While more recent films about the Iraq war seem to weave in a particular agenda, The Messenger tackles a subject Americans know little about. The Army’s Casualty Notification service is a team made up of two soldiers who must go to the NOK (next of kin) of fallen soldiers and notify them their loved one has died in service to our country.
The movie stars Ben Foster as Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery and Woody Harrelson as Captain Tony Stone — the soldiers assigned to this service. Captain Stone has been doing this for some time and is strictly about procedure. Will, himself just returning from service in Iraq, is a new assignee to this job and feels inadequate to handle the assignment. “This mission is not simply important, it’s sacred,” he’s told by a superior officer.
Will replies, “Sir, I’ve never received any grief counseling, let along given it; I’m not a religious man, Sir.”
Clearly setting up an interesting dynamic that takes place between Will and Captain Stone throughout this film, Stone responds, “We’re just here for notification; not God, not heaven.”
Ben Foster, who acknowledged The Messenger made a life-changing impact on him, is quickly gaining a reputation as an actor with incredible talent. He garnered critical acclaim as outlaw Charlie Prince in 3:10 To Yuma opposite Russell Crowe. He played two characters in X-Men the Last Stand, held his own in the thrillers Hostage and Alpha Dog, and is well known for this role in TV’s Six Feet Under. Foster graciously agreed to an interview about the film. Like his attention to detail in transforming the characters he plays before our eyes, Foster was equally precise and most thoughtful in his answers. Soft-spoken, he often paused, was reflective, and yet came across as genuinely earnest.
You’ve stated you were impressed with director/co-writer Oren Moverman (I’m Not There) and his films. Was there something else that made you say yes to this film?
One reason was getting the opportunity to address the war in a way that didn’t feel like it was lecturing the audience or pushing a political agenda. Also, Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon’s script was very spare, human, and shockingly funny and universal. We all know what it’s like to lose somebody, and it felt like a wonderful question to be asking people that I so respect.
I know you did a lot of research for this film including you and Woody taking a tour of the Walter Reade facility that houses the amputees. How did that visit impact you?
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