Colin Farrell admitted the underwater moments as ‘terrifying’ experience each day while filming upcoming biopic film Thirteen Lives.
The film Thirteen Lives is directed by Ron Howard, is the true story of the rescue mission to save twelve boys and their coach from a local Thai football team, after they became trapped in a cave following an unexpected rainstorm in 2018.
The true life story reported on news channels across the world, is now in the film starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton and Tom Bateman as the heroic divers who became a sole lifeline for the young football players and their coach.
Colin Farrell speaking to Daily Star and other Press, talked about ‘nerve wracking’ experience of filming underwater, learning to dive with the divers involved in the real life rescue operation. The real life divers Rick Stanton and Jason Mallinson, the cast worked with on the set of Thirteen Lives, who taught actors to swim like them and gave advice and techniques on how to be safe underwater.
Colin said: “I can’t really swim, but there’s an element of not swimming in what we were doing.
“With scuba diving you accept the process of submerging. It’s a different world beneath the surface of the water,” adding “The technical aspect of it was quite nerve wracking.”
“There was a certain degree of comfort over time that we got, because obviously familiarity breeds comfort, but we really were newbies and we were just incredibly attentive, because of the importance of the story we were telling.”
Colin talking about underwater moments were ‘terrifying’ and praised the crew for keeping them safe and director Ron Howard’s dedication for the film to be as factual as possible.
He said: “We felt that spirit of collaboration the whole way throughout the shoot.
“It was a joy, apart from how nervous I was underneath the water everyday, because some of it was terrifying.
“As Viggo [Mortensen] said, it was as controlled an environment as it could be, but water is wet no matter how much control you have or don’t have.
“It was pretty extraordinary that we were given the opportunity to do the things that we did.
“That’s a testament to Ron’s desire to be as detailed and as factual, and to honour the story in that way.”
Colin credited John Mallinson, the diver he plays in the film, praising the divers for their support on set in learning to dive and understand how they were feeling at moments during the real life rescue mission.
“Rick Stanton was there everyday on the set, and he was an enormous help, and Jason Mallinson.”
“The two lads being there on the set, just for my comfort levels personally, and constantly going to them as reference points – ‘What did you think here?’, ‘Do you remember when that happened?’, ‘What took place then’?”
“All sorts of personal and psychological questions, that they gave to us that we could ask them, which was just for me, it was hugely important to me. I was super grateful.”
Co-star Viggo Mortensen, who plays diver Rick Stanton in the film, also echoed Colin’s sentiments.
Viggo said: “It was crucial, especially for what we had to do underwater.”
“They [Rick and Jason] helped us to not only swim like them and move like them, but to be safe.”
“The way we worked as a team, reflected I think what they described to us. What the rescue entailed.”
“We really worked together above water, as much as underwater, and underwater I would say was maybe even more important, because even though you’re shooting a movie and it’s somewhat a controlled situation, whenever you’re underwater or in caves, it’s dangerous.”
