The Pacific: Jon Seda and James Badge Dale interview

John Basilone and Pvt.

Robert Leckie…

James Badge Dale:Two and a half now.

How much of the experience is still with you?

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Jon Seda:(Long whistle) This was such a big project.

This had a special feel to it because of the nature of what we were doing.

Honestly, theres a part that will always stay with us.

I think it left a mark and theres a part of me that doesnt want to let it go.

JBD:I dont have to talk anymore!

Im ready to let this go, because youre dealing with such an intense experience.

To try and walk in these guys shoes was heavy.

They were heavy, man.

There was a lot of pressure and we cared.

We held that pressure and holding that for 10 months you miss it and its hard to say goodbye.

But by the end, we were ready to shake it.

We got to get over it.

But it really happened.

His demanding to go back spoke to me about how he didnt see himself as bigger than anyone else.

He would never call himself a hero.

He wore that medal with pride, but it represented the sacrifices of all the men around him.

JBD:I actually never thought about it in the way you just put it there.

So, now you have to respect the script and whats left for yourself.

You know what I mean?!

Its our job to create something in between all that, in between those lines.

How do you get into the emotional space needed for that, and how was the atmosphere on set?

What you see is what you got.

It was our experience of it.

Theres 10 months of this.

The line wasnt clear.

JS:We were living in the moment, which was the way we had to go about it.

Im learning to keep my mouth shut a little more.

For me, I learned so much from the start of the research to now.