With the PTSD dramaThank You For Your Servicenow playing in theaters, last week I got to sit down with writer-directorJason Hallfor an extended video interview. Based on journalistDavid Finkel’s 2013 nonfiction book of the same name, the film tells the story of a few soldiers returning home from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life.Miles Tellerleads the cast that also includesHaley Bennet,Keisha Castle-Hughes,Joe Cole,Beulah Koale,Scott Haze,Brad Beyer,Omar Dorsey, andJayson Warner Smith.
During the interview Hall talked about the development process of the film, how at one pointSteven Spielbergthought about helming the picture, how the story changed during the writing process (at one pointDaniel Day Lewiswas thinking about playing the therapist in the film, when a draft of the script had him as the main character), what he learned from friends and family screenings, how directorTaylor Hackford’sadvice impacted the film, the casting process, what people would be surprised to learn about the process for treating our troops after they return from battle, and so much more.
Check out what Jason Hall had to say in the player above and below is a list of what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.
Jason Hall:
Here’s the official synopsis forThank You For Your Service:
DreamWorks Pictures’Thank You for Your Servicefollows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.
