Actor Taylor John Smith got candid about his film Warfare, written and directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, and how he prepared for his role during the Taormina Film Festival.
In a conversation, he opened up about his statement that Warfare is "not a pro- or anti-war film", saying, "It's about the consequences and the reality of war. We wanted to show what it means when somebody signs on a dotted line and sends young people off to fight. Hopefully, they realise it's not a decision to take lightly. It's hell, and what we're asking our young men and women to do is insane. When they're overseas, they're not thinking about the politics that got them there; they're just trying to get home," reported Variety.
On how he became aware of the project, he shared, "Around Christmas time, I was with my grandparents and my family in Delaware, spending quality time with them, but I couldn't get up from my chair, reading this script. I told my agent, 'I'll play the door they kick in. I met with Ray and Alex in L.A., and the conversation was less about the script and more about attitude. They wanted to know I was invested. This is going to be a kick in the balls. It's going to be gruelling, physically, emotionally, and mentally."
While speaking about his training, he added, "We did live fire weapons training, radio etiquette, small unit tactics and drills. They gave us tasks we were doomed to fail to see how we could deal with stress. Ray Mendoza set it up like a mini boot camp. Through that, we really got to know each other. From that moment on, we never left each other's side. I don't remember one person being in the trailer once," reported Variety.
On two directors of the film, he said, "Honestly, perfect, especially for this film. Alex Garland was more on the technical side of things, camera placement and lens choices. And Ray was all performance-based. Because he was there, he knows exactly what these other guys were experiencing, from fear to the effects of concussion. You can't ask for better as an actor than having somebody that was there and who can tell you exactly what was going on in their heads, and not sugarcoat it."
Talking about his future projects, he said, "With Paul Tamasy, who wrote The Fighter, we're doing this movie called What's Left of Us, about a heroin addict and his relationship with his father and growing up in Boston. We're in pre-production right now. I'm assuming by the end of the year, we'll be shooting," reported Variety.
