Taylor John Smith Talks Preparing for ‘Warfare’: ‘This Is Going to Be a Kick in the Balls’

From a deleted scene in “Hunger Games” to a starring role in “Where the Crawdads Sing,” Taylor John Smith has built up an impressive resume. On Friday, he appeared on stage at the Taormina Film Festival to introduce Ray Mendoza’s and Alex Garland’s film “Warfare.” Later, he sat down with Variety to talk about the film and his career so far.

You have “The Hunger Games” as one of your first credits.
I was not even a glorified extra on “The Hunger Games.” I was in the bonus scenes.

You got cut out?
Deleted scenes, exactly. It was my first time on a film set and Gary Ross was directing. It was a cool experience, but when you end up on the DVD, like bonus scenes here… I was just happy to be there, scared beyond anything. I’m so grateful that this has been my job, since I was 18.

Last night, you said that “Warfare” is not a pro- or anti-war film. What did you mean?
It’s about the consequences and the reality of war. We wanted to show what it means when somebody signs on a dotted line and sends young people off to fight. Hopefully, they realize it’s not a decision to take lightly. It’s hell and what we’re asking our young men and women to do is insane. When they’re overseas, they’re not thinking about the politics that got them there, they’re just trying to get home.

When did you first become aware of the project?
Around Christmas time, I was with my grandparents and my family in Delaware, spending quality time with them, but I couldn’t get up from my chair, reading this script. I told my agent: I’ll play the door they kick in. I met with Ray and Alex in L.A. and the conversation was less about the script and more about attitude. They wanted to know I was invested. This is going to be a kick in the balls. It’s going to be grueling, physically, emotionally, mentally.

You trained for the film.
We did live fire weapons training, radio etiquette, small unit tactics and drills. They gave us tasks we were doomed to fail to see how we could deal with stress. Ray Mendoza set it up like a mini-boot camp. Through that, we really got to know each other. From that moment on, we never left each other’s side. I don’t remember one person being in the trailer once.

What was it like having two directors?
Honestly, perfect, especially for this film. Alex Garland was more on the technical side of things, camera placement, lens choices. And Ray was all performance-based. Because he was there, he knows exactly what these other guys were experiencing, from fear to the effects of concussion. You can’t ask for better as an actor than having somebody that was there and who can tell you exactly what was going on in their heads, and not sugarcoating it.

There’s no backstory for your character in the film. Did you feel a need for one?
All our characters are based on real people. Some of us were given the opportunity to speak to our real-life counterpart. My character, unfortunately, wasn’t able to. Ray did his best to give me a backstory, but less about his personal life and more about their personality and kind of who they were in the team.

The last shot of the film suggests not much has changed.
I’m so glad that they ended the film that way. Getting to see the Iraqi family step out after their lives are completely overturned. As an audience for the first time, we see this is just another day in their life. And then you see the Al Qaeda guys, and they’re celebrating because they just warded off the invaders. It makes you take a 30,000 foot view of it and say: What was it? What is this that we do to each other? It’s very, very powerful. It doesn’t tell you how to think.

What’s in the future for you?
In the second half of my career, I’d love to be behind the camera. Being an actor is great, but you have very little control over your jobs and the creative side of things. You’re a cog in the wheel. I’d like to eventually get to a place where I can make the wheel.

Do you have something coming up?
Yes. With Paul Tamasy, who wrote “The Fighter,” we’re doing this movie called “What’s Left of Us,” about a heroin addict, and his relationship with his father and growing up in Boston. We’re in pre-production right now. I’m assuming by the end of the year, we’ll be shooting.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.