It was a trip to Walter Reed Army Medical Center that really helped Oren Moverman, the director of the new military-themed movie “The Messenger,” and actors Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson understand what they were dealing with before they started filming.
“It’s a real eye-opener to go there,” Foster told Yeas & Nays. “Everybody has their pretty little one-liner about how they feel about the war — but to go there and to sit with the boys and girls who have come back missing pieces, it’s a level of reality which I don’t think most people are prepared for in the civilian world.”
The movie begins as Foster’s character returns home from war to be reassigned to work with Harrelson’s character as part of the Army’s Casualty Notification Service. It’s Foster and Harrelson’s job to deliver the news to families that their loved ones have died at war.
In doing research for the film at Walter Reed, Foster bonded with a soldier named Will and asked if his character could be renamed.
“We’re looking forward to showing it to him,” Moverman said, telling Yeas & Nays they were trying to track down that particular soldier.
The director and Harrelson were in town last week for a screening of “The Messenger” and revisited Walter Reed. Harrelson has also been seen hanging out with the likes of Hunter Biden, the vice president’s son, and Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich.
The film opens in Washington and New York City on Nov. 13.
