Braugher recalls being particularly affected by “the sacrifice Bradford makes, the compassion he feels for his passengers and his love for his ship. Even during wholesale panic in the ballroom he stands to deliver the heroic lie and calm people down. He’s a good man. No matter how dire the circumstances, he remains steadfast.”
In preparation for the role, Braugher absorbed a great deal of technical advice, learned the basic functions of a ship’s propulsion and navigation as well as safety procedures. Interestingly, he says, “since no one anticipates ships turning over, there are no specific safety responses for it other than to close the bulkheads and try to seal off floors to slow sinking.”
Acknowledging that Poseidon raises questions about how each of us might act in such a situation, Braugher believes, “There’s really no way to know unless it happens. Am I injured or not? Am I with family? I would never leave my family alone so if they were injured of course we would never escape; if we’re going to be entombed, we would be entombed together.” Freddy Rodriguez, whose work on the HBO series Six Feet Under has earned two SAG Awards plus three additional nominations and an Emmy nomination, blends pragmatism and compassion in the role of resourceful waiter Valentin. His knowledge of the ship’s layout prompts Ramsey to approach Valentin with a proposition.
“Ramsey offers him money, double his yearly salary, if he will help them,” says Rodriguez, who goes on to acknowledge that money is not Valentin’s sole motivation. “He would likely have helped them anyway, by his very nature, no to mention that he himself is anxious to get out. He’s a smart guy and he’s definitely a survivor.”
The role required Rodriguez to push himself to a level of physical performance beyond anything he’d previously done on camera, including one breathtaking stunt in which he appears suspended 15 feet over an elevator shaft by hanging onto the leg of Dreyfuss’ character Nelson. He jokes that the toughest part of that scene was “gaining a comfort level with the safety harness, which is basically a straightjacket with no sleeves.”
As for any lingering fears about disasters at sea, Rodriguez says, “I’ve never been on a cruise ship, but I’ve always wanted to go. It’s like Jaws. Do you stop going to the beach after seeing Jaws? You’ve got to live your life. Absolutely, I would go on a cruise tomorrow.” Respected for his dramatic turns in Oliver Stone’s Platoon and The Doors, and currently drawing laughs in HBO’s Entourage, the versatile Kevin Dillon portrays Poseidon’s less-than-charming passenger Lucky Larry, who also survives the initial impact.
“Larry’s loud and flashy and kind of nasty; a guy who obviously has had a few too many drinks and is still drinking,” says Dillon, admitting it wasn’t easy to lend Larry a likeable dimension. “To his credit, he’s not such a bad guy – just really hammered. At the beginning he’s playing poker with the guys and is starting to annoy people, but after the trauma of the ship capsizing, he becomes more of an ugly drunk. It was a fun character to play.”
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