VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Eric Bana & Deborra-Lee Furness Reflect On Finding Leeches ‘Everywhere’ While Filming ‘Force Of Nature: The Dry 2’

Actors Eric Bana and Deborra-Lee Furness spoke about their experience in Australia while they filmed Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 in their new uInterview.

Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 is an Australian thriller, a sequel to the 2020 film The Dry, and based on Jane Harper’s 2017 novel Force of Nature. The movie follows five women who go on a hiking retreat where one disappears. A federal agent (Bana) arrives at the scene to help with the search leading to some explosive events. 

Bana jumped in with his thoughts on what drew him to the story: “We loved the book’s premise. We thought it was a really exciting project. We have always loved the idea of these five women, so brilliantly written by Jane Harper, going on a corporate trip and getting lost. We just felt we hadn’t seen that before. We were really excited about that opportunity.”

Furness spoke to her interest in the film, “It was a female-driven ensemble cast which I found very exciting; you don’t see a lot of that in cinema, and the character was, she was fun to play with, I loved that she was vulnerable and she was strong, and she was a leader. I like to play characters that are nice role models for young girls who can lead, have strength, and still be authentic. It was a great opportunity to go and create a little bit of magic in Australia.”

When asked how the two actors prepared for their wilderness roles, Furness laughed and explained that when on the set, “You’re standing there with leeches and trees, in climate weather – and there’s no acting required; it’s like, ‘Deal. Survive.’ And that’s what we went out there every day and did, we survived.”

Bana agreed that acting wasn’t a big concern in the environment. “It’s an integral part of us being Australian as well because I feel like Mother Nature kicks our ass three or four times a year; we know the pecking order. We know where we stand about Mother Nature.”

Asked about the movie’s Down Under theme, Furness responded that all the characters are intrinsically Australian. “You know, Australian women, we’re kind of pioneering women; there’s a tenacity and toughness to us, so I think that you discover the Australian-ness through the characters, not the story,” she said.

When asked about what they felt they’d remember about their experience making the movie, Bana slyly replied, “There’s a particular moment that took us a day to shoot. It was quite full-on, and we didn’t think we’d be allowed to do it, but it was worth it. That’s all I’ll say.”

Furness looked back, “I think that the entire cast and crew will forever be talking about the leeches. We found them in every crevice on every actor, in every crew member. Constantly.” She joked about her advice for future films, “Be very aware for the next film you take, what the location is. Preferably south of France, maybe?”