Josh Hartnett leads Below, a new Netflix series that takes place in a small Newfoundland fishing village where strange events unleash fear, disorder and a violent creature from beneath the ocean. The newly released teaser introduces Hartnett as Calvin, a fisherman who must understand what threatens his community before the situation grows worse.
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Calvin’s concern deepens when his son Wade begins to show frightening symptoms. Charlie Heaton plays Wade, while Mackenzie Davis plays marine biologist Fonda. As villagers react to the chaos around them, Calvin joins Fonda to investigate the mystery under the water. Their search connects the family crisis with the danger surrounding the village and gives the series its main conflict.
Hartnett says the scripts immediately caught his attention. He read the first two episodes in less than an hour and responded to the writing, the concept and the character. The material felt unlike anything he had encountered before, which pushed him toward the role.
Creator Jesse McKeown developed the series from his affection for Newfoundland. He describes the province as rugged, isolated, dangerous and frightening. He also points to the warmth, humor and eccentricities that define its communities.
Hartnett and Heaton spent time with local residents to understand daily life in Newfoundland. Hartnett recalls joining another actor with lobsters, a pot and seawater while listening to stories about the island and its people.
He also listened to a Newfoundland radio station every day to study the regional accent. The station featured fishermen discussing their work, which helped him hear local speech patterns and vocabulary. Heaton spent time in bars outside St. John’s and observed how residents spoke, socialized and welcomed newcomers.
Davis found a different type of role in Fonda. She describes Calvin and Fonda as two partners solving a mystery and says she enjoyed working within that dynamic. She also believes the series combines humor, fear, intelligence and speed in a way that makes it compelling to watch.
Below brings those elements together through a coastal mystery, a family under pressure and a community facing events it cannot explain. Hartnett, Heaton and Davis lead the cast through a story that draws directly from Newfoundland’s environment and culture. The ocean drives the danger as Calvin and Fonda search for answers. Below arrives on Netflix on October 8.
