Eric Bana Makes the Toughest Choices in "The Finest Hours"

Australian actor Eric Bana (“Hulk,” “Lone Survivor”) plays Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard station when the storm hit, in Walt Disney Pictures' gripping sea rescue tale, “The Finest Hours.”

The film is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

"Cinderella's" Holliday Grainger Weathers "The Finest Hours"‏

She most recently delighted audiences as one of the cruel stepsisters in director Kenneth Branagh's “Cinderella” opposite Lily James and Cate Blanchett.

Now, British actress Holliday Grainger stars in Disney's sea rescue tale “The Finest Hours” as the headstrong fiancée of Chris Pine's character, who has no problem speaking her mind, especially when it comes to her fiance's safety.

“The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. The film also stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.

“Miriam is an interesting character,” says Grainger. “She is so strong and determined to get what she wants, and even though she’s an educated woman, all she really wants is to get married. I loved the idea and the style of the 1950s and that kind of small town regional American mindset, which was a headspace I’d never really played before.”

Says director Craig Gillespie, “Miriam is this very independent woman, which feels a little unusual for that time period, but she actually ends up challenging Chris Pine's Bernie to think for himself. Portraying a powerful woman is such a great opportunity for an actress, and Holliday does a superb job of maintaining that fine line between being strong but not too intimidating. The chemistry between her and Chris is just beautiful, and you really are yearning for them to end up together.”

Miriam’s journey throughout the film is to be able to comprehend the world that Bernie comes from and to learn to be secure in the fact that marrying him means marrying into that world. She explains, “Bernie cares about her so much and doesn’t want to introduce her into his world of danger because he’s saving people’s lives every day and doesn’t know when—or if—he’s ever coming back.”

“The movie is as much about the rescue mission as it is about the challenges of a relationship and how one makes the decision to fully commit to be with someone,” says producer Jim Whitaker, “and so in a way, what’s happening at sea is like a metaphor to what’s happening on shore, and Miriam is the anchor of that emotional journey, both for Bernie and herself.”

The way Bernie and Miriam met is a story in and of itself: she was a telephone operator and listened in on one of his calls where he politely cancelled a date due to a flat tire, and was smitten. “She heard his voice and said ‘that’s the man I’m going to marry,’” she says. “They dated on the phone for several weeks and got to know everything about each other before agreeing to meet, and the rest is history.” Bernie and Miriam Webber were married on April 16, 1952, as planned, and remained married for 58 years until Bernie passed away in 2009 at the age of 81.

In addition to the historical facts and details which the filmmakers wanted to be sure were believable and technically accurate, it was also important that the characters’ relationships were authentic as well. “We wanted to be very specific and very clear with how things happened, and the scene in the film where Bernie and Miriam go on their first date is verbatim from the story,” says Whitaker. “Being able to get those nuances and truths makes it all the more interesting and allows us to present such unique individuals, and both actors were great at being able to run with it.”

Opening across the Philippines on March 02, “The Finest Hours” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures. Follow the official social media accounts of Disney in the Philippines, namely, (FB) WaltDisneyStudiosPH, (Twitter) @disneystudiosph and (Instagram) @waltdisneystudiosph and use the hashtag #FinestHoursPH.

Chris Pine, Off to a Daring Sea Rescue in "The Finest Hours"

When Chris Pine is considering upcoming projects with which to become involved, a clear indication for the actor is a screenplay he can read in one sitting. With Walt Disney Pictures' “The Finest Hours,” he couldn’t put it down.

(Watch the clip “Just Go Back” featuring Chris Pine at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytwFpIcy3E.)

“The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

"X-Men's" Ben Foster Plays Real-Life Hero in "The Finest Hours"‏

Talented actor Ben Foster (“X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Lone Survivor”) stars in Disney's heroic action-thriller “The Finest Hours” as a veteran Coast Guard seaman who, despite his reservations about his superior's leadership abilities, volunteers to join him on a perilous rescue mission.

(Watch the clip “You Got About Five Seconds” featuring Ben Foster and Chris Pine at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTDN1exsXuc.)

Casey Affleck, the Accidental Hero in "The Finest Hours"‏

Academy Award® nominee Casey Affleck (“Interstellar,” “Oceans 13”) stars in Disney's daring sea rescue tale “The Finest Hours” as Raymond Sybert, the mid-level crew member aboard the ill-fated Pendleton who suddenly becomes the man to whom everyone looks for guidance.

(Watch “The Boat is In Pieces” clip featuring Casey Affleck at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_kN-RYnLOY.)

A heroic action-thriller, “The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. The film also stars Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.

"The Finest Hours" Non-Fiction Book Now a Compelling Film‏

While Disney Pictures’ action-adventure “The Finest Hours” is packed with thrilling, larger-than-life action sequences, it is anchored by the prevailing theme that resonates throughout the story—the strength of the human spirit.

“These young men knew exactly what they were getting into when they climbed into that tiny lifeboat,” says producer Dorothy Aufiero (“The Fighter”). “They had the courage to go out there and put others’ safety first and do something incredible, and I find that truly inspirational.”

A heroic action-thriller, Disney's “The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

"Zootopia," "Captain America: Civil War" Usher In Disney's 2016 Campaign‏

Coming off an undisputed blockbuster 2015 – when practically every movie it released was a box-office hit -- Walt Disney Studios Philippines has just announced that will roll out ten films in 2016, led by the charming animated feature “Zootopia,” Marvel's super hero collision “Captain America: Civil War,” Pixar's eagerly awaited sequel, “Finding Dory” and Lucasfilm's first anthology entry, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

"The Finest Hours" Depicts Greatest Boat Rescue in US History‏

A heroic action-thriller, Disney's “The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history in the U.S. Presented in Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, “The Finest Hours” stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films); Academy Award®-nominee Casey Affleck (“Interstellar”); Ben Foster (“3:10 to Yuma”); Holliday Grainger (“Cinderella”); John Ortiz (“Silver Linings Playbook”); and Eric Bana (“Lone Survivor”).

New Trailer of "The Finest Hours" Comes to the Rescue‏

The new trailer of Walt Disney Pictures' “The Finest Hours” starring Chris Pine has just been released and may viewed here at https://youtu.be/v_j0gXEtKVs.

A heroic action-thriller, “The Finest Hours” is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D™, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, “The Finest Hours” stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films); Academy Award® nominee Casey Affleck (“Interstellar”); Ben Foster (“3:10 to Yuma”); Holliday Grainger (“Cinderella”); John Ortiz (“Silver Linings Playbook”); and Eric Bana (“Lone Survivor”).

Produced by Jim Whitaker (“Cinderella Man”) and Dorothy Aufiero (“The Fighter”), the screenplay is by Oscar® nominee Scott Silver (“8 Mile”) and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (“The Fighter”) based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. Doug Merrifield (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) serves as executive producer.