Colin Farrell talked about what it feels like to be overcome with fear.
thirteen livesRon Howard’s new film about Tham Luang Cave Rescue, is the most elaborate attempt to date to give the Hollywood treatment to one of the most dangerous rescue missions of recent times.
The production meticulously recreated the Tham Luang caves, where twelve young footballers and their coach were trapped underwater in 2018. Apparently, they did a great job that the stars like too Colin Farrell was terrified of the experience.
“The word is terrifying,” Farrell said in a new interview with Entertainment tonight . “It was really scary. Besides, I’m not exactly a great swimmer. It’s not like we had to swim all the time or float in the water …”
Colin Farrell in a crossover with Nicole Kidman during the Cannes Film Festival. AFP photo
“We were supposed to stay on the surface, but they built a really impressive network of caves, it was four or five different caves based on the topography of the original ones, the Tham Luang caves in Thailand. Once they filled them with water, we went down and you had the feeling that there was no increase“.
Besides, it was all very dark.
Farrell explained that the film’s cave setting meant that the underwater scenes were shot indoors in the dark.
It wasn’t so much the water that scared him, but the total darkness that didn’t allow him to have an idea of how much space there was when he tried to move.
“There is a lot to be said for being able to look up into the water and see the surface,” he said. “So when you can’t and there’s really a roof over your head, and there’s no air at all … well, that can wreak havoc on your mind.
rescue experts
Even with the help of an experienced security team and various consultants who worked on the actual rescue, Farrell found himself having panic attacks.
The Tham Luang Caves in Thailand are a center of tourist attraction. AP photo
“The truth, all there is to say, is that the production had prepared a large team of assistants and specialists in the sector to be able to advise us and possibly contain us in complicated situations. There was Rick Stanton and there was Jason Mallinson, two of the gentlemen who were on the team.
“Anyway, I couldn’t help it. And I’ve had underwater panic attacks! An underwater panic attack! That was a new experience for me”.
And then he continued: “I mean, at the end of the day, we had a whole team of incredible safety divers … In one of the many waiting moments that occur during a shoot, I started talking to one of the divers, people who spend a lot of time in the water as you can imagine …
Ron Howard, the project director. AFP photo
“At first I hesitated whether to ask him or not, but in the end I decided and asked one of the safety divers: pair: ‘
-How many films have you made underwater?
– Submarines?
-Yes, how are you…
-About twenty.
“At that point we were already in the game so, fearing what might answer me, I continued …
-And which was the riskiest? -I asked. and yes, he said:
“This,” he said. Without thinking about it for a second.
So Colin Farrell’s fears were by no means unfounded.
CJL
Source: Clarin
