Sophia Bush Felt ‘Mortified’ Filming Dolphin Scene in Her New Movie
Not every element of movie production is glamorous — as Sophia Bush can tell you.
“I felt so embarrassed from the audience that day,” the 43-year-old actress shared exclusively with Us Weekly about a scene in her new film Summer’s Last Resort. “I’ve never been so grateful to be just a spectator during a scene.”
Bush portrays Milly in the Tubi film, starring alongside Jerry O’Connell and Violet McGraw, who play her boyfriend and daughter, as they attempt to bond during a tropical getaway. The particular scene features O’Connell, 52, and McGraw, 15, comically trying to revive a dolphin while Bush’s character looks on.
“During the dolphin scenes, I was doing things that would embarrass [Violet] and my daughters,” O’Connell, who has 17-year-old twin daughters Charlie and Dolly with wife Rebecca Romijn, joked to Us. “I had the chance to embrace it. I live in constant fear of my daughters. I’m even hesitant to talk about them. When I got on Summer’s Last Resort, I thought, ‘Oh, I can do the things I dream of as a dad, but need to hold back because Violet is working here.’”
McGraw agreed, stating that working with the dolphins was certainly “the most unforgettable experience for me.”
The film is filled with action and physical comedy, so it’s no surprise that the dolphin scene wasn’t the only one that tested some limits.
“There was a moment where I questioned how long we should remain there,” Bush recounted about things getting hectic during a “big” fire scene. “I thought I might need to take her out of there to save us both. And we made it.”
However, O’Connell wasn’t left unscathed.
“I have nose hairs. They seem to run in my family. My dad had them, his father had them, and I have them too. My daughters will likely inherit them someday. While shooting that scene, I was about 20 feet behind those two by the fire, and when I inhaled, I felt my nose hairs… I could sense them burning,” he joked to Us. “I didn’t have to use [my trimmer] for two weeks because it was so hot.”
He humorously noted that wasn’t his only nasal mishap on set, claiming he “singed all my nose hairs” again after catching a whiff of sardine breath from the dolphin.
“I kissed the dolphin, and honestly, no offense to dolphins, but their breath was the worst,” O’Connell stated. “It was just sardine breath, right in your face, and they lack any concept of a blowhole or mouth, acting like everyone wants to be near them.”
Ultimately, the film centers on the mother-daughter bond between Milly and Summer, McGraw’s character.
“It just felt natural because she took such wonderful care of me and felt like my mom in real life,” McGraw expressed to Us about working alongside Bush.
Bush, a One Tree Hill alum, added, “We play a mother and daughter, but also friends. It’s a fascinating dynamic. … We became really close, not just among ourselves but as a larger group, almost like we were at summer camp.”
She concluded: “We simply had a blast.”
Summer’s Last Resort premieres exclusively on Tubi on Friday, July 3.
