As an international incident is working its way through the news cycle, you can bet cracks are being made on social media about who will option the movie rights. In the particularly protracted case of the 2010 Chilean mining accident, such an adaptation could have been made and released before any of the miners were. It took 69 days and tens of millions of dollars to rescue the 33 men trapped deep within the San José mine, and the world took notice.
Now, The 33 lets you revisit those long weeks of waiting in a comparatively comfortable two hours. The film stars Antonio Banderas as Mario “Super Mario” Sepúlveda, who became the leader of the miners, dividing the food in rations and stopping the outbursts of violence or despair. It’s a powerful, emotional and engaging story, and one which director Patricia Riggen presents with inspiration and respect.
Recently, at the New York City press day for The 33, we had the chance to sit down with Mr. Banderas for an exclusive interview. During our discussion, he spoke about his commanding performance, meeting the real-life “Super Mario” and more.
Hear what Antonio Banderas had to say to us in the video above and be sure to catch The 33 when it hits theatres this Friday!