‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield on Using Josh Brolin’s Heartbeat For the Whale: ‘Make It Feel as Personal as Possible’
‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield on Using Josh Brolin’s Heartbeat For the Whale: ‘Make It Feel as Personal as Possible’
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Oct 16, 2026 9:52am PT
‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield on Using Josh Brolin’s Heartbeat For the Whale: ‘Make It Feel as Personal as Possible’
By Tanya Fedak
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Tanya Fedak
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20th Century Studios.
Josh Brolin can now add a different kind of role to his resume.
In addition to starring as Mitt Gardiner, the late father of Austin Abrams’ character Jay in “ Whalefall,” aspects of the actor were also used to create the appearance of the sperm whale that traps Jay inside its body for the majority of the film.
As Jay fights for survival, he communicates with the spirit of his father (via Brolin’s voice), which also doubles as the spirit of the whale. Because the its heartbeat triggers a specific lighting effect throughout the film, director Brian Duffield revealed they recorded Brolin’s heartbeat and doubled it for the whale’s, further solidifying the late father’s affinity and connection with the mammal.
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“We obviously don’t have a native sperm whale heartbeat recorded,” Duffield told Variety at the film’s premiere on Tuesday. “It just became like, ‘Well, we need to get a heartbeat. Where do we get the heartbeat?’ And then it was, ‘We have Josh!’”
Brolin also inspired the physical appearance of the whale, Duffield revealed at the premiere, which was held at the El Capitan Theatre. In an attempt to visually tie the two together, creatives gave the whale similar facial scarring to Brolin’s character. It was a subliminal choice, Duffield said, but it was enough to mean something to both Abrams and the filmmakers.
“It’s just whatever you can do to make it feel as personal as possible,” the director said. “Even if it’s something that no one will notice.”
Josh Brolin at the World Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ “Whalefall” held at El Capitan Theatre on October 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores/Variety
“Whalefall” is one of three films featuring Brolin this year, including the third installment of the “Dune” franchise set to release Dec. 18. While promoting “Whalefall,” Brolin told Variety he’s happy that theatrical releases have seen a jump at the box office, including for the re-release of “Avengers: Endgame,” which he “didn’t even know” recently returned to the big screen.
“Going to the theaters on Sundays when I was in my early 20s and my late teens, and the lights would go down — it was just a heart-opening experience that I never wanted to let go,” Brolin said.
However, Brolin’s Ridley Scott-directed “The Dog Stars,” earned just $8 million domestically its opening weekend in August. the actor said he wasn’t fazed by the numbers as it’s impossible to know “what’s going to work.”
“‘Dog Stars’ did an incredible marketing campaign, and then nobody saw it,” he said, also noting that box office failures can eventually find success via streaming.
Brolin recalled his 2017 film “Only the Brave,” which initially bombed at box offices but later became a streaming hit. “You don’t know if you’re going to be part of the zeitgeist or not,” he said.
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