Tom Hanks starred in the 2013 biographical action thriller Captain Phillips where he portrayed real-life Captain Richard Phillips as he tried to save his crew from the hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates.
Directed by Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips was a massive box office success, amassing over $220 million against a budget of $55 million. Aside from choosing to use actual ships and filming in the middle of the ocean, he also used a specific technique to bring out the actors’ emotions on the set.
Tom Hanks Reveals He Never Met His Co-Stars In 2013’s Captain Phillips
In an interview with Fresh Air, Tom Hanks shares intriguing details about Captain Phillips. The lead star discussed how he never met the Somali actors until they were already filming:
“We didn’t, we figured out – us on the crew – we’re not going to meet these guys, are we? Oh no, we’re not.”
Hanks described the first time he saw the Somali pirates, and it gave him the strangest goosebumps, a reaction that the director was aiming to produce:
“It was tense. We were scared in the – kind of like the best way possible because we know the guns aren’t loaded, but those guys were. So, when they came in – I have to say that when they first blew that door open and came in screaming at us – I saw four of the skinniest, scariest human beings on the planet. And the hair did stand up on the back of our heads and it was chaotic.”
The host mentioned a previous interview with the real Captain Richard Phillips and how he wanted to remain as the pirates’ adversary, saying “he was never going to give into them sort of psychologically.” Hanks admitted he did not have the same adversarial feelings toward the Somali actors:
“No. By that time we were shooting we were guys, you know, and we would compare notes. I must say they were very much a team unto themselves because after every take they would break out in some type of argument in Somali talking about what they had just did.”
Hanks said that he and the Somali actors saved the antagonistic approach only for when they were filming.
Captain Phillips Director Explains Insane Filming Technique
Paul Greengrass gave a deeper explanation of his tactic to make the confrontation scene in Captain Phillips more compelling and authentic. He mentioned how he was able to fashion real conflict between the Somali actors who have never done professional acting, and Hanks who is an Oscar winner:
“I didn’t want them to be intimidated on the one hand from the job in hand. But on the other hand, I didn’t want them to have become friends, because, in the end, the job was to come through that door and terrorize and threaten and be believable. So, we kept them apart.”
The director believed that the trick also made the cast excited about finally meeting each other and that there was great tension on the set. He likened the strategy to a sports coach preparing his players for the big game.
Captain Phillips is available on Netflix.
Source: Fresh Air
