Big Miracle

Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski braved the Arctic temperatures of Alaska for their new movie, Big Miracle. Barrymore, Krasinski, and their costars weren't the only ones who experienced the frosty temperatures up north, though. I visited the icy set last year during filming, where I chatted with the cast (which also includes Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and Dermot Mulroney), watched a scene being shot against the gorgeous Alaskan backdrop, and sampled the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever had.

The film (formerly titled Everybody Loves Whales) is based on the sensational true story of three California whales that were trapped in the Arctic Circle in 1988, and how the event went from being a local news report to a national effort to set them free. Leading the charge is Adam (Krasinski), a struggling reporter who thinks he's hit the big time when he initially discovers the whales. In no time, his activist ex girlfriend Rachel (Barrymore) heads to Alaska to lend a hand and make her voice heard. It all snowballs from there (pun intended), and eventually the cause spans from the residents of Barrow, AK all the way to the White House.

The cast joked about their dependence on disposable hand and feet warmers (or "hotties" as Barrymore prefers to call them), talked about why they loved the interconnecting storylines (you can just think of this movie as the Love Actually of the whale genre), but more than anything else, they seemed to genuinely love their fellow cast members. Here's what Krasinski and Barrymore had to say about making the film:

What drew you to the role?
John Krasinski: For me, the opportunity to play a whale is a once in a lifetime gig. And to actually play a human and a whale at the same time. . .No, I was immediately drawn to the project. First because of Drew, I knew that Drew was going to be a part of it and I have always wanted to work with her in a very, very, very major way. When you read the script it's one of those movies that hits this pocket of very unique and special project. There's a little bit of romance, little bit of comedy, little bit of drama, and it doesn't really fit into any certain realm that people are used to. And in doing that, it becomes this amalgam of really, really special story telling. And the fact that all of it's true is incredible. I was just blown away by a bunch of people coming together for whales, and then realizing there's so much more to be said.

Drew Barrymore: I love collective experiences and I think it's very good to make films that are personal to you, and you know what they are, but I think it's for certain types of people, and you know the people that you're making it for. There aren't a lot of films that you got to make that are very diverse and for a large group of people. We all want to be a part of something that makes us believe that good things happen in the world. And that people actually put aside their agendas and came together on something that was really extraordinary. The fact that there is levity to the really weighty, cool, important message that's in this movie makes it not medicine. It's just a beautiful story and incredible things happen. And because it's true, we know that it happened, it gives us that hope that we need in life. I need this kind of hope in life. I need movies like this.

To see what they had to say about staying warm and standing up for a cause, just keep reading.

I was a little skeptical of the upcoming movie Everybody Loves Whales when I first heard of it back in February, but here's a reason to warm up to the project: John Krasinski has joined the cast! Krasinski will play a news reporter who breaks the story about three California gray whales that got stuck under the ice of the Arctic Circle. (Drew Barrymore is already set to play a Greenpeace activist).

While the rest of the world is still at odds regarding whether Krasinski will make a good Ethan in Something Borrowed, I'm happy to see he's branching out a little from the romantic comedies. Plus, I can totally see him with a pencil behind his ear.

Hot off winning a Golden Globe for HBO's Grey Gardens, Drew Barrymore is going back to the big screen. The actress is eying the role of a Greenpeace activist for Everybody Loves Whales, a Universal film following real-life events in 1988 when a group of whales got trapped under ice in the Arctic Circle. But this isn't just an environmental film — the incident also took a political turn, helping ease relations between the US and Soviets when President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev lent their power to help free Willy.

Ken Kwapis, who teamed with Barrymore for He's Just Not That Into You, is on board to direct Whales, which has me curious about the audience they're targeting. Is it a family film? A drama? Is Barrymore going to fall in love with an activist on an iceberg, only to have him never call? One thing's for sure — this news seems pretty untimely given the recent SeaWorld headlines. Perhaps they should rethink that title for now.