STACK NZ Magazine April 2015 Issue 61

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best job to prepare and relate it to things that
we do know, and then take on the responsibility
of playing one of these soldiers, one of these
people that lost their life.”
Crowe had a huge hand in the preparation
stakes, taking Corr and his co-stars to his farm
where he invited students of Political Science to
give lectures, while also sharing photographs and
other documents. But Corr had some personal
history at his disposal as well. “I’ve got some
friends who are soldiers, so I [looked to them] in
understanding that camaraderie, and the training,
and how you very much rely on the mateship.
Also, my grandfather’s father was a major in the
war, so I went and picked my grandfather’s
brains and raked up all these old
medals and searched my family
history,” he explains.
It’s clear that the way Crowe
encouraged this approach –
sowing the seeds and then
inviting his actors to nourish them
– rings significantly in Corr’s mind.
“He’s had that [style] his whole
career, I think, and it’s a huge part
of the reason for his success,” he
says. “He’s an incredibly driven,
incredibly hard working individual.
It’s not just the background
research for the role but physically
what he does to his body and that
commitment – he does it for every role.”
The praise which the film has received
regarding its even-handedness and the manner
in which it embraces the Turkish perspective is
something Corr also feels is a definite Crowe
sign. “He’s very well versed in history,
articularly with wars,” the actor says.
“He seems to collect memorabilia and
be that sort of person who is interested
in delving into the past. He’s a bit like
walking encyclopedia, so I think it’s
interesting that he chose this for his first
project, and to do it not just as some big
patriotic tale.”
Corr acknowledges the way Crowe’s dual
duties overlapped, but it sounds as if there were
more benefits than drawbacks in the ensuing
work practice. “For me, directing is being
able to answer thousands and thousands and
thousands of questions,” he says. “And he was
very good at that – being able to negotiate and
work through all the questions that were coming
from the crew and the camera, and setting up
his shots, and also being available to us [actors].
It’s a pretty big task. I think it’s just years of
experience, and the fact that he’s worked with
some of the greats, that’s made it such a fluent
process. It’s an interesting dynamic – he was in
it with us.”
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