Caffeinated Clint
Rising newcomer Adetokumboh M’Cormack (TV’s “Lost”) is starring in big-time March blockbuster “Battle : Los Angeles” opposite Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan. The film follows a marine platoon (that includes M’Cormack and Eckhart) that has to go back into Los Angeles after a massive alien attack. I had a chat to M’Cormack recently..
Adetokumboh, I imagine that you trained as much as you act in the movie. Any kind of boot camp prior to filming?
This was by far the hardest I’ve ever trained for any project.
Not surprised…
Our director, Jonathan Liebesman wanted to make a movie that felt completely real on all levels. So part of that was making sure the actors that made up the main platoon could convincingly portray marines. We underwent 3 weeks of boot camp where we had to pitch tents that we slept in, wake up at 5 am for physical training which consisted of running several miles and doing literally hundreds of push ups and sit ups. We had weapons training where we learned how to assemble and disassemble guns and learn how to shoot M-4’s, M-16’s, .50 cals – you name it.
And by the end of all that, you can realistically play a Marine…
We were basically taught how to think, talk and act like marines.
Did you spend any time speaking with real Marines?
We had 3 military advisors during boot camp and they were there all throughout the shoot. These guys were real-life marine drill sergeants and they ensured everything we did was accurate; from gestures, to certain phrases, to the way we engaged in close quarters combat. We also had a lot of marines who were extras so they were great with answering any questions we had.
Right…
Ultimately we were striving for authenticity. If a marine is watching the movie and says, “Oh I totally would have responded the same way” ” or “Yeah that’s the correct way to fire an M249 Saw”, then I feel like we did our job.
Now let’s backtrack, how did you get the part? Is it your role on ‘Lost’ that is getting you in the door on these big productions?
I think Lost definitely helps me get in the door for certain roles. With Battle though, I had to go through a very lengthy audition process. I was really worried my last audition hadn’t gone very well so I couldn’t believe it when my manager called to tell me I got the role. I was ecstatic.
How is it working with a barrage of special effects? Do you have to use your imagination a lot?
You definitely have to call on your imagination when working on a film like this.
Yeah, I can imagine…
You’re constantly shooting at alien air-craft or creatures that aren’t really there. So you really have to let your imagination go and believe that you are in that particular situation. Sometimes we had these performers dressed up in these motion reference suits who would act like aliens so that was great because we had something in front of us we could genuinely react to.
But the production design would help you get in the mood, no?
In many of the scenes we had dozens of real explosions going off all around us and the weapon props guys would be firing blank rounds off-camera – that really got the heart pounding! And you’ve got soot in your eyes and debris on your clothes and you’re screaming orders…those were the times it felt like you were in a real war-zone.
Tell us a bit about your character and his relationship with Aaron Eckhart’s.
I play the part of corpsman jibril Adukwu – I’m basically the platoon’s medic. I’ve gone into battle with these guys before so they are like brothers and we would do anything for each other. My character accompanies the platoon led by Aaron Eckhart into the battlefield and my job is to treat the wounded and save as many lives of my men as I can.
And how is Aaron to work with?
Aaron is a very talented and immensely focused actor. He was really dedicated to this film and he would show up every day and give 110 percent.
Not surprised…
He’s a perfectionist in his craft which is great because I think brings a certain level of authenticity to the film. Whatever he’s feeling, whatever he’s going through, the audience is right there with him. You see some of his best work in this movie.
Oh good, now I hear the studio keeps swapping the title… it was “Battle Los Angeles” and now it’s “World Invasion : Battle LA”.. is that right?
Well my understanding is that in the United States the movie is still called Battle: Los Angeles. The latter is the international title. But I think the important thing for people to realize is that this invasion isn’t just happening in Los Angeles, its going on simultaneously across the globe. This movie just happens to focus on a specific marine platoon that is engaged in combat on the streets of L.A.
Gotcha. What’s next for you?
I haven’t committed to anything as yet. I’ve read some scripts that I’m excited about. I’m also producing and starring in a couple of features set in Africa so those may end up being my first priority. We’ll see.
