troll, Lane climbs onto the sculpture while Burke and Eloise stand near its hand beneath the Aurora Bridge. Although Eloise is present in the scene, Jennifer Aniston did not travel to Seattle for the location filming. A body double wearing Eloise’s hat was therefore photographed from behind beside Aaron Eckhart, allowing the real Fremont Troll to be incorporated into the sequence while Aniston’s remaining material was filmed in Vancouver.

---