Kurt Russell on the prickly path of Hollywood retelling true stories

Kurt Russell doesn’t believe in “too soon” when it comes to true-story dramatizations.

“What would be the proper time?” the actor asks when pressed about the release of his film “Deepwater Horizon.”

The Hollywood action flick plunges headfirst into a retelling of the hours before the BP oil rig explosion in 2010 — an environmental tragedy off the Gulf of Mexico that also killed 11 workers.

Turning the event into a movie so quickly has rankled some observers who claimed Hollywood was capitalizing on a tragedy.

Russell says they’re right in some respects, but they aren’t considering the bigger picture.

“I think what’s important is the story you’re telling,” he says.

“And if this one doesn’t honour those people, then I don’t know what does.”

In “Deepwater Horizon” Russell is Jimmy Harrell, the offshore installation manager of the rig and one of the survivors of the event. The film is led by Mark Wahlberg who plays Mike Williams, an electronics technician who’s ostensibly framed as the hero.

Overall, the film is framed as a tribute to the men who lost their lives, a detail that was often lost in the broader coverage of an ecological calamity.

But it’s also a big fall action movie that uses the intense fiery moments and men in peril as its climax.

It’s simply Hollywood tradition, Russell says.

“We capitalize on every story that takes place in the world,” he adds.

Ultimately, it’s up to the cast and crew to “take the time and effort to do it extremely well.”

Russell says he’s waded into sensitive territory before with real-life stories. He portrayed Elvis Presley in John Carpenter’s 1979 film “Elvis,” which was broadcast while fans were still mourning the death of the singer.

“The project was underway when he was alive,” Russell said.

“So if you don’t think I got asked that question with a little more seriousness, it was only 17 months after Elvis died.”

“Deepwater Horizon” makes its world premiere at the Toronto film fest on Tuesday. The film rolls into theatres across the country on Sept. 30.

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David Friend, The Canadian Press