(WSVN) - “Deepwater Horizon” tells the story of the infamous oil spill that devastated the economies of the Gulf states. But the producers wanted to give back — they shot the movie in New Orleans. Deco talked to the stars and found out what it was like shooting a difficult story in the Big Easy.
David Maldonado (as Kuchta): “Everybody off this!”
Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell play oil rig workers in “Deepwater Horizon.” The film explores the events before and after the 2010 explosion that killed 11 workers.
The movie was shot on location in New Orleans. The actors got an in-depth look at what it’s like to work on an oil rig.
Mark Wahlberg: “Well, first of all, they are extremely skilled and knowledgeable about what they do — not easy jobs at all. If things go well, it could be extremely lucrative, but it’s dangerous and it’s hard, and the sacrifice is probably the hardest.”
Kurt Russell plays “Mr. Jimmy,” a rig supervisor. The character is based on a real person, and that made the role especially challenging.
Kurt Russell: “I understood that many lives were affected by this, and we were in that area. But the ones that were most affected by it were, number one, the lives that were taken by it, and number two, those who were relatives of those who were taken, and number three, those who survived it.”
Kurt Russell (as Jimmy Harrell): “Gotta get to the lifeboats right now!”
Director Peter Berg wanted the film to be as authentic as possible. He brought survivors of the accident on set as consultants.
Peter Berg: “Having that energy, someone that went through it and is a reminder that is this is real stuff, that’s the kind of stuff that gets me inspired.”
Shooting in New Orleans brought the project home for Gina Rodriguez. Her character ends up being one of the last people off the burning rig.
Gina Rodriguez (as Andrea Fleytas): “Mayday! Mayday! This is Deepwater Horizon!”
Gina Rodriguez: “I think there’s a sense of community and strength in New Orleans. With so many disasters that have happened here, that energy, that aura of overcoming is so present in New Orleans.”
“Deepwater Horizon” is now showing in theaters.
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