Butler did it on a warship
THRILLER diller “Hunter Killer” is set on a ship. So where to open it? On a ship. The Intrepid.
The film’s godfather and star Gerard Butler, what’s he know about submarines?
“Nothing. I read books. I saw them in movies. I took journeys in my head. I dreamt possibilities of commanding them some day. It was 2011 when I read the script, but it took me eight years to bring this together.
“That’s because the Cold War at the time was over. No friction then with Russia. A chilling tense nuclear catastrophe, secret Russian coup, Navy SEALs braving enemy wa- ters to stop WWIII, didn’t feel right then. It felt like from another era. Now, you bring it into today, and it feels right.
“They had another role in mind for me. I said, ‘No. I’m going to play the sub captain. I want to be able to give the commands. The role that shows authority, power.’ I loved projecting the moment-to- moment authenticity. I began assimilating facts off- and on-screen so that real people who do this respect you as an actor.
“There are long tight scenes. We’re way under the ocean holding on for dear life. Tension crisis in Russian waters. Whathehell’s a commander do? He has a young crew. For authenticity, we painstakingly met with naval engineers, investigated torpedo rooms, digital maps, LCD systems. An actual sub commander came with us four months before shooting and began to teach us commands, like who moves where. “Filming was claustrophobic. I myself went down in the USS Houston to see. We built our sets slightly wider, extra dimensions, because it’s a crew of 15 plus a camera crew of 10 and in that small space it’s hot, sweaty and intense. “I’ve screened this three times for four-star admiral sub commanders.” And then this tough heroic playtime naval hero got up to hug co-star Common.