Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Lionsgate/AP Images(NEW YORK) — Mel Gibson’s WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield, has already been generating Oscar buzz. The film has Garfield embodying real-life hero Desmond T. Doss, an Army medic serving during the Battle of Okinawa who refused to carry a weapon.
Doss was credited with saving 75 GIs single-handed, and became the first conscientious objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor, and Garfield is earning praise for his performance.
Same goes for Vince Vaughn, cast against type in a dramatic role. He plays Doss’ drill sergeant who mistakes the soldier’s religious conviction not to touch a weapon for cowardice.
“You just can’t even believe what this guy did, and where he did it was sort of the roughest of all the battles,” Vaughn tells ABC Radio’s GMA After Hours about Doss. “He would go out into the night, with…no weapons, and by himself and drag wounded soldiers to safety.”
The actor explains the best praise they’ve gotten has been from veterans. “We took this movie to the Disabled Veterans Conference, we’ve showed it at the WWII Museum. The response from the veterans has been incredible. They found it cathartic, and you know, [it has] some of the most realistic battle scenes that you’ll see in a movie. They all said what they liked is maybe it would give people a glimpse into what they experienced. You know, there’s a lot of PTSD, there’s a lot of trauma still to this day. And, we don’t do a good job of helping them out and helping them cope and deal with the things that they see in those situations.”
“Mel Gibson is just such an unbelievable director,” Vaughn says of the Oscar winning Braveheart filmmaker.
Hacksaw Ridge is now in theaters.
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