Viggo Mortensen plays a heroic firefighter in new movie Thirteen Lives, based on the dramatic 2018 rescue of 12 boys and their coach in Thailand.
But the film isn’t simply a white-saviour narrative, as its director explainsOne day, retired firefighter Rick Stanton got a phone call at his home in Coventry.
It was Ron Howard.
He had good news.
He had cast someone who had been in Lord of the Rings to play Stanton in his new movie, Thirteen Lives.
Stanton’s mind raced.
Ian McKellen? Andy Serkis? Probably not Cate Blanchett.
“When I found out it was Viggo Mortensen, I was very pleased,” says Stanton, eyes glinting.
“ I’d never really thought who would play me in a film, but he’d be up there.”Stanton was one of five cavers who rescued 12 boys of the Wild Boars football team and their coach from the Tham Luang cave in
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