Turbulence Stars Hilmar & Irvine on Feminism, Claudio Fäh, Prep & More

Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Turbulence

Turbulence Stars Hilmar & Irvine on Feminism, Claudio Fäh, Prep & More

Turbulence stars Hera Hilmar (See) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) spoke to us about the Lionsgate thriller, director Claudio Fäh & more.

Published Sun, 21 Dec 2025 16:47:04 -0600
by Tom Chang
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Article Summary

• Stars Hera Hilmar and Jeremy Irvine discuss the intense, confined-set survival thriller Turbulence
• Hilmar highlights Turbulence’s feminist dimension, with her character taking agency in the story
• The cast reveals rapid preparation, minimal rehearsal time, and instant chemistry on set
• Director Claudio Fäh praised for creative freedom, open collaboration, and supportive environment

Actors can do some amazing things regardless of the space they have when they can work off an ideal premise. As is the case with Lionsgate's Turbulence, the trick to making the survival thriller work is the characters featured and it starts with stars Hera Hilmar (See) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), who play married couple Emmy and Zach, respectively who fly in a hot air balloon when an unexpected guest arrives (Olga Kurylenko) with ties to Zach's past. As tensions fester to a boiling point, the trio, along with their guide (Kelsey Grammer) must find a way to avert disaster that could cost them their lives. Hilmar and Irvine spoke to Bleeding Cool about what the confined space is like "a play," working with director Claudio Fäh, and if they had time to do any prep or build a rapport before filming.

Turbulence Stars Hera Hilmar and Jeremy Irvine on Hot Air Balloon Survival Thriller

What intrigued you about Turbulence, and what did you like about the script?

Irvine: I liked the idea of a fun action movie set in a confined space and relied a lot on the four actors together. I was very excited with the actors they got, and I like the idea of doing a theater show in a box with three very talented actors.

Hilmar: That's such a good answer. "Copy and paste" for Hera, but it's so true. It's the intimacy of the acting and experience. It's trying to do something as technical as being in a little box in a studio and making it where you're like in the sky over the Dolomites and making that work. This kind of speed, both in terms of the story and the filming, was quite fun. There are also subtle elements about the film, like for me, on a feminist level. It's a story also where the female lead gets to be very active, and make decisions on her own, which obviously happens often, but sometimes, often not, and that was so cool.

Irvine: Yeah, it's nice to see like the asshole gaslighty kind of emotionally abusive member of a relationship get his comeuppance and be thrown out of a hot air balloon [both laugh].

What is it like working with Claudio as a creative?

Irvine: He might be the sweetest and nicest man I've ever met.

Hilmar: He literally might be. Jeremy's filming right now, so he couldn't come to the premiere in LA, but I was able to go. [Claudio] opened his house, and his family just took care of me, and it's like that. He would do that for us anytime, and that's how I felt like it was on set. He was open to our ideas, very cooperative, and gave us space to play, right?

Irvine: He's coming from the visual effects world, which is his expertise. He gets four actors that he likes and lets us play. That's all we want to do in our work, and you can tell that he gets excited by that. Any director who's excited to work with you, and you can tell how much he loves film. He is the sort of director I like working with.

Did you both do any prep work before filming, as far as the physical demands of the film, and building rapport as Emmy and Zach?

Irvine: No, I was absolutely fat and surprised I didn't sink the balloon myself. How about you? [Hilmar laughs]

Hilmar: We didn't have much time to do any prep. Wait, what did you say? Did you say that?

Irvine: I was saying I was definitely not in shape for that movie.

Hilmar: I don't think either of us did any physical prep to be

Irvine: We didn't have time. It was so quick, right?

Hilmar: I finished the job literally on a Saturday, and I came on set on Monday. I've never done anything as quick as that was, which is not ideal. I remember Monday was rehearsals, and we had to connect quickly. You, Jeremy, are very open and quick to connect with, and so I think we dove in. It felt very easy; I hope it was also mutual.

Irvine: No, it felt mutual. As an actor, you learn your lines, you do stuff, and you can have all these great ideas in your head, do all this prep, but if you don't get on set and have that spark with the other actor you're working with, it can be hard work. I think we all lucked out, didn't we? With Olga, Kelsey, and us, if you're doing loads of prep, that's all you're trying to do anyway, is have that. So yeah, we were lucky we had it on day one, thank goodness.

Turbulence is available in theaters.

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