The North Water – An Arctic Filming Experience
Set on an Arctic whaling ship in 1859, The North Water is a welcome return to the territory mapped by The Terror, a TV highlight from 2018–19. This new show is even more brutal, pitting man against the relentless forces of nature amid an atmosphere filled with death and danger. Director Andrew Haigh encapsulates its essence: ‘This is a story about the world in chaos.’
A five-part series based on the novel by Ian McGuire, it effectively showcases exceptional actors. Colin Farrell brings his signature brooding menace and physicality to the role of whaler Henry Drax, while Jack O’Connell portrays the cerebral and sensitive ship surgeon Patrick Sumner. The talented Stephen Graham rounds out the cast as Captain Brownlee. Although known for gentler dramas like Weekend and 45 Years, Haigh has proven his skill in the challenging environment depicted in The North Water. Here are the key sites from their gruelling and interrupted shoot.
The Arctic
For the scenes set within the ice and freezing waters of the Arctic, Haigh insisted on the importance of authenticity. ‘Most people do not shoot these kinds of things in the real environment,’ he stated. ‘It was fundamentally important. I didn’t want to do it if I couldn’t do that. I wanted it to feel authentic and real.’
Consequently, filming began in September 2019 on the islands of Svalbard, approximately 500 miles north of the Norwegian mainland and 600 miles from the North Pole—heralded as the most northerly location ever for a drama. While some scenes were filmed in Longyearbyen, the capital of the archipelago, most of what we see unfolds in the Arctic waters over two days of sailing. The location had a profound impact, influencing both the footage and the cast. Farrell remarked at a preview screening, ‘It was life-changing, to be honest. The vastness and the beauty of the space, and the silence of the space… There was this emptiness and loneliness that was very honest.’
Shooting in such a wild landscape inevitably brought real dangers. At night, polar bears roamed the ice around the ship, and filming was interrupted when a walrus appeared. O’Connell had to leap from one ice floe to another on camera; crew members were trapped by separating ice, and Graham nearly capsized on the open sea due to a falling iceberg. Farrell noted, ‘I did feel that death was just around the corner at any given time.’ Fortunately, they were supported by experts from PolarX, a company specializing in filming in icy conditions, with credits that include Fortitude, Treadstone, and Frozen Planet.
