Clint Eastwood’s upcoming film “American Sniper” is said to be “an awards season contender” and is set for an “Oscar-qualifying run on Christmas Day 2014, before it goes wide on January 16th in 2015,” according to ScreenRant.com.
The movie is based off of the autobiography of Chris Kyle, who is commonly referred to as “the most lethal sniper in American military history.” Before he was tragically killed, Kyle wrote the book, also titled “American Sniper,” detailing his transition from Texas rodeo cowboy to legendary sniper.
The upcoming film will star Bradley Cooper (American Hustle, The Hangover, Limitless) as Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) as his wife, Taya Renae Kyle.
But in addition to the household names involved with the film, Alabama also has a connection to what has become one of the year’s most highly anticipated blockbusters.
Former Navy SEAL Kevin Lacz, who was a close personal friend of Kyle’s and served with him on Seal Team 3, was initially tapped to train the movie stars and make them look like the real deal. But he was ultimately asked to join the cast of the movie, playing himself. Now retired from the SEALs, Lacz currently works for Alabama-based defense contractor XTreme Concepts.
Last week, Lacz hit the shooting range with Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims to put some lead down range, talk about some common misconceptions of SEALs and what made him want to become one, and to discuss the movie, although he’s contractually barred from getting into much detail ahead of its release.
“The stories that are represented in Chris’s book and the folklore around the SEAL Teams is something that I’m excited to see with the movie because it could be lost in the pages of history, but instead it’s going to be broadcasted around the world,” Lacz said. “It’s going to be a powerful story because it puts a humanistic role on the SEALs who are portrayed.”
Lacz said that the “human” side of the SEALs is something that is often overlooked. Although they are some of the most lethal warriors on the planet, they are also husbands and fathers who care deeply about their families, as well as the brothers they fight alongside.
“(We’re) portrayed a lot of times as robotic, very rigid, very compartmentalized and somewhat callous,” Lacz said when asked what are some of the most common misconceptions about the SEALs. “There is that… But I’ve worked with some of the funniest guys in my life (in the SEALs), and some of the most serious guys in my life… There are guys who are aspiring politicians, there are guys who have gone on to be engineers…”
Lacz’s journey to the SEALs began during his third semester at James Madison University in Virginia, where he was studying biology. Hijackers flew into the World Trade Center towers, killing almost 3,000 people, including the father of one of Lacz’s friends.
The attack moved him to action.
Lacz decided to visit the local military recruiters’ office, originally wanting to enlist in the Marines, which he then viewed as the nation’s premier fighting force. The Marine recruiter happened to be out to lunch when he stopped by, but a SEALs poster caught his eye.
“There was like one of those old 1980s posters with guys with big, huge caterpillar mustaches climbing out of the water with face paint,” Lacz remembers. “I was like, ‘I want to do that!’”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Lacz went on to be awarded two Commendation Medals, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a Bronze Star with a Combat V for his service.
But in talking with Yellowhammer, he deflected almost any question about himself, preferring to talk about the sacrifice that his friends had made.
In addition to Kyle, who was killed on a gun range by a Marine he was mentoring and helping to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, Lacz’s close friends and and fellow Navy SEALs Marc Lee and Ryan Job both gave their lives in the service of their country.
Check out Yellowhammer’s interview with Lacz above, and be on the lookout for more between now and the movie’s release later this year.
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