Austin Abrams on Whalefall and Resident Evil filming struggles

Austin Abrams on surviving Whalefall and Resident Evil

The actor says both films were grueling, but Whalefall’s practical whale set was the real test of endurance.

By The Long Shot2 hours ago2 min read

Current hype level58

Austin Abrams is back in theaters with two very different survival stories: Whalefall and Resident Evil. Both films demand extreme physical commitment from their lead, but the nature of the trials couldn’t be more distinct.

In Whalefall, Abrams plays Jay Gardiner, a college student who dives into the stomach of a sperm whale after his father’s death at sea. The film, directed by Brian Duffield, hinges on a race against time — Jay has just an hour to escape before oxygen runs out. To prepare, Abrams earned scuba certifications and visited a Caribbean whale sanctuary, where he got a rare glimpse of wild sperm whales. "It was beautiful. It was peaceful," he recalls. He even walked around his neighborhood in full gear to acclimate to the weight.

But the real challenge came on set. At Radford Studios, Abrams was crammed into a tiny, practical whale-stomach model while crew members used gimbals to toss him around like a rag doll. Security once called him for looking "so fucked up" during a scene where his character grows increasingly distressed. "I remember walking around the lot and having security called on me," he said.

Resident Evil, meanwhile, saw Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier caught in a zombie outbreak. There, he gained weight without permission, following Ryan Gosling’s precedent from The Lovely Bones. To make the character look unfit for survival. Director Zach Cregger approved, saying it added authenticity.

When asked which film was tougher, Abrams remains diplomatic. "The ability to move my limbs was the nice part about Resident Evil. But they both have their perks and pitfalls." Duffield, however, claims Whalefall took the crown, noting that in Resident Evil, Abrams could move freely, unlike inside the whale.

The contrast is stark: one film traps him in a biological prison. The other lets him run. But only if he looks sickly. Both roles are physically taxing, but the whale set seems to have left the deeper mark. And yet, no confession. Just silence. And a man still breathing under pressure.