Peter has said he treated you all like Navy SEALs. Do any of you think you could go through real SEAL training after your experiences on the film?
Mark Wahlberg: I’m 42-years-old. But as a man, I don’t want to sit on the bench; I want to be in the game. It’s not a question of physical ability; it really comes down to that mental toughness that I think sets those guys apart from other guys who can’t get through the training. So I don’t know if I could do it.
Eric Bana: Marcus tells great stories of what he went through when he was serving. He would look around the room and ID guys that he was convinced wouldn’t get through, just based on how they looked. They often looked like cage fighters or body builders. But there would always be a guy in the corner who he thought, what is he doing here? But those guys would get through it, and the guys who looked like they could take on the world were the ones who were crying after one or two days.
Like Mark was saying, it was so much a mental thing. What’s so fascinating when you read about the training is that the guys who succeed are made of something else. Marcus’ book did such a great job of making you realize how big the gap is between most of us and them.
Emile Hirsch: Marcus also made a really interesting point to us that if the government could find out what makes a Navy SEAL a Navy SEAL, there would be millions of dollars saved on this training. There’s no way of really knowing what exactly makes a SEAL. You’re bringing in the toughest guys, and they still don’t know. It’s a unique type of training, but it filters the SEALs from the non-SEALs.
Since this movie is so tension-filled, why did you all want to take part in telling the story?
Emile Hirsch: For me, this was a film that struck a cord on a personal level. These are guys who are willing to put themselves on the front line and fight for their country. To me, it wasn’t a political film; it doesn’t go into the details of whether we should go into war. This was about soldiers who were willing to give everything they have, and the type of courage it takes to do that.
No matter what your opinion is on any one conflict, there are conflicts that need to be settled, and need to be there. This movie is representative of the best guys we have doing that. I think guys like that need to be honored and have their story told. We live in a world where there’s a 24-hour news cycle. So it’s easy to have these guys just be another news story. I think this is the perfect example of really taking the time to appreciate the sacrifices that they make.
Eric Bana: I was a fan of Marcus’ book, as I had read it several years ago. When I heard it was being adapted, they called me and asked if I would consider playing Lieutenant Kristensen, and I said yes right away. Not only was I a fan of Marcus’ book, I also have a fascination with the Special Forces community in general. I think they’re an amazing group of people, and they perform an amazing function.
As Emile was saying, not every film has this experience. We make different kinds of movies all the time. I knew going into this that this would feel very differently to make. It will still feel different five to ten years from now, from the other movies we make. That doesn’t come along every day. I think we all felt that in this one.
Mark Wahlberg: When I first heard about the idea, I selfishly thought as an actor, wow, what a great opportunity to play a showy part. Then when I read it, I realized what it really entailed. Then my objective changed, and it was never about me after that again.
It was really about the guys we were portraying. Everyone in front of, and behind, the camera felt the same thing. It was a unique set of circumstances that I have never experienced as an actor. Even when watching the film, I don’t think about what we did; I think about what happened to those guys. I also think about what Marcus was able to endure and survive, in order to tell the story of his brothers.
It was a very special thing, and I think we’re all proud to be a part of it. We were embraced by the SEALs and the whole military community, because it was everyone’s intention going in to tell their story. We paid tribute to not only them, but everyone who’s ever walked into a recruiting office, their loved ones and anyone who’s ever suffered loss.
Mark, you have said you had your family with you on the set. Did that help you at the end of the day, when you’re doing this heavy work?
Mark Wahlberg: Yeah, it does. It was interesting to hear Marcus and the other SEALs talk about when they go home to their families, and they can’t discuss what they do. They would have to shut off what they just came from. They would be on a special op, and all of a sudden, they would be home. They would take their kids to school, and help their wives make dinner. But it’s always comforting to have your family there.
What was the most difficult aspect of playing these characters, and bringing this story to the screen?
Taylor Kitsch: I don’t know if there was one specific part. When you meet the families, and get so deep in the communities, it may just be the pressure you put on yourself to make it what it deserves to be.
Emile Hirsch: I think one of the elements that was a challenge for us was in the very beginning, when we all first got there, and had to go through the training with the SEALs. We were at the SWAT range in Albuquerque, and we were working with the M4 rifle. The way that the SEALs had it organized was that we were training with live fire rounds. So we were all blowing through about 1,000 rounds of live bullets a day.
I think that was just us jumping into the deep end. We were working with targets, and it was a lot of fun, but we were quickly ramping up in intensity. We spent about a week-and-a-half at the SWAT range, so we all learned to trust each other really quickly, because we had to. Everyone had to be on point with these obviously dangerous weapons. One of the SEALs training us said, “These weapons don’t just kill; they destroy things.” They don’t use the word destroy lightly.
That was something that was challenging, and a bonding experience for all of us. We learned quickly that we could trust each other, and I think that meant a lot to us.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Eric Bana for taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to catch Lone Survivor when it hits select theaters on December 25, and expands wide on January 10, 2014.
For more coverage on the film, check out our video from the NYC premiere below!
