Thirteen Livesis an Amazon Prime original movie that starsViggo Mortensenas Richard “Rick” Stanton, the British cave-diver who devised the daring 2018 Thai cave rescue plane.Entertainment Weeklyspoke to Mortensen about the film, which Ron Howard directed. One such thing that was discussed was how the caves in the movie were made.
“There was this enormous airplane hangar-type building — these huge, double Olympic-size tanks — and they would build these long sections of tunnel. And then they would flood it, put 20 feet of water in there. We would practice for a day for several hours to figure out how to get through. While we were doing the weeks of shooting in that part, they would be building the next section in another hangar. We’d finish that, and then the following week, we’d try that. Each one by degree got more difficult. If they’d given us the fourth or fifth section to do the first week, we wouldn’t have known to do it. It would’ve been too hard.”
According to Mortensen, filming was a strenuous job for everyone who was diving into the story. For a sequence they ended up not shooting, Mortensen had to familiarize himself with scuba diving again, which he had learned years ago forG.I. Jane. Only this time, he had to do it not in the open water, which meant no sky above you, just rock, and you needed to get through this passage if you wanted to get out.
“It was time-consuming, energy consuming, but all the actors wanted to do it. We spent countless hours underwater. I was sad when I said goodbye to the last tunnel and eventually took my gear off and had to turn in my harness and my tanks. I was like, ‘These are my friends.'”
Mortensen met the actual Stanton over Zoom in preparation for his role. The conversation started tentatively as Stanton wasn’t the easiest person to get to know. He doesn’t like to waste words or energy and tells it like it is, even if it hurts people’s feelings. However, he opened up once he realized that Mortensen was interested in getting the story right. Over a period of months, they would zoom several days a week for hours.
“There are similarities [between Rick and Aragorn]. Both can be a little gruff, but they’re very direct: men of few words, men who are determined to do the right thing. They’re both working within a team. Both stories are about a collective effort, a selfless effort, for the common good, for the good of all people on the planet. Or, in the case ofLord of the Rings, Middle-earth.”
The Inspirational True Story BehindThirteen Lives
Mortensen’s main reason for doing the filmwas what it says about human beings, specifically our potential to do good. Because this was a story where you had thousands of people get together, not just the divers from Great Britain, but all kinds of people, especially those from Thailand, for the right reasons. Not for money, to gain territory, or to beat someone at something competitively.
“There’s a very methodical approach to what Rick did and what others did as to how to get them out. It was just a massive effort. Every aspect of the story is too good to be true. It beggars belief. And yet, that is how it happened. It did happen.”
“I remember as a kid seeing Apollo 11 when they landed on the moon, it’s like, “God, theydid that,” or the rescue of the miners in Chile. Where there’s a will, there’s a way because human beings certainly have the ingenuity, the bravery, the ability to show compassion, to sacrifice. This is massive, active, effective volunteerism. And we could be doing this a lot more.”
Towards the end of the interview, Mortensen was asked if he had ever heard that call to become a hero. While he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable sharing a specific example, Mortensen said it was all a question of choice. To show compassion, like something as simple as saying “excuse me” after bumping into someone on the street.
“Those are the things that people are called on every day. You don’t have to go save 13 people in a cave in Thailand to do the right thing. When I say there should be more of the volunteerism and more collective thinking, I just mean your day-to-day, how you deal with people, especially people that you don’t necessarily agree with politically. How do you behave? What’s your tone of voice? Do you listen to others who differ in their opinions from you? It’s just that stuff.”
