This movie is really different from what you’ve done before. Why did you choose this film?
I’ve always wanted to do a war film. I always have. This script came to me – I actually read the treatment before I ever read the script, just a 20 page rough outline of the story – and I just fell in love with the story. I just thought, “This has got to be told.” You know, 1,100 veterans are passing away in the United States each day. At least that’s the last number that I heard. And with them are these stories. If they’re not written down and they’re not told… I mean, these are the most uplifting, inspired stories. As soon as I read it I called Ryan the director and said, “Hey, that’s me. That character Deacon, that’s me. So whatever you need to do, you get me in the room and I will do the rest.”
When you first looked at the script, that’s the character you knew you had to play?
It was Deacon.
Why?
I don’t know. There was a spiritual connection that I had with him. Because he had a religious foundation as I do, there was a spiritual connection. And I think it was the biggest stretch for me. My personality is pretty outgoing. I’m not a very internal person. I’m very out there, whatever – I don’t know if that’s the right way to say it. I just kind of wear it on my sleeve. And this character is just the opposite of me. I would hope that I have his attributes in myself. I think since then maybe I have, and I think forever I’ll try and keep adopting some of the attributes that this character has and any of the people that I read about who served. But I read it and I just related so much and I wanted so much to just be him. To portray him, to portray that type of person. That person who is so selfless but yet so haunted by the horrors of war and the tragedies of war. And it was something that I’d never experienced so I thought what a challenge it would be to try and tackle something that I have absolutely no – other than my relationship with my grandfather and watching movies and things like that – I have no [experience in being]. I’ve never served in the military. I can’t relate. Of course there’s the hero part (laughing). I love that! He’s a hero, as all of them are.
I think that when people see it they’ll say, “Oh, this story’s about Deacon.” And I want to say when people say, “This is the star of the film,” I’m not by any means. There are five of us that are the main guys, but there are over 100 reenactors that made this film what it was. It just seemed like everybody gave their heart and soul to make this thing happen.
Would you do a war movie again?
In a second. In a second. Maybe not in the winter (laughing).
I heard conditions were pretty tough while you were filming this.
You know, they were, but again it’s such a sensitive topic because I think we can sit here and say, “Oh man, it was cold.” It was. It was freezing. We wore all the vintage stuff. I was in the 101st Airborne, my character Deacon, and you wear the jump boots. I kid you not, the first day they got wet and they didn’t get dry for 30 days. It was almost like there was something supernatural going on. My shoes would not dry. And I thought, “These guys wore the same boots for 2 months, 3 months, in a ditch. They didn’t have a warm trailer to go to.” They didn’t get to go home at night and take a shower. They were enduring incredible hardships. And so, it was physically demanding. I grew up in Utah and I always shot guns, I was always big into shooting. So that was always fun playing Army and stuff like that. So big boys playing Army, that’s what it was. But as far as physically, it was uncomfortable. It was wet, it was cold, and for good reason because I think it helped us get there. We were miserable, we really were.
You’re traveling to film festivals with this movie. What’s the reaction overall been, and what’s the most interesting reaction you’ve gotten?
The reaction overall has been unbelievable. More than anything that we expected. Again, we knew we had a good movie. We knew we had a good film. But as far as how much it would actually affect people… We won over 14 Best Picture awards at film festivals. I don’t know of that happening with an independent film like this. It probably has, but I’ve never heard of it. And we were winning Audience Choice Best Pictures. We love the Jury Choice, that’s great, but any festival where they actually had an Audience Choice Best Picture, we won the festival there. So we know that people are seeing the film and they’re coming away feeling something.
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