Interviewer: So you were kitted up like a real soldier?
Nazreen: Yes another reason that the whole experience was horrifyingly real was the costumes we had to wear. Steven managed to get the US army distributors to rent costumes to the cast for the movie. The costumes were very heavy and uncomfortable; we had to wear them throughout filming. As well as the camouflaged uniforms we had to carry ruck sacks containing all the supplies that soldiers would carry with them at war, including sleeping bags, food, pots for cooking and water. I was surprised at how heavy the helmets and the uniform were let alone while carrying ammunition and provisions.
This experience was very tiring but we soon got used to it as soldiers in the army would have, this made filming very realistic as the actors were genuinely under stressful and tiring conditions.
Interviewer: I have watched the film; I noticed a large cast was this also realistic to the amount of troops on D day?
Nazreen: Well we didn’t use quite as many for filming reasons but combined the number of actors on both sides came thousands. It was a very intense experience to see all the actors in costume and it was overwhelming to hear the sound effects. I was also part of the staged fighting this was also a very scary experience and the adrenaline rush that myself and the other actors experienced gave a realistic feel to the battle.
Interviewer: how about the set?
Nazreen: The set was very much real, mud and all. Props and make up were used but the actors were genuinely muddy and wet most of the time.
Interviewer: So all in all you were happy that the performance and the monologue were realistic and true to life?
Nazreen: Yes I think that combined with sound effects and good camera work the performance was very realistic, I think that it could have been improved if I had been able to talk to someone who had survived war and asked them about their feelings and experiences but I have imagined the experience as best I could, I was allowed to go back to my family often and I knew that there was no risk of my dying, these are things that the soldiers at war would not have experienced and this would have had a huge emotional effect on them. I think that this would have enhanced my performance.
