Pop CultureTHE SCREENING ROOM

Whalefall's whale stomach built from mattress foam and silicone

Production designer Ramsey Avery built the creature's insides for the film, which is in theaters now and follows a son diving off California; the mattress store is flattered.

On air: Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger on Weekend Edition
Published 3:16 PM ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026

Photo: Sperm whale — Photo: Gabriel Barathieu · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0

At a glance

First reported by Variety: “How ‘Whalefall’ Production Designer Ramsey Avery Built the Creature’s Stomach Using Mattress Foam and Silicone Bits”.
Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 3:16 PM ET on Weekend Edition, by Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

VarietyHow ‘Whalefall’ Production Designer Ramsey Avery Built the Creature’s Stomach Using Mattress Foam and Silicone Bits

What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorVariety reports that Ramsey Avery, the production designer on Whalefall, built the giant creature's stomach out of mattress foam and silicone bits, and I have loved this movie since the first second I heard about it.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBut you haven't actually watched the film.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorI've seen the foam!
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorIn the movie, a son dives off California looking for his father's remains and meets a giant squid being chased by an eighty-foot sperm whale.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorIt's in theaters now, and the stomach looks incredible.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the most terrifying room in the film is a mattress outlet. I'd give the squid a firm recommendation.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorYes, and a pillow top!
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHere's my sequel: Whalefall Two, a sleep study, with a thirty-day return policy.