How Rupert nearly ate Leonardo DiCaprio and the long-running dispute between Pooh and Paddington: CRAIG BROWN with eight facts that you didn't know about bears

1 In his latest film, The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio wrestles with a grizzly bear. Among those who auditioned for the supporting role was Britain’s own Rupert Bear, but director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu decided to go for a more rugged look.

‘Rupert is one of the old school and refused point blank to take off his yellow-check trousers for the cameras, so Alejandro was forced to look elsewhere,’ reports one source.

2 The bear finally chosen for the role was a virtual unknown. Originally spotted prowling in Canada’s Kluane National Park, he had previously only played walk-on parts in bear-based amateur dramatics.

In his latest film, The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio wrestles with a grizzly bear. Among those who auditioned for the supporting role was Britain’s own Rupert Bear, but director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu decided to go for a more rugged look

‘I just adored my little grapple with Leo,’ he says of his famous scene in The Revenant. ‘He’s an absolute poppet and we had the most marvellous giggle about it afterwards.’

The bear now wants to turn his hand to a stage musical. ‘There’s simply no reason some of the great hit musical roles — Jean Valjean in Les Mis or Maria in The Sound Of Music, for instance — shouldn’t be played by a bear, but Broadway can be very prejudiced when it comes to those of us in the bear community.’

The Revenant bear currently lives with his partner, Bruno, in a mock-Tudor mansion in Beverly Hills, where he boasts an unrivalled collection of scented candles, and is said to be a leading Scientologist.

3 Confronted by a grizzly bear, what’s the best course of action? It’s a question that continues to divide the experts.

Rupert lost out on the role in The Revenant as he refused to remove his yellow check trousers

Some say scramble uphill, so as to appear superior, while others argue that it is best to scoot downhill, so as not to represent a threat.

However, a spokesman for the Canadian National Federation of Bears considers neither method to be foolproof.

‘Show-offs and cowards both taste equally delicious to us,’ he says. Instead, he advises filling your pockets with broccoli before setting off, and then taunting your assailant with it if attacked. ‘We can’t bear the stuff. Sometimes just saying “Broccoli!” is enough to make us stick our paws in the air and run away,’ he adds.

4 For some years now, Winnie the Pooh is said to have nursed a grudge against Paddington Bear. ‘It all stems from envy,’ confides a mutual friend. ‘For decades, Winnie was the go-to bear for all British publishers and film-makers. Then Paddington suddenly arrived on the scene, the new kid on the block with his suitcase and sou’wester, and Winnie was hopping mad.

‘Of course, when they meet on chat-shows, awards ceremonies and so on, they greet each other like long-lost friends. But, behind the scenes, it’s a very different story. Winnie often rants for hours on end about how Paddington stole all his best ideas and that he’s got no right to be here.’

5 Early last year, rumours began to surface that Pooh had secretly reported Paddington to the immigration authorities, but it is an allegation he continues to deny.

‘Absolutely not — I would never ever do such a thing,’ he says, before adding: ‘But the fact remains that, for all his very real talent, Paddington arrived in this country as an illegal stowaway from Darkest Peru and, frankly, if he does not have valid papers about his person, then it is only right and proper that the relevant authorities should be alerted.’

Early last year, rumours began to surface that Pooh (left) had secretly reported Paddington (right) to the immigration authorities, but it is an allegation he continues to deny 

6 Experts advise that brown bears and grizzly bears are highly dangerous, but teddy bears less so.

‘There have been only three reported attacks by teddy bears in North America in the past two years,’ says a senior spokesman for the Stuffed Animals Consortium. ‘And, let’s face it, they were all reacting to extreme provocation. How would you like your head to be twisted around 360 degrees, and then be tossed across a room like a deck quoit?’

7 For centuries, bears have caught salmon by dipping their paws into rivers, but in certain parts of North America they have now begun to favour fishing rods. ‘A decent rod is so much more convenient and stops your paws getting sopping wet,’ says a leading bear.

8 Brown bears regularly catch human beings by quietly letting themselves in through the back door, then lying down and acting like rugs. ‘It’s so much easier than roaming around in the freezing cold on the off-chance,’ reveals one bear.

Others stick their heads through walls and pose as hunting trophies for days on end until the time comes to pounce.

‘We sometimes say “Boo!”, just to keep the whole thing lighthearted,’ adds the bear.