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Movies have the power to shed light on real-life stories. Time and again, Hollywood draws inspiration from true events. Thirteen Lives, the new film by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, is certainly no exception.

But the story behind the Amazon Prime Video production is filled with controversy too, including one incident involving Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.

‘Thirteen Lives’ is based on the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018

In the summer of 2018, 12 members of a junior association soccer team and their assistant coach entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in the Chiang Rai Province of northern Thailand.

Due to heavy rain and rising water levels, the group became trapped deep within the caves. Rescue efforts soon gained worldwide interest, making the harrowing real-life story perfect for a film adaptation. Thirteen Lives sees Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell star as British divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, respectively.

Actor Viggo Mortensen films a scene for Thirteen Lives
Viggo Mortensen as Rick Stanton in Thirteen Lives | Prime Video via Youtube

The two men found the group alive. Their discovery kicked off an international rescue team to eventually extract the group. In the end, the rescue effort reportedly involved as many as 10,000 people, including divers, rescue workers, law enforcement, and military forces.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk insulted real-life hero Vern Unsworth

But the inspiring Tham Luang cave rescue wasn’t completely devoid of drama. As History vs. Hollywood reports, Elon Musk contributed his thoughts on the best way to rescue the group. His solution? Send in a mini-sub to extract the group.

Vern Unsworth, who was, in fact, the one who suggested sending in a cave diving team, voiced his distaste at Musk’s suggestion, labeling it a “PR stunt” with “absolutely no chance of working.” 

After watching Thirteen Lives, it’s clear why he rejected the idea. In some places, the cave system was barely large enough for a human body to wiggle through — let alone a mini-sub. Musk didn’t hold back from his disdain toward Unsworth’s comment.

In fact, the Telsa Motors CEO even took to Twitter to call Unsworth — who is played in Thirteen Lives by actor Lewis Fitz-Gerald — a “pedo guy.” This comment reportedly alluded to the 23-year age difference between Unsworth and his girlfriend at the time. However, Unsworth’s girlfriend was 40 years old — clearly, an adult woman.

Vern Unsworth sued Elon Musk for defamation

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As a result, Unsworth sued Musk for defamation following his tweets. According to Reuters, Musk testified during the case that his comment was not intended to be taken seriously. Unsworth lost the case, as it was not proven Musk defamed him. He did get an apology from Musk.

The cave rescue ultimately ended successfully, thanks to the involvement of Stanton and Volanthen. Both divers were reportedly among those suggested by Unsworth as some of the best cave divers in the world. Without Unsworth’s expertise concerning this specific cave, the event could’ve had a different outcome.

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