Directed by Peter Berg, known for his cerebral and visceral thrillers such as “Very Bad Things,” “The Kingdom” and “Hancock,” “Deepwater Horizon” is based on the true events that occurred on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the story chronicles the courage of those who worked on the Deepwater Horizon and the extreme moments of bravery and survival in the face of what would become one of the biggest man-made disasters in world history.
Wahlberg takes on the role of real-life Transocean chief electronics technician Mike Williams, a devoted family man who was overseeing the rig’s computers and electrical systems on April 20th, when everything he imagined could go wrong … did.
After the explosion, Mike Williams aligns himself closely with 23 year-old rig worker Andrea Fleytas, who is played in a departure by Golden Globe® winner and “Jane The Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez. Rodriguez had to explore both a woman’s deepest fears and greatest courage for the role. “The true life Andrea is a real character and Gina brings great energy and an essential goodness to who she is as a person,” says di Bonaventura. “She also captures what it’s like to be a 23 year old woman in the middle of a crazy, ultimately catastrophic situation.”
Says Rodriguez of embodying Fleytas: “Pete was all about trying to be as authentic as possible, so I did a lot of my own research and even went to dynamic positioning officer training in Houston. It was quite the experience.”
Also joining the ensemble are two-time Oscar® nominee John Malkovich as BP company man Donald Vidrine; Dylan O’Brien as the young floorhand Caleb Holloway and Oscar® nominee and Golden Globe® winner Kate Hudson, who coincidentally is starring in a film for the first time alongside Kurt Russel. Hudson portrays Mike Williams wife, Felicia. Says Hudson: “What’s exciting about this film is that people will not only understand more about what happened on the Deepwater Horizon but also get to know these people and the actual experience of how terrifying and challenging it was.”
The challenges of working on these intricate sets brought cast and crew closer – but also were a constant reminder of just how much greater the difficulties were to those who found themselves trying to survive the most destructive oil rig disaster in history. Sums up director of photography Enrique Chediak: “There are many emotions people have about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This movie makes you aware of what the people on the rig had to go through – and that is the part that is so incredible.”
“Deepwater Horizon” opens in cinemas on October 5 from Pioneer Films.
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