Jeri Jacquin
This week in theaters is the film THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
based on the award winning book Thank You
For Your Service written by David Finkel. Telling the story of soldiers
returning home and their difficulty in readjusting to civilian life and family,
this film centers on the life of one such soldier, Adam Schumann.
Schumann returns home to discover that fitting back into a
life he once knew isn’t happening. Trying to do what’s best, he keeps what
happened in Iraq
to himself only discussing it with other soldiers in his infantry. It becomes
clear that they too are having a difficult time finding their place in life.
When one of their friends chooses a different way to handle
it all, it becomes clear to his wife that Schumann needs help. They turn to the
VA and learn that getting that help is frustrating and a system that is
overloaded with bureaucracy. Schumann tries to come to terms with an event that
happened in Iraq
while also continuing to help his men also find help.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE is a startling look at the
soldiers who return home to a broken system and showing how PTSD is shows
itself in different ways and can not be labeled quite so easily.
Actor Miles Teller portrays Adam Schumann in THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE. This is the second week that Teller is portraying a person who
serves our country. Last week he took the role of Brendan McDonough, the only
survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots in the film ONLY THE BRAVE.
I had the opportunity to speak with Miles about his role as
Adam Schumann and portraying this real life soldier on the issues of PTSD and
bringing light to such an important issues for all U.S. military.
Jeri Jacquin: Thank you for talking with me today Miles, I
appreciate it and I know you must be busy.
Miles Teller: I am busy but I have to say I’m enjoying it.
JJ: That’s good to hear. What drew you to THANK YOU FOR YOUR
SERVICE?
MT: I have always had a lot of respect for the military and
I felt like Adam’s story was extremely powerful so I wanted to help tell it. I
felt a responsibility actually.
JJ: I spoke with Adam, what an amazing young man.
MT: Adam is an incredible person.
JJ: When you read the script, is there anything that jumped
out at you the most?
MT: I think just the struggle is what I find actually
incredible. We don’t have any integration programs for our soldiers who are in
war one day and the next week are home making pancakes for their family as in
the case of Adam. It is something that he’s not able to talk to his wife about
and that’s extremely difficult.
JJ: It’s a story of the struggle to go from one extreme to
the other so quickly.
MT: Yes, it is incomprehensible to us as civilians but I
felt by doing this film I was able to empathize and appreciate in such a way
that I am grateful for. It helps you understand the struggle these soldiers are
going through. Millions of soldiers are dealing with PTSD and it’s tough.
JJ: It’s a big issues and a difficult one as well. How did
you prepare to play that role?
MT: I read some books and I watched a lot of interviews and
documentaries. I was able to spend some time with Adam and other veterans as
well. They put us through a boot camp as well and through all of these
resources I was able to come up with this portrayal.
JJ: When you first began filming, was it hard to find your
step when it comes to the scenes dealing with PTSD?
MT: Absolutely, every day on this film I was nervous about
messing it up. I know how heavily this film and this performance was going to
be scrutinized because I am representing our military. I was representing a
staff Sgt. in the Army and I am aware of how much they sacrifice to have that
job title. I was extremely nervous. Everyday on set I was telling myself ‘I
hope I don’t mess this up’.
JJ: You probably had a lot of military eyes watching what
you were doing.
MT: Our cast was really strong in this and the fact that we
all went through a boot camp helped us with the sense of responsibility we all
felt. This is a real life responsibility to the men and women we were
portraying and I think everyone wanted to get it right. We had a lot of people
steering us in that direction.
JJ: Speaking of boot camp how did you like that?
MT: It was tough and a kick in the guts but I think we were
all grateful for it to be honest with you. When we were doing it, it sucked and
it was really uncomfortable and tough to do but once we got done it was good.
It was team work oriented and if you are making a film like this it is a
feeling that we are all in it together and it’s not about just one person. We
got to experience that in the boot camp and we all benefited from it.
JJ: They must have put you all through the ringer.
MT: It was a very intensive boot camp for sure.
JJ: During that time did you feel like there was a sense of
coming together?
MT: Absolutely, I don’t think anything bonds people like
collective suffering.
JJ: The film bounces between what happens in Iraq to what
happens at home. The scenes in Iraq
are very intense, how was that for you to deal with?
MT: I think we were actually excited at that point because
we had been trained tactically and trained to move as a unit. We learned to
shoot M-4’s and wear the gear that came along with an objective and a mission.
When you are a kid you play cops n’ robbers or soldiers, you know, make
believe, but this is that at its highest level. Of course I’m not glorifying
that because the difference is that what the soldiers did was very real and in
filming the scenes we got to go home at the end of the day.
JJ: I understand what you are saying. You are all portraying
an event that is very intense and you have to use that build up of the training
in boot camp in order to do the scene justice.
MT: Yes, exactly. What was specific about this is that it’s
not a lot of taking shots at the enemy, it was a 360 warfare. It wasn’t just
about waiting to be shot at but driving around in humvees not knowing what
could be on the road. They are going out multiple times a day every day and
still not knowing what could be on that road.
JJ: I was talking to Adam about the phrase ‘thank you for
your service’, what does that mean for you?
MT: It’s just something that has become part of the national
lexicon when meeting somebody who is in the armed services. I’m interested in
it and it’s something that people say who don’t have the full understanding of
the soldier’s experience. These guys don’t want to be thanked. Adam didn’t do
what he did to be thanked or congratulated by civilians. He was doing his job.
It’s also the end of a conversation where civilians distance themselves from
soldiers. It’s thanking them without actually getting into a deep conversation
with a soldier. I think that’s unfortunate. I think the divide between soldier
and civilian is wider than it has ever been. I’m hoping this film shortens the
divide and brings the us all together making us all part of it under the flag.
JJ: Instead of ‘thank you for your service’ we can change it
to ‘how are you doing?’ to really bring out a conversation.
MT: Yes, that’s great. I guy shook Adam’s hand and said
‘welcome home’ which turned out to be the most powerful thing anyone had said
to him. He said he broke down in tears after that.
JJ: This is such an intense film in the sense that it’s
about both physical and emotional pain of reaching out for help, when viewers
leave the theatre, what do you hope they take with them Miles?
MT: I hope that the film creates some empathy and I hope it
creates a discussion. I think in our country these soldiers are the biggest
group that need help. These soldiers are suffering and it’s so much more than
PTSD. It’s not like previous soldiers who came home and just didn’t talk about
it. I hope this film can be informative, enlightening and humanizes what our
soldiers are dealing with. I hope there are a whole range of emotions that
bring about discussion of what they are going through. We need to close that
gap between civilian and veteran most definitely.
JJ: I want you to know I appreciate you taking the time to
talk to me Miles. This is a tough subject to bring to film and thank you for
taking on the role.
MT: Thank you Jeri, these are the kind of stories I want to
tell and I’m glad that it’s getting to see the light of day.
Miles Teller has taken the role of Adam Schumann and given
is every range of emotion possible. Some are subtle and most are heart breaking
and it is for the viewer to come away realizing that our military need us just
as much as we need them.
Embracing this story is just the beginning as more films
about our military and their struggles come to the forefront. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE is one such telling of a young man who wanted to stay strong for
his platoon and the men he felt responsible for while also finding the life he
left behind.
Coming to theatres is THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE and
DreamWorks along with Universal Pictures and AMC are making tickets available
for service members. For more information on how the tickets will be made
available, please visit www.ThankYouForYourService.com.
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