Action movie star Dolph Lundgren discusses how James Wan’s casting process worked and the grueling filming process of the DCEU movie’s underwater scenes.
Lundgren, who played Mera’s father King Nereus in Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, revealed how he was cast for the role. During an interview with Screen Rant at FAN EXPO San Francisco 2024, Lundgren shared that he auditioned by performing a scene from Excalibur, but with an over-the-top performance. He received the role after the studio saw his audition.
The underwater scenes in Aquaman required dozens of takes for a single shot, according to Lundgren. This was due to the visual effects needed to bring the underwater world to life. Willem Dafoe, who played Vulko, even forgot half of his dialogue after around the 40th take.
Lundgren described the process, “And then I remember the next scene was with Willem Dafoe, and we did like 40 takes. He forgot half his dialogue, I had to have cotton in my ears just to be able to listen because after a while you’ve tried everything. It turned out James Wan wanted different performances, but it was also because of the visual effects; if it wasn’t just perfect, we had to reshoot. It was very tedious, but also exciting for me to be in a big movie like that.”
The DCEU’s underwater scenes have evolved over time, with Zack Snyder shooting Aquaman’s cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on a water tank. However, this approach wouldn’t work for dialogue and action scenes, and James Wan used a variety of rigs, green screens, and water tanks to film the underwater scenes in Aquaman.
The actors, including Lundgren, faced unique challenges, such as performing against green screens, shooting the same scene multiple times, and acting while hanging from rigs. These challenges led to the need for dozens of takes for a single scene.
In addition to the on-set challenges, the post-production process was also demanding, with visual effects supervisors reworking their software to achieve the right hair movement in over 500 shots. The hair movement needed to match the movement of the rigged bodies, and the rest of the environment had to be designed with the swimming choreography in mind. As a result, James Wan had to keep every post-production detail in mind while shooting Aquaman and its sequel.
Overall, Lundgren’s experience in Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom emphasizes the unique challenges that come with filming a water-themed action movie, from the demanding casting process to the complex post-production process.