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Q: There’s a very big gap, it seems today, between civilian and soldier. Do you think this movie will help in bridging that gap by showing these guys and gals joking around, enjoying the things everybody else enjoys, and so much more?
A: I hope so. I really do. The movie absolutely humanizes us. It’s impossible to not to watch it and not see normal people. You realize we could be your sons and daughters, neighbors, boyfriends, girlfriends. We aren’t robots. We aren’t angry. We’re normal people.

The most common thing we’ve heard from everyone we worked with — the crew, the press, etc. — is that they all expected us to be super-serious and when we weren’t, they almost didn’t know what to do with us for a while. Movies and the press condition people to think we are all victims of war. It’s patently false — and that stereotype probably does more disservice to us than any other.

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Q: What would you like people to take away from this movie after they view it?
A: One: Their military is them. We are exactly like them. We just took a different path. Two: Anything is possible. This film should have failed. But through sheer force of will, teamwork, and an insane amount of work, it succeeded. All things worth doing are like that, and we want that for everyone. And three: Breaking the mold of convention is one of the most American things you can do.

We broke all the rules of film — how it was written, how it was funded, and how it was distributed, and it still worked. We forged a new path. You can, too.

Q: When can audiences expect to enjoy “Not a War Story” and should they watch “Range 15” before or after?
A: If you haven’t seen “Range 15,” I would actually wait until after at this point. You’ll appreciate it infinitely more after watching “Not a War Story.”

As for when “NAWS” will have wide distribution, I hope to be able to tell you that after the premiere.

“Not a War Story” premieres at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, on June 30. “Range 15” is available now through digital video providers.[lz_pagination]