British actor John Boyega takes on the role of real-life Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley in new movie “Breaking.”
After his disability checks were stopped by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Brown-Easily took a number of people hostage in a bank in the Atlanta suburbs, starting a tense confront with both the police force and the media.
“Honestly, I didn’t know that there was no support,” says Boyega about Brown-Easley’s case.
“It happens to a lot of people. But a lot of us do not have the family members or the first-hand experience to know. And definitely I hope it helps people just spark this conversation about how to treat the people that fight for your security, for your peace of mind? How to treat them better.”
The actor explains that this movie is not just a “generic thriller” with “screaming and shouting”, but a character-led story about Brown-Easley’s struggles. Boyega believes the role changed him “spiritually” and made him appreciate his life more.
Late actor Michael K. Williams stars opposite Boyega as hostage negotiator Eli Bernard.
“Michael showed up for us, and he was cool about the process, was chill about whatever we needed to do creatively,” recalls Boyega. “No matter where you go, just make sure you’re open to the process, don’t let stardom, power, money, whatever it is, stop you from doing what you need to do to be able to portray, you know, roles.”
“Breaking” will be released for Digital Download on March 27.
