Austin Abrams goes from Resident Evil to inside a whale in Whalefall
Austin Abrams has had a very strange month.
The actor arrives in cinemas for the second time in weeks with Whalefall, which opened in theatres on Oct. 16, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It lands hot on the heels of Resident Evil, making Whalefall his second film release inside a month, according to AP News.
In Whalefall, Abrams plays college student Jay Gardiner. Jay is swallowed by a sperm whale while diving and ends up trapped in its multichambered stomach. He has one hour to get out before his oxygen tank runs dry.
The survival story was co-written and directed by Brian Duffield. Josh Brolin plays Mitt, Jay's estranged father, with Elisabeth Shue as his mother and Jane Levy and Emily Rudd as his two sisters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Inside the whale, Jay is not alone. He battles a vicious giant squid, according to THR's review of the film.
Abrams prepared like a diver, not just an actor. He earned scuba certifications, visited a sperm whale sanctuary on a Caribbean island and walked around his neighbourhood in full scuba gear to get used to the extra weight. The film itself was shot at Radford Studios in Studio City.
Then there is Resident Evil. The horror reboot comes from filmmaker Zach Cregger and Sony Pictures, which is behind the new take on the horror action series. Abrams, known for Euphoria, plays a character who mutates into a tentacled monster, according to THR's review.
The two shoots could not have felt more different. Abrams told THR that being able to move his limbs was the nice part about Resident Evil, adding that both films have perks and pitfalls. THR reported that Resident Evil had grossed $324 million worldwide at the time of its interview with Abrams.
For fans, this means a quick double bill of confinement and creature horror. One role keeps him squeezed inside a whale. The other lets him loose.
The connection runs behind the camera too. Duffield is collaborating with Cregger on an upcoming film, Siren Head, according to THR.
