Summary:
New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) Australian star Joel Edgerton says he is always interested in taking up challenges which resonate with his mental space and help him understand himself better. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Golden Globe winner said he wanted to watch and be part of "feel-good" stories, and Oscar-winning director Ron Howard"s rescue drama "Thirteen Lives" was a perfect blend of all things positive.
The movie, which premiered on Prime Video last week, recounts the true story of the global effort in 2018 to rescue the members of a Thai soccer team who were trapped in northern Thailand"s flooded Tham Luang cave for 18 days.
"I"m always interested in a new challenge.
I"m always interested in learning a new skill or learning about a different aspect of myself," Edgerton, 48, told PTI in a virtual interview.
"What drew me to "Thirteen Lives" in many ways, particularly during the pandemic, was knowing that the outcome of this story is positive...
I personally, at the moment, want to watch movies that make me feel good.
I felt I should also be in a movie that made other people feel good," he added.
The Golden Globe winner, known for his relatable everyman characters in acclaimed movies such as "Animal Kingdom", "Zero Dark Thirty", "Black Mass" and "Loving", essays the role of Dr Richard Harris in his latest film.
Dr Harris, the Australian cave diver and anesthetist, was brought on board for the rescue mission after the team realised the 12 boys and their coach will have to be tranquilised for their trip out of the cave.
As enthusiastic as he was to tell this story of hope, Edgerton said he had many "nervous" moments during the filming of the movie.
The actor and his longtime partner Christine Centenera were expecting twins when he was on the other side of his home country filming for "Thirteen Lives".
"The big challenge for me was that I was about to become a father.
The movie was happening and my babies were on the way.
It was a race to see whether the film would finish first or my babies would come first.
"They came before the finish of the shooting and there was a risk of a border closure in Australia that I may be trapped on the wrong side.