IN CONVERSATION WITH EVAN HOLTZMAN

interview by JANA LETONJA

Evan Holtzman will next be seen starring in A24’s upcoming film ‘Warfare’, releasing on 11th April. Recently, he was seen starring opposite Glen Powell and Adria Arjona in Richard Linklater’s romantic comedy crime film ‘Hit Man’ on Netflix. His other credits include the Oscar-nominated film ‘Hidden Figures’, Netflix’s ‘Messiah’, and HBO’s ‘Westworld’, to name just a few.

How did you first get involved with ‘Warfare’, and what drew you to the role of Brock?

Funny story, Ray Mendoza knew I was primarily an actor, but he took a chance on giving me my first professional stunt job on their previous film ‘Civil War’. I briefly met Alex on that set, but I was mostly busy taking direction from Ray, running around shooting guns, and dying over and over and over again. I had the time of my life. Later on, when ‘Warfare’ pre-production started to pick up, I had a meeting with Alex and Ray over a few beers to discuss the project and was drawn to Brock’s specific reaction to fear and how he’s different from the others. Brock charges after it, and if he could, he’d chase down fear and shove a grenade down its throat. He’s got a “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” mentality, and although his tough love may be roughly timed in moments, he’d do anything for his SEAL brothers. Alex and Ray did such a wonderful job with this script, and although all of the dialogue is geared towards the military operation at hand, there is an immense amount of emotional subtext in the white space. That creative white space on the page is what always interests me in a character, and with Brock there was so much to explore.

This film is based on real-life experiences from former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza. How did you prepare for such an intense and realistic role?

Anything we could possibly do to prepare pales in comparison to what the real guys endured with their actual training and combat. That being said, Ray and Alex made it clear from the beginning that this wasn’t going to be an easy shoot. There would be long days, long takes, quick resets, and rough conditions. All of this just made me want it even more. I love an immersive experience and was excited about the physical and emotional challenge. I’ve always stayed in decent shape, but I took it to another level during the months leading up. When I arrived in London, I had added about 25 lbs.

Once in London, Ray put us through a three-week boot camp that gave us a crash course on everything from weapons handling, room clearing, communication, radio etiquette, tactical formations, and medical response. When we weren’t at boot camp, we were doing everything else together which helped further strengthen the bond of camaraderie that you otherwise wouldn’t get on a film set. This was all a part of Ray’s design, and it paid off immensely. Truly, it was a dream project. Although I was excited to start shooting, I was sad when boot camp ended.

Your character, Brock, is a sniper in the platoon. What kind of training or research did you do to accurately portray a military sniper?

The focus was authenticity, and since we all play real-life people, there is a strong responsibility to represent that individual truthfully. Alongside my own character preparation, my focus was deep diving into books, documentaries, podcasts, and any other real accounts and footage I could find. I loved spending time in this world and finding what I emotionally connected with. Another incredible experience and advantage we had was having some of the real guys on set with us while we were shooting. They were there to support their fellow SEAL Ray, help recount the events from their memory, and advise us with any questions we may have. Having them on set was an invaluable resource, and I’m beyond grateful that they spent the time and energy to be with us.

The technical work with weapons handling and tactics is all a huge testament to Ray’s expertise, his patience, and his teaching skills while we were in boot camp. I have a pretty strong background of knowledge in firearms, but some of these guys have never even held a gun before. The skills we learned show on screen, and I hope the real Brock and military community are proud of what we achieved.

Since ‘Warfare’ is told in real-time, did that change the way you approached your performance? Did it feel more immersive or intense?

It didn’t change my approach at all, but the way we shot it helped raise the intensity in so many ways. I believe what raised the bar more than anything was the fact that everyone in every department brought their A-Game. Our camera crew somehow masterfully captured it all while hiding around us so well. The wardrobe department crushed it, and we worked with them to make sure our gear was personalized to our character. Our sound department helped tremendously with rigging our radios to actually work so we could speak with each other while filming. The armory team made sure we were staying safe while shooting tens of thousands of rounds around each other. Special and visual effects were spot on while keeping everything grounded in reality. Prosthetics were terrifyingly accurate, and our makeup department was spot on. To top it off, Alex and Ray were open to us being a part of the artistic process while keeping us on track. They would have us do takes that were 10 to 15 minutes long, making it feel like theater. You could fully dive into these moments which were absolutely exhilarating and exhausting. 

What do you hope audiences take away from this film, especially in terms of its portrayal of soldiers and their experiences?

War is a violent, catastrophic, and terrible kind of hell. When the bullets start flying, politics are pushed aside and all that matters is to protect those to their left and right, and hope that everyone around them is doing the same. The film is simply an immersive view into the memories of an event that changed these men forever.

I hope this forensic recreation can give a voice to veterans and act as a bridge to communicate for those who struggle to articulate to family and loved ones what they experienced during service. I hope it acts as a warning sign by portraying the extensive damage warfare can radiate to everyone involved on all sides. And I hope a new level of respect is reached for the soldiers who have been through hell and back, and reverence for those who didn’t return. I certainly know being a part of this has changed me.

You recently starred in ‘Hit Man’ alongside Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. What was that experience like?

‘Hit Man’ was an incredible experience, and one that will always hold a special place in my heart. For me, it was a full-circle moment for many reasons. I’m originally from Texas and after moving out to Los Angeles in 2011 for an engineering career, I found acting through my roommate at the time. That roommate was Glen Powell. 

I never thought that 12 years later I’d be cast in the same movie as him, and working with the king of Texas indie film, Richard Linklater. To come full-circle back to my Texas roots with the Texas A-Team was an all-time high. The ‘Hit Man’ role was also my first time to be handed this amount of responsibility in a film. My character was a big linchpin to the plot, and I’m so grateful to Linklater for giving me the opportunity. They did a wonderful job with the script and playing the emotionally torn bad guy was a blast to explore.

Is there a particular role or project in your career so far that was especially meaningful to you?

Hands down, ‘Warfare’. I mean, we all got matching tattoos. For a bunch of us, including myself, it was our first tattoo ever. There are countless memories that I hold so close to my heart from this production, and I’m humbled to help honor these real men. My grandfather fought in WWII, and I’ve always wanted to participate in a meaningful military story for him, in a way. I’ve been deeply moved by films like ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘The Thin Red Line’, and ‘Come and See’. He very rarely talked about his experience, but I could always see it in his eyes. He passed away years ago, but I know he’s proud of me from where he is.

Your path to acting is quite unique. You studied mechanical engineering and worked in the oil and gas industry before pursuing acting. What made you take that leap?

One morning in the fall of 2011, I was tying my boots and getting ready for my engineering 9-to-5, when my roommate, Glen Powell, came barreling out of his room. “Evan, you got to help me, I’ve got an audition for ‘NCIS’ in 30 minutes. Can you run lines with me??” “Uh, sure man,” I replied as he handed me his sides. Having never seen a script before, I curiously asked, “So, I’m Sarah and you’re Tom?” After running the scene, I looked up at him quizzically and said, “Wait, so what do you do all day?”

Glen then introduced me to a great acting class in Hollywood, and since it was in the evening I could easily take a class just for fun while maintaining the engineering job during the day. I always loved psychology and thought of acting as a physically active way of diving into the study of people. A light bulb went off and I was hooked. Years later, acting gigs started to pick up and I decided to take the leap and leave engineering behind. I was fortunate enough to find my passion and get paid for doing it, so why not go all in.

Coming from a technical and structured field like engineering, did you find any surprising similarities between that world and acting?

Great question. They can certainly involve opposite sides of the brain, but surprisingly there is quite a bit in common. One of my favorite ways to explain it is this: character work for acting can be similar to reverse engineering a car. Let’s say your car makes a funny noise and can only turn left. If you want to learn why your car is the way it is, you need to lift up the hood and consider where it’s been. It’s similar to the world of acting and psychology. When we read a script and see that a person acts a certain way, i.e. makes a funny noise, can only turn left, etc., we have to consider what life roads they’ve been down that have emotionally impacted them before page one even begins.

In engineering and acting, you have to be resourceful. One of my favorite differences between the two is there is no “right” answer for acting. In engineering, you may be able to resourcefully arrive at a solution, but energy efficiency is king. In acting, you can creatively find a multitude of ways to approach a scene, but being authentically interesting is king. People are infinitely more complex than any machine, and the creative freedom to explore the human experience is what drives me.

Now that you’ve starred in a major A24 film, what kind of roles or projects are you hoping to take on next?

I would love to be given the responsibility of stillness and subtlety within a character, and to find those smaller moments of humanity that we all share. I find people so fascinating with all of the various shades and dimensions within ourselves that make us tick. 

For now though, I’m just enjoying being grateful. For my first foray into a military film to be with one of the greatest directors, with one of the greatest production companies, surrounded by some of the greatest co-stars, what a dream.

CREDITS:

photography RAUL ROMO
styling MARK HOLMES