Pop-Culturalist.com

Alex Garland’s Civil War has quickly emerged as one of the most buzzed-about films of the year. This adrenaline-fueled thrill ride, set in the near-future, plunges into a fractured America teetering on the razor’s edge.

One of the stars is Greg Hill, who’s receiving well-deserved recognition for his portrayal as Pete, a father willing to do anything to protect his family. His nuanced performance brings depth and authenticity to the character, capturing the complexities of a man facing extraordinary circumstances with unwavering determination.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Greg about Civil War, collaborating with writer-director Alex Garland, and more.

PC: You’re one of the stars of Civil War, and the film has been incredibly well-received. It’s a piece of art that transcends entertainment and is sparking a lot of conversation. What initially attracted you to this script and role?
Greg: First, the screenplay is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever read. The opportunity to work with Alex Garland was the main thing that really made me want to work on this project. It’s very rare to be able to work for a master filmmaker in one’s career, so I feel very lucky and fortunate to have had that opportunity.

PC: You brought so much nuance to your portrayal of Pete, who is this father caught in this extreme situation, trying to do the best he can. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to tackle his journey throughout the film?
Greg: I am a father, so I understand what it is to have to sacrifice for your children, and in circumstances like those in the film, I think having empathy for the character you’re playing gives you insight into how it could be possible to act outside of certain values you may have in an attempt to try to protect and provide for those closest to you. I have never had to face circumstances that Pete has had to. I think it’s in all of us innately to think better of ourselves than we are, and to think very highly of ourselves like we would act courageously if we were facing war firsthand, but I don’t know that that’s always the case. We don’t know what we would do in severe circumstances unless we were put to the test, and I don’t want to assume that I would be this altruistic force at war with darkness. I really just try to empathize with whatever character I am playing; I try to understand what’s going on inside.

PC: In addition to the work that you’ve done on screen, you’ve also directed, written, and produced. How have your experiences behind the camera influenced the way that you now approach your work as an actor and interpret scripts and characters like this?
Greg: This has been brought up before, and I think it’s due to the fact that on my IMDb list of credits, it has me listed as a writer, producer, and director of a movie called Blue Encore. I just want to take this opportunity to clarify that I am not a writer, director, nor do I produce.

I did make a short film, but it was more akin to a creative exercise. I think it’s important to try to be respectful of real directors, writers, and producers, and I believe it to be very cliché for actors to say that one day they’d like to direct. I don’t know the first thing about directing, and I say that because when I watch some of these masters that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to work for, I realize what a huge responsibility it is, and how you have to be involved with every single aspect of the filmmaking process.

As an actor, if I get a role, I prepare for maybe a month or two, I shoot the film for a couple of months, and then I’m done. A filmmaker begins working on a project before preproduction even starts, and they are invested with it all the way through post-production, which could be several years of hard and intensive labor, just working away at this precious thing and hoping that the audience receives it and it moves someone. Often times they fail, which is devastating. So knowing the full implications of associating my name with those people who put in that kind of work is something I want to avoid.

I very much would like to start developing projects, though, with people I can learn from who have much more experience with it than I do because I feel like that gives you even more insight into the process of getting a project made. There is an American writer, Christina Lyon, who has a short story called The Woman in the Painting, and she is expanding it into a novel, which I think is a brilliant story. I would like to develop projects like this someday.

PC: Alex Garland wrote and directed this. How different is that experience when the person who created these characters and universe is also at the helm directing? What was that collaboration like?
Greg: I think that when you’re working with a director who also wrote the material, they have so much insight into the world you are living in and trying to help build because obviously they created it. I always try to ask myself, how can I be useful? At the end of the day, as an actor, I am a spoke on a giant wheel. For me, it was like watching a master class, seeing a true auteur who has full command of his creative language at the helm of this massive thing.

PC: Outside of Civil War, you’re also going to be starring in Blumhouse’s They Listen. Is there anything you can tell us about that project and your character?
Greg: I can’t say much, but it is a Blumhouse film written and directed by Chris Weitz. The film deals with AI. I think it’s going to really break people’s minds open, in a good way.

PC: You and your wife run an Artist’s Collective in California. What advice do you or would you give aspiring young creatives who want to pursue a career in this industry?
Greg: Yes, the Artist’s Collective is in Corona, California, at a shopping center called Dos Lagos. It’s actually pretty cool because I saw Civil War at the theater in that shopping center a couple of times, and it was a great experience to be able to walk from the Artist’s Collective to the theater. I think for me, as an artist, when I realized that the formula for really making a career out of what you love and what you’ve dreamed about your entire life is elbow grease, I started seeing positive results. You have to just keep working and working at what you love doing. Eventually, if you work hard at something, you’re going to make progress at it. It is no different in the arts. If you’re pursuing a career in the arts, you have to work very, very hard. It may take a long time to see results, but never, ever give up.

To keep up with Greg, follow him on Instagram. Civil War is in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Tiffany Hill