Photo: Murray Close/A24
We were joined on the Popternative show by Evan Holtzman who can be seeing playing Brock in A24’s Warfare, written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later).
Released in theaters on April 11, the film is paced in real-time and follows a platoon of Navy SEALS on a mission through insurgent territory during the Iraq war in 2006. Warfare is based on Ray’s real-life experiences during the Iraq War as a Navy SEAL.
Holtzman stars alongside an emsemble cast of D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs), Will Poulter (Death of a Unicorn), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun), Kit Connor (Heartstopper), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Taylor John Smith (Where the Crawdads Sing), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn), Noah Centineo (The Recruit), Henrique Zaga (Beyond the Universe), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Charles Melton (May December).
On preparing for such a large-scale project, Holtzman tells us, “I found out about three months before production that I was going to be part of this project. I’ve always been pretty good at hitting the gym, staying in shape, and eating healthy, but I just tripled downed on all that. I added about 25 pounds before showing up to set. Part of the big training was a boot camp for three weeks when we got to London. It’s an actors boot camp first of all, nothing like what the real guys went through. The guy leading the boot camp was Ray Mendoza, that guy was a Navy SEAL himself. It was pretty intimidating showing up on set and knowing that’s what you’re walking into.”
“Our goal was authenticity with this [film]. Each one of us is playing a real person. These guys lived through this very traumatic event that changed their lives forever,” he adds.
Evan also discusses the bonding and close relationship he established with his castmates, and his experience working on the Netflix film Hit Man alongside Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Watch the full conversation with Evan Holtzman below.
Warfare is currently playing in theaters.
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