Viggo Mortensen

Thirteen Lives, starring (L to R) Colin Farrell, Paul Gleeson and Thira Chutikul, tells the story of the astonishing rescue (Picture: AP).

‘It seemed like a long time, but it was only a matter of seconds. Each of them had a different cave and tunnel system to recreate the real-life situation. Of course, it would have been impossible to film in a real cave system, so the cave had to be replicated exactly. ‘So we had a couple of weeks where they were in the water with them every day, emulating it and for that reason, because they’ve done that work — they also volunteered to work on the weekends and whatever was required, so that all of the shots are them — they learned the cave diving techniques and the personalities of the men that they were playing.’ I panicked’ Rick Stanton, who Viggo plays in the new film and who was an essential part of the rescue mission, had a hand in teaching the actor how to cave dive for real.

We talk with Ron Howard, Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton, and Tom Bateman about their latest, Thirteen Lives.

It was not only an honor to not only speak to these individuals, but it was especially satisfying being that it is such a moving feature film – you can check out my review here. As for both Mortensen and Edgerton, the two opened up about working with Howard, and the many elements that went into the roles, including the diving skills they used. Not only is the man one of my favorite actors working today, he’s also one of the kindest people you are likely to meet. I was thrilled he did because the young actor was excellent here, and I loved what he had to say about taking on the role. Each of the performances, with Kanaros as “Saman” and Tungsupakul as one of the boy’s mothers’, helped bring heart to this powerful feature. It’s always a joy to speak with Joel Edgerton and Viggo Mortensen. One thing that really impressed me is that Viggo made sure to giving his co-star Teeradon Supapunpinyo, who plays “Coach,” plenty of time to talk.

Olivia de Bortoli talked to Ron Howard, Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen about their new movie “Thirteen Lives.” Ron shared what he learned from this story ...

Thirteen Lives is a biographical survival film directed by Ron Howard starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell. The film is currently streaming on Amazon ...

In times like these, Thirteen Lives is the kind of the movie we need and Ron Howard makes the absolute best of it that respects the stories of those who were involved in this daunting task. How this story ends is public knowledge, but Howard helms the scenes in such a way that you’ll be rooting for everyone to make it out safe. That’s a very respectful thing Thirteen Lives did and honestly, props to Ron Howard and the writers too. Joel Edgerton comes in halfway through the film playing the role of Richard Harris, and while his appearance is short, it’s very much impactful. With time very much running out over here, Howard emphasises on the urgency of the situation. With Thirteen Lives, there is a fine line established that dramatises the events perfectly to engage the audiences in, but still has enough realism to it that doesn’t take away from the efforts of everyone involved.

Olivia de Bortoli talked to Ron Howard, Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen about their new movie "Thirteen Lives." Ron shared what he learned from this story ...

Thirteen Lives stars Joel Edgerton, Viggo Mortensen & James Teeradon Supapunpinyo share their memories of the real event that inspired the film.

Him perishing in that cave really underlined the fact for everyone there and the rest of the world watching that it wasn't a simple task of just teaching a bunch of young boys to dive their own way out of there, knowing some of them couldn't even swim. Then this question of the impossibility of getting them out and the debate around that. I want to hear from you guys, what do you remember about this event and what stuck out to you the most? Joel Edgerton: I know this sounds silly, but I remember exactly being glued to the television for a good month. It’s not even probably in the news and everything.” It’s my first time exploring that event again. That was the amazing thing about the story, and that’s what we really explored and tried to get right.