Movie online media release
Emile
Hirsch (“Into the West,” TV's “Bonnie & Clyde”) portrays real-life Navy
SEAL Danny P. Dietz, Jr. was a communications officer and spotter for SEAL Team
10, in director Peter Berg's war thriller “Lone Survivor.” For his actions in
the line of duty, Dietz was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
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| Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios |
Based
on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and
resilience, “Lone Survivor” tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a
covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed
by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan.
When
Hirsch ran into Berg almost four years ago at a local gym in Southern
California, Berg mentioned a story about Danny Dietz. Hirsch wasn’t sure of the
reference to the gunner’s mate, but intrigued by the story, he found out that
the SEAL was one of the men featured in the book that the director wanted to
adapt. Several years later, Hirsch got the call to meet with Berg about a role
for this film. The results of the meeting were inconclusive, and Hirsch sensed
that he needed to fight for the part.
Hirsch
discusses his interest in the role of the communications officer and spotter
for the team: “I wanted this role so bad. It was a mix of awe for Danny and a
profound level of respect for the commitment that he gave to his brothers, his
country and his family—that level of fearlessness.”
The
actor knew that being chosen for these roles was never a given for any of the
performers. “I wanted a challenge, so I started to train and work out on my
own. I genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen. Months went by and it
was to the point where I was passing on other movies, but I didn’t have this
job. I was willing to do anything. I ended up training six days a week, four to
five hours a day.”
Although
he’s played real-life characters before, the chance to honor a fallen SEAL
offered challenges much more powerful than simply physical exhaustion. Hirsch
adds: “I know how important it is to all the families how their loved ones are
portrayed in the film. I felt more responsibility playing Danny than I’ve ever
felt playing any character. You know it’s a movie, but it’s also a monument to
these guys. We knew it was up to us to portray the SEALs in the right way,
which is representative, respectful and truthful. Their warrior spirit goes
back to the SEAL creed. They are the common man with an uncommon desire to
succeed.”
To
put the actors through their paces, the production assembled an elite team of
SEALs and former SEALs who understood what it would take for the performances
to look genuine. The word “intense” was used over and over by the actors to
describe the training regimen.
Hirsch
sums his fellow actors’ agreement that although this training program was the
physically toughest thing they have ever done, it pales in comparison to the
SEALs’ training. “We trained mostly with M4 rifles,” he says. “We learned how
to fire at the SWAT range and at targets, moving in unison with real bullets.
It was dangerous, but it was also fun. It was hard on the knees because they
had us doing a lot of rolling and firing, but I had a great time with the guys.
You certainly learn to trust your fellow actors really quick.” Hirsch pauses:
“Even if I trained seven days a week, 24 hours a day, it wouldn’t be one
one-hundredth of what the students go through at BUD/S. The SEALs in training
kept pushing us all to move out of our comfort zones.”
Now
showing across the Philippines, “Lone Survivor” is
distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.
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