by Sheila Roberts Posted:February 1st, 2011 at 6:46 am

Australian actors Richard Roxburgh & Rhys Wakefield star in Sanctum, James Cameron’s new 3D epic underwater adventure directed by Alister Grierson. Roxburgh plays tough-as-nails master diver Frank McGuire whose dive team, including his 17-year-old son Josh (Wakefield), is exploring the South Pacific’s Esa’ala Caves. When a sudden tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

We sat down with Richard and Rhys to talk about the challenges of being in an action film that was shot largely underwater and often in the dark. They told us about the specialized training they underwent to prepare for their physically demanding roles, how being out of their own comfort zone helped them figure out the complicated dynamics of their father-son relationship, and what they did to conquer the occasional panic they experienced while performing many of their own stunts. Hit the jump for the full interview.

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Yesterday was the night for the LA premiere of Sanctum! There´s loads of pictures circulation online, but I´ve only added pics that are not tagged. I´m hoping to find most of them without tags in the next few days ;) But for now, check out this awesome pics :D

Red Carpet

After Party

I found this interesting interview, thanks to andy4ita!

THE VERGE || BY JEN YAMATO || 01.31.2011 4:30 PM

If the breakout debuts of Ryan Kwanten, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, and Teresa Palmer introduced a new generation of young Australian actors to Hollywood, the arrival of 22-year-old newcomer Rhys Wakefield marks the full-fledged Aussie Invasion. The young star of this week’s 3D underwater actioner Sanctum, who plays a 17-year-old cave diver trying to survive and get along with his estranged father, moved to Los Angeles last week, has already worked with the highest-grossing filmmaker of all time (executive producer James Cameron), and, like a pro, has learned to keep mum on the high-profile scripts he’s got piled up at home.

With a sweet, sly smile on his face, Wakefield flirted with the idea of hitting up Cameron for a part in Avatar 2 — he’s also expressed interest in playing Peeta in The Hunger Games adaptation, a role that’d be well-suited for the athletic blond actor — and recounted the physically demanding experience of filming the extreme waterborne adventure Sanctum.

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By Lynn Barker on 31. januar 2011 07.00.00 UTC

The Hunger Games trilogy is being made into feature films and big fan of the books, 22-year-old Aussie actor Rhys Wakefield would dearly love to play Peeta. After meeting and chatting with the friendly dude, we wish him best of luck! On February 4th you can catch the buff young actor in the deep cave diving adventure Sanctum produced by Avatar and Titanic’s James Cameron… in his special brand of 3-D!

Rhys built an avid fan club with his role in one of Australia’s most long-lived dramas Home and Away then broke into films with a heartfelt performance in the indie The Black Balloon in which he played the brother of an autistic boy. This hottie spends his time between Sydney and L.A. and admits he misses “Molly” back home. Don’t worry. She’s his dog.

Rhys has been into extreme sports and really topped this off in Sanctum with his performance as a teen at odds with his expert scuba diver/caver dad [Richard Roxburgh] as their team dives an isolated, underwater cave system looking for a way to the sea. When a typhoon fills the place with water, they have no choice but to fight for survival against horrible odds. Through their ordeal, a bond is formed but is it too late?

We’re sitting down in Beverly Hills. Picture Rhys in black slacks and dress shoes topped off with a classy beige suit jacket over white dress shirt. Definite date material here! Check it out.

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