In the heart of the sea

Thor and Spidey versus Moby…

Director Ron Howard Starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland

ETA 26 December Ron Howard’s whaling epic was originally set to reach shores in March rather than Christmas. Thanks to the delay, its cast can now boast not one but two Marvel icons: Chris Hemsworth and new Spider-Man Tom Holland. “I’m a huge Marvel fan so obviously meeting Chris for the first time was quite a big thing,” Holland tells TF on a set visit some time before the MCU came calling. Holland plays cabin boy to Hemsworth’s first mate – not that it makes any difference to the large, angry sperm whale intent on sending all and sundry to Davy Jones’ Locker.

In The Heart Of The Sea is set (mostly) aboard The Essex – the 19th-Century Nantucket whaleship whose ill-fated voyage inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. “The non-fiction version of it is fascinating,” says Hemsworth, on a break from bobbing about in a water tank at Leavesden Studios. “What these men went through, their extremes of suffering... it’s an epic tale of survival.”

Filming wasn’t plain sailing either, according to helmsman Howard. “I’d say it’s been the most challenging movie I’ve made since Apollo 13 [ in

1995],” he says. “And in some ways even more so.” The characters are more complex, the circumstances more dire – with “moral issues” that come into play, he teases. And with Howard determined keep the action as grounded as possible – so to speak – a good chunk of shooting took place in the ocean (amongst the Canary Islands).

Heavy weather, then, but the cast kept their heads above water – not least Holland. “He’s an absolute pro,” says Howard, praising his young star’s stagehoned steeliness. “I think he’s so disciplined from his

Billy Elliot [The Musical] experiences,” the director reckons. “He was right there with the other guys, never batting an eye, no matter how miserable, hungry, wet, chaffed or sunburned they were!”