'1917' actor Dean-Charles Chapman says he got 'so many reality checks' while shooting the war film
Dean-Charles Chapman plays the role of Lance Corporal Tom Blake in the war drama '1917' directed by Sam Mendes. MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) caught up with the actor at the red carpet of the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles for his insight on the movie.
He shared about the ups and downs of shooting the film and his hope for the Oscar nominations.
Chapman revealed that the most rewarding part of shooting the film "was when we all knew that we finally got a take successful because it's something that we'd rehearse for six months long."
"It really is a dance between the camera and the actors. All of it's choreographed and it's very difficult to show. There were a lot of mistakes that were made in the making of it, but when we all know that we've got it perfect, everybody was high-fiving and celebrating and it all paid off at that moment," he shared.
When asked what moment or part in the film was difficult behind the scenes that people wouldn't know about when watching the scene, Chapman said, "All of it was really difficult."
"But there's one moment in the no man's land sequence with Blake and Scofield — I don't think anyone would realize how difficult that actually is to walk in the conditions, the conditions we're filming, and we're very realistic," he added.
Speaking humbly about acting out a scene versus the men that actually had to go through this, Chapman emphasized, "When filming the film, you get so many reality checks and you would realize that this is nothing compared to what their men actually fought in."
"We had it so much easier compared to the real men. We got to take the costume off. We got to have a shower, go to bed in a nice bed — the men were actually living in it," he added.