Hobbit star Graham McTavish finds true adventure in The Finest Hours

Graham McTavish is a real thrill seeker.

The Scottish actor has been feeding his addiction to action with roles in productions like The Hobbit trilogy, Rambo, 24, Prison Break, Outlander and as of late, Disney’s natural disaster movie The Finest Hours.

The movie star tells me that his latest project stands out from the rest of his work. Not because The Finest Hours is the film of the year or an Oscar-worthy picture, but “because it is based on a true story, an amazing story and arguably the greatest Coast Guard rescue in American history,” Graham says.

The Finest Hours, also a 2009 best-selling novel of the same name, tells the heroic true tale of four coast guards who risked their lives to save over 30 men stranded on an oil-tanker that was split in pieces out at sea in the eye of a devastating storm off the New England coast in 1952.

The film’s cast is led by Chris Pine and Casey Affleck with Eric Bana, Ben Foster and Kyle Gallner among the talent who co-star alongside Graham.

“It’s a fantastic cast and a great time,” he comments. “It wasn’t an easy job though, and we got wet. Very, very wet. But I laugh at it in comparison to The Hobbit because once you’ve done The Hobbit, you’re prepared for anything in terms of discomfort.”

Graham made his movie debut back in the 80s, but has become wide-known for his role as Dwalin the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film series which is barely 5 years old.

“The number of people who have seen those films and continue to watch them is so very big. I can’t really comprehend it. The reach that something like that has is so immense,” Graham says of his Hobbit fame.

The Hobbit trilogy, which commenced filming in 2011 on location in New Zealand, was produced back-to-back and required a three year commitment on Graham’s part. The star has no regrets in giving the series nearly 2,000 days of his life, Graham regards the whole affair as priceless.

“It was such a unique life experience. How I was shipped to the other side of the world and immersed with these people for three years. I can’t imagine another experience like it,” he thinks back. “Then there are things like the fans, the legacy and the responsibility we felt, especially towards the books. All of those things combined made it feel very different and very special.”

If you chart all of Graham’s career highlights, The Hobbit holds the no.1 spot with The Finest Hours ranking close behind.

“It was really exciting to be a part of this historical project and now I have a newfound respect for people who go to sea. The character that I play, Frank Fauteux, was actually shipwrecked three times. This was his third, and he survived each one. He was even on a ship that blew up and then was back at sea two weeks later. The Finest Hours is a real story about real formidable people. Their strength and courage inspire me. I take inspiration away from a lot of the films that I do. This job I have, it’s very rewarding.”

The Finest Hours is available on Blu-ray and DVD now. Follow Graham on twitter and facebook.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Jun 1 2016. Filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.