Director Brian Duffield's survival thriller Whalefall, starring Josh Brolin, is set to hit theatres on October 16 through distributor 20th Century Studios. Ahead of its release, actor Austin Abrams spoke about his experience working on the film, an adaptation of Daniel Kraus's eponymous novel. For Austin Abrams, an important aspect of preparing for his role in the film was about viewing sperm whales up close—an assignment the actor took seriously. Before production on the film commenced, Abrams went to a Caribbean sperm whale sanctuary alongside whale documentarian Patrick Dykstra. At the location, they scuba dived and viewed sperm whales within the native environment where they live.
Patrick Dykstra, the maker of the Patrick and the Whale documentary, acted as Abrams’s guide there. As Dykstra explained, "Abrams said, ‘Look, I’m going to be inside the belly of a sperm whale, so I want to do it as authentically as possible.'" Not every day would one be able to view the whales, as they are wild animals, but the Whalefall star got the opportunity to see them.
Speaking about his experience, Abrams shared, "I was surprised at how much time I actually got to spend with them. They hadn’t seen any sperm whales in the previous nine days, so I was lucky that both days I was there, they showed up and let me observe them. It was almost like being with an alien…very surreal."
On the other hand, Dykstra added, "The sperm whales really took to him right off the bat. One day, three females approached him, and just kind of lay in the water with him. Austin was able to float quietly while the whales bobbed in front of him. You could see this incredible exchange of energy. Austin loved it, the crew loved it, and everybody had a great time. I think it had a profound impact on him and helped him unlock part of his character."
Interestingly, Brian Duffield revealed that Abrams even received an advanced scuba diving certification thanks to his meticulous preparation for the role. Further, Abrams worked on endurance training, walking his neighbourhood streets clad in full scuba diving gear, to make himself prepared for the demanding underwater scenes in the film. "He was fully committed to the character from the get-go," Duffield shared about the Whalefall star.
Echoing Duffield's sentiment, executive producer Doug Merrifield added, "Austin’s commitment and dedication were off the chart. He gave the proverbial 110 per cent from the day he was cast in everything he did, but when we heard that he was walking through his neighborhood with his BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) and a full scuba tank just to get acclimatised, everyone knew we made the right choice."
Directed by Brian Duffield from a screenplay written by Duffield alongside Kraus, the film is produced by Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, and Allan Mandelbaum of Imagine Entertainment alongside Duffield himself. Besides Doug Merrifield, it has Richard Abate and Will Rowbotham serving as executive producers.
