ENTERTAINMENT

MARK RUFFALO IS A FORCE OF NATURE IN DARK WATERS

He’s helmed one of the biggest environmental lawsuits in America’s history, and yet Robert Bilott’s story is only just being told.

His ongoing legal battle with a chemical company is the centrepiece for Todd Haynes’ new legal thriller Dark Waters. Portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, the film traces Robert’s case against DuPont, one of America’s largest corporations, after he uncovered the fact that it was dumping hazardous chemicals into public waterways in his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Mark says it’s a story that is, sadly, all too familiar.

“A corporation know that they’re hurting the public, the science shows them that they’re hurting the public, and they continue hurting the public anyway,” he says. “It’s a horror story, except it is real.”

The movie is a confronting look at a real David versus Goliath situation, and examines how much power large corporations can hold over basic human rights.

When asked why he took the fight to DuPont, Robert said, “We’re talking about a massive public health threat. This is probably one of the biggest environmental contamination stories in history, and most of us still don’t know about it.”

Mark agrees, adding that Robert’s two-decade-long fight against DuPont is reflected in the movie’s two-hour and six-minutes run time.

“What is the toll that takes on somebody? One of the things that’s remarkable about this story is that he stayed with it that long. The world tells us it’s best to be selfish; we see so much of that, everywhere. [But with this] it’s ‘us,’ not ‘me’.”