Stars of stomach-churning movie about real deep-sea diver trapped without oxygen reveal ‘unique’ preparation for roles

Stars of Last Breath Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole have opened up about the 'unique' preparation they underwent for their roles as saturation divers.

A feature remake of the 2019 documentary, Last Breath is an eye-opening and powerful survival thriller which transports viewers down into the depths of the North Sea into the lives of three deep-sea saturation divers.

Harrelson, Liu and Cole take on the roles of divers Duncan Allcock, David Yuasa and Chris Lemons and had to undergo some serious physical preparation for the film which Liu told UNILAD was 'one of the most unique kind of preparation processes' he's 'ever' experienced.

In order to keep up the maintenance of the pipelines under the oceans, the real-life saturation divers ended up diving to depths of up to 1,000 feet - their jobs 'one of the most dangerous on Earth'.

Liu explained to UNILAD there was 'such a hurdle' to get through in order to portray the divers in the water given they didn't just have to learn how to be 'very, very competent underwater divers' but they also had to learn how to be saturation divers specifically - a stark difference between the two.

"The one, it's like you can put a regulator in your mouth and go scuba diving off the coast of Mexico, or Cancun or wherever," Liu said. "But sat[uration] diving is a profession, and you got to put the helmet on and you got to be hundreds of feet below sea level. It's not a fun dive.

"You're not going and looking at, like, 'Wow, the turtles and the manta rays'. It's like, no, you're in the bottom of the ocean, or the sea, and you're looking at a pipe or you're looking at a manifold structure and you're just doing that for hours and hours and hours at a time [in the] pitch black."

Praising dive supervisor John Gavin, he reflected: "It was a very unique kind of kind of process, but also very fulfilling for an actor to get to to do that before you start shooting."

Cole also weighed in on the 'physical' nature of the role explaining Harrelson basically acted as their 'coach', keeping them 'working' by getting them to play a certain sport 'every night' after training.

Last Breath stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole (Focus Features)

Cole revealed Harrelson would get the trio 'playing padel' despite them being 'exhausted'.

Woody joked to UNILAD: "I was just like, I gotta keep these guys fit and then they gotta have a drink."

And when it came to the actual shooting of the scenes? Well, it didn't get any easier, Cole revealing the actors 'did a week' 'shooting in the saturation chamber'.

"Woody did a week just in the bell. Couple of days with Simu and I just in that bell that transport us," he continued. "And then Simu and I - three weeks underwater."

Cole explained the shoots were 'all nights' and he and Liu 'were averaging about six hours a night underwater,' sometimes even 'submerged' for 'up to two-and-a-half hours without coming up'.

"A lot of time and quite high stress and high pressure situations," he said. "If you'll pardon the pun."

Alongside looking after their physical health during the project, the trio also found 'solace in each other' when it came to supporting each other's mental health too, with Cole praising Harrelson and Liu and noting it was 'the easiest thing in the world' to 'lean on' them as scene partners.

Cole noted Harrelson acted like a 'coach' figure (Focus Features)

Cole reflected the actors 'had the luxury you don't always have in any work environment' where they all felt supported by one another 'no matter where you are in the pecking order'.

He explained the 'more experienced on set' were looked up to and it came from 'the top down' with everyone else 'follow[ing] suit' meaning the set was 'full of respect and care and patience'.

Liu echoed the group was 'uniquely wonderful' to work with 'not only fostering a great camaraderie with each other but everyone on the crew'.

He resolved: "I think we've heard enough stories in and around our industry of people who make it miserable for other people, and that's just no good to anyone. So [...] as much as mental health is important for three divers going into saturation in real life, it's also important for the people working on set, many of whom are leaving their families and their lives behind to be able to make this and tell the story."

Last Breath is scheduled to be released in the US on February 28, 2025 and will be released in UK cinemas by Entertainment Film Distributors on March 14, 2025.