The gloves are off for ‘fearless’ Farrell in whale hunting drama
COLIN FARRELL says his body started to shut down during filming of the BBC’S new whale hunting drama, The North Water, as he refused to wear gloves in freezing conditions.
The Irish actor plays maverick harpooner Henry Drax, a fearless predator whose lack of compassion matches the unforgiving Arctic climate.
Speaking ahead of the programme’s launch on BBC Two on Sept 10, Farrell revealed that his body was constantly in “survival mode” while shooting the drama.
The 45-year-old was so determined inhabit the character of Drax, who never wore gloves while hunting, that he refused to put any on himself, leaving his hands bleeding from being pounded by icy winds.
“Physiologically, my body was responding to the temperatures in a particular way – it was constantly in survival mode,” said Farrell.
“I never slept better in my life. It was as hard as film work can be.
“We were telling a very ugly story in a very beautiful place.”
The brutal five-episode series, directed by Andrew Haigh, follows Drax’s fractious relationship with Patrick Sumner (played by Jack O’connell), a disgraced former Army surgeon who signs up as a doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic.
When a cabin boy is murdered, Sumner finds himself fighting for survival in the harshest of environments.
The series is based on the acclaimed 2016 novel The North Water by Ian Mcguire.
Farrell said filming in the wild and glacial beauty of the Arctic meant he was never able to step out of character in between scenes.
“I was [inhabiting] this physical space that was very difficult and unusual – it was life-changing,” he said.
“It was one of those experiences where you go through the fire enough with people that you know if you see them in 10 or 30 years, [you’ll] share the acknowledgement that you went through an experience that was really significant, really profound and really changed you.
“Without hesitation I would say this is one of those [rare] experiences.”