Ron at the time this
story gripped, you know, the whole world basically,
and everybody had an outcome in the, in the story.
How did this actually land on your in your portfolio?
Why did you want to do this?
It came to me, you know, probably 18 months, almost two years later.
Screenplay by Bill Nicholson.
And and of course, I thought I knew the headlines.
I'd pay attention to the story.
But there was there was so much involved
and and a wider variety of acts of courage
beyond even the diving and the rescue that I didn't know anything about.
And and I just I just felt like, well, that that can be very compelling.
It's informative.
It it you know, it's an inspiring theme.
This idea of of this international unity and what they were able to achieve.
But I also just frankly, felt like on a human interest level,
it could be really engrossing, entertaining and emotional.
Yeah, definitely.
And Rick, when long come to you and said like he was making making the film,
I wanted to be part of it.
Did you have any apprehension that you wanted to be there?
Well, it didn't actually work on that.
We had signed on quite early to two producers, Gabriel Turner and P.J. van
Sandvik.
And it was sort of from our point of view, we got lots of offers
we signed with them.
It was sort of speculative.
We didn't know who was going to direct it, who was going to fund it
or anything like that.
Once they got out, Life Choice,
the producers
employed a script writer, Bill Nicholson,
and then when they had our live fights, they went to Hollywood.
We've got the rescue divers,
the screenplay, who wants to direct it.
So what it was at that point that that one came on board.
And obviously, from our point of view, we didn't know who who
we were going to get.
But, you know, who would be better placed on this?
Oh, of course. Oh, it does it.
That's brilliantly when, you know, you bring a lot of anxiety.
That's how I felt watching it.
I felt a lot of anxiety and I felt really claustrophobic.
How would you go about putting that kind of those feelings on the screen?
Well, you know, you build the cave, you can go into real caves.
Far too dangerous.
Couldn't control it and and so forth.
But but Molly Hughes, who's our production designer, myself, storyboard artist,
we spent time talking to Rick, talking to John Volanthen, talking to Jason Mallinsonabout the,
you know, sort of the the most challenging bits, the places that were the most
threatening where where, you know, the complexity was at its highest.
And those are the sections of the cave that we that we built that
we wanted to dramatize.
I frankly thought it was going to be much easier.
I've done a lot of underwater work.
I've, you know, I've shot underwater a lot.
But as soon as you actually get people in these super confined areas,
even if their sets, it slows everything down, it becomes just a little bit
more dangerous, a little trickier, a little more technical.
And it takes all involved just to put the gear on. Yes.
But when
when Rick and Jason were the ones who were able to come
and be these sort of on set technical advisor, we started working
with Viggo Mortensen, who's very meticulous, is very research driven.
So is Colin Farrell.
At a certain point
they were soaking all this in, they were learning the techniques,
and they came to me and they said, I don't. We don't want any doubles.
We you know, we we've learned it. It's safe.
We can do it and please let us.
So we had to reschedule everything.
But I mean, that extra effort, those extra days that they put in,
in the tank gave me as a director
so much more latitude in terms of how we could show this
and make it personal and connected to, you know, the characters.
And from our point of view, I mean, we could train them.
They were excellent at taking direction.
That's their job.
So they they did look like I'll say you have mastered
40 years of cave diving experience
in a week or two and it was entirely appropriate
to have them doing it rather than stunt doubles.
Who wouldn't have learned to move like us and look look like us?
So, you know,
it added realism to the whole thing, but it was great having these guys around,
you know, and also as they began coaching the guys and teaching them,
the actors were not only absorbing, of course, the techniques of the diving,
they're also their their personalities where they think
details about what went on that, you know, you you can have all the interviews
and conversations you want, but much more comes out in conversation.
And, you know, it meant so much.
But the and these guys not only helped with the diving,
they also, you know, the camp scenes and all of it, the technical language,
getting that to be, you know, as conversational as it could be.
But there'd be times when we'd all feel tired.
Making a movie is a bit of a strain.
The guys, you know, schlepping all the gear around and underwater
and all we had to do was look over and sort of see these guys did it.
What are we bitching about?
These guys did this thing. Wow.
But the other side of that, I was looking at Viggo and Colin
in the wetsuits and the cylinders all day, and I was thinking I couldn't do that.
Coming to Viggo, playing you.
Actually, I Did you ever feel the that you think that Viggo
would be paying you in the film?
Well, of course not.
I mean, I don't even know many actors, so there are lots of friends was suggesting
people think Viggo was on the race, but no, I would have no idea.
It wasn't until one day Roland rang me up and said, We've got an actor to play you.
We think he's very appropriate, but he'll only do it if he has access to you,
which, you know, I thought that was going to happen anyway.
But, you know, it was only to please you actually didn't give me the name,
but he gave enough to age appropriate and Lord of the Rings.
I did need to be able to
promise that to Viggo and look, some actors don't want that.
They, you know, they want to rely a little bit more on their own imagination.
But, you know, Viggo is so meticulous and wanted that connection.
And it turned out Colin Farrell, you know, wanted to have that kind of relationship
with John Volanthen as well.
And John couldn't come on location, but was in constant communication with Colin.
And it meant, you know, it meant the world.
I guess some actors are intimidated by having the real people there.
That's right.
That certainly wasn't the case now.
But they were lapping it up.
Any information?
Thank you very much for talking to me today. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.
Thank you.