Whalefall Gave Its Sperm Whale Josh Brolin's Heartbeat

The sperm whale at the centre of Whalefall beats with Josh Brolin's heart.

Director Brian Duffield revealed the detail to Variety at the film's world premiere on 13 October 2026. The sound team recorded Brolin's own heartbeat and then doubled it to create the whale's slow, heavy pulse. It is literally him.

Brolin stars as Mitt Gardiner, the late father of Jay Gardiner, played by Austin Abrams, according to Variety. Whalefall, a 20th Century Studios underwater survival thriller, follows Jay after he is swallowed by a sperm whale. He remains trapped inside the animal's body for most of the film.

That recorded heartbeat does more than supply sound. Duffield said it triggers a specific lighting effect that runs through the film, timing the world inside the whale to Brolin's pulse. The audience hears the father before they understand what they are hearing.

The link goes further. Jay communicates with the spirit of his father through Brolin's voice, which also serves as the spirit of the whale itself. To make the bond visible, the filmmakers gave the sperm whale facial scarring similar to Brolin's character.

What makes this stand out is how tightly the film ties the two figures together. Sound, voice and scarring all point to the same idea. The whale is not just a trap. It carries the father with it.

Duffield said the choice was made to keep the story feeling as personal as possible, Variety reported. The detail came out on the carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, where Whalefall held its world premiere on 13 October 2026.

The film centres on Jay Gardiner, the full name of Abrams' character, as he fights to survive inside the whale. Brolin is rarely seen in the usual sense. His presence is heard in the dark, in the beat and the voice that guide his son out.