Work is done on the set of every Hollywood action film to make sure that every explosion and stunt – no matter how small – is as safe as possible. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a sense of danger that accompanies that comes with all the work. Take, for example, the production of Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. The director, of course, is a veteran in the genre, but that doesn’t mean the cast of the film wasn’t feeling some serious heat during the movie’s most intense sequences.
Last week, I had the fantastic opportunity to fly down to Miami, Florida to talk to the cast of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, and during my time with each of them discussed the legitimate feelings of danger that accompanied the filming of the film’s many, many chaotic moments. While talking with John Krasinski, he particularly focused on a sequence where he and co-star James Badge Dale had to run into a burning building – their characters looking for the missing ambassador (Matt Letscher). Said Krasinski,
Case in point, there’s a scene where I walk into a building that’s on fire. That room was legitimately on fire! Michael and I talked about it, Badge, who is in the scene with me, and it was a mutual respect and it was a trust. ‘Look, you’re going to go in there. It’s very hot. It’s very dangerous. And as soon as I get the shot I’ll tell you and get out.’ And I think Badge and I probably went into the fire one time, came out; went in twice, and he just says, ‘Go again, go again.’ And it’s pretty intense! Your body starts to react beyond what your brain can do, so you do kick into these instinctual moments.
When I broached the same subject with James Badge Dale, he stressed that Michael Bay wanted to make sure that everybody was completely safe and felt protected on the set of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, but that being a part of the movie also meant being very much part of the harshest action sequences. Fortunately, it’s something that he really loves about being an actor. He explained,
Nobody is more worried about safety than Michael. No one was more worried about people getting hurt than Michael, and making sure that his crew was safe. That being said, we did everything. And I loved that! You asked me, ‘Do I love the action stuff?’ I love the old school filmmaking. I love that we didn’t computer generate all these action sequences. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling, with the absolute best stunt guys. These guys are professionals, so all due respect to them.
You can watch John Krasinski and James Badge Dale – as well as David Denman, Pablo Schreiber, Max Martini, and Dominic Fumusa – discuss the very real action sequences in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi below:
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is in theaters now.
