Finn Cole Dives Deep Into Role and Personal Growth With ‘Last Breath’ Film
Finn Cole’s Netflix algorithm had him well prepared for the role of Chris Lemons. Back in 2019, the documentary “Last Breath” landed on Netflix and it popped up as a suggested watch for Cole.
“I love watching documentaries because I love true stories for the most part,” Cole says. The story of “Last Breath” gripped him in particular: deep sea diver Lemons was stranded in the depths of the North Sea for roughly 30 minutes with only five minutes of breathable gas — and somehow survived.
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Cole’s dad was an avid scuba diver, so the two bonded over the doc. Several years later, when an email came through with the script for a feature film version of the story, Cole was already sold.
“I didn’t even need to read the script,” he says.
“Last Breath,” out now, is directed by Alex Parkinson, who also made the documentary, and co-stars Woody Harrleson and Simu Liu. Cole, who is 29, was cast last, and as a fan of the documentary, was intrigued by Parkinson’s vision for the follow up.
“We wanted to capture a bit more of the essence of what it’s like for these guys living in saturation. I think that what you gather in a documentary is the initial story and the miracle factor of how he [survived]. But it is hard to really dive into what the characters are going through,” Cole says, from his Midtown hotel in New York the day of the film’s premiere.
Luckily, Lemons was available and willing to chat with Cole and open up about what he was experiencing emotionally during those 30 minutes.
“I mean, it was strange — I don’t know if embarrassment is the right word, but there is an element from these guys that something went wrong, when I actually see it as a lot of things went right in order for him to be saved. But they see it as an accident, and I think in that line of work, if you are seen to have an accident, it can sometimes be talked about as a failure,” Cole says.
To help with his portrayal, Cole was able to also talk to Lemons about what was going through his mind in the midst of the accident.
“He talked about it so eloquently and beautifully that it was really interesting to hear him go into that. It’s sad, but what went through his mind was a sort of couple of minutes of panic, as you can imagine. Then a couple of minutes of just deep, deep sadness, a lot of crying, a lot of wailing, I think was one of the words that he used. Coming to terms with the fact that he was sorry to his family and the people he left behind. And then he said a few minutes until he passed out was just euphoric, kind of calm,” Cole says. “He’d said that he’d never taken any drugs before in his life, but if he was to take all of the best ones, that would be the feeling.”
Lemons added that this experience has allowed him to give some comfort to those who have lost their loved ones in similar ways.
“People since reach out to him who have lost loved ones to say, ‘what were they feeling in their last moments?’ And he’s been able to give some insights and it’s such a nice thing because his insight is a beautiful one,” Cole says. “This acceptance that comes over you that he was like, it’s quite profound.”
The experience of making the film has only deepened Cole’s interest in diving.
“As actors, it’s so nice to be able to learn new skills. This is one of those jobs,” Cole says.
Cole is the younger brother of actor Joe Cole, who helped him get his start in the industry. Joe starred on Season One of “Peaky Blinders,” and when Season Two came around, he encouraged Finn to send in an audition tape.
“I was like, I can’t pay for a train and he was like, ‘well, film it on my phone. I’ll send it to my agent,’” Cole recalls.
Being part of “Peaky Blinders,” on which he played Michael Gray, was his big ‘aha moment.’
“I was all of a sudden on a film set and the day I remember turning up to the auditions, I felt like an adult for the first time,” Cole says. “It was like, ‘oh, this is where I belong.’ It was a strange shift where I went from being a teenager, kind of a little bit loose, and then getting straight onto a film set and being so focused and comfortable feeling like a real adult.”
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