Actor Greg Hill chatted about starring in the film “Civil War,” and being a part of the digital age.
‘Civil War’
On his experience in “Civil War,” he said, Honestly, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my career. Everyone was so kind to me, and there was an overall sense of unified fervor for this project that it made going to work every day such a joy.”
“The world building was so authentic, and I found myself immersed in this truly unique place, and it was just easy to settle into it and focus on trying to be as useful as I could to serve the story, and my character,” he added.
Hill opened up about playing his character Pete. “From a narrative standpoint, the first thing that drew me to him was the fact that he is the first person the group of war journalists encounter on their trip to Washington, D.C. I thought it was a great opportunity to try to help set the tone of what was going to be taking place,” he said.
“From a character standpoint, my way into this man and understanding him was by thinking about how I’m similar to him and how I am different,” he acknowledged.
“I kind of created a little bit of a backstory with him and that involved him being a father, and that informed be greatly, and I started thinking that under these extreme circumstances, one would be making choices based on trying to provide and protect for those that are closest to them,” he elaborated.
Working opposite Kirsten Dunst
On working opposite Kirsten Dunst in “Civil War,” he said, “I’ve always been a huge fan of hers. I try to make it a point to see whatever she’s in because I truly believe she is one of the greatest actors of any generation.”
“There is so much nuanced truth to what she brings to her characters, and at the end of the day, I think that really great acting is just being as truthful as possible,” he said.
“Often times, when you are given the opportunity to do scenes and act with these people that you have been a fan of for such a long time it is very intimidating, but she was so disarming and kind and just down to earth and genuine in every possible way,” he elaborated.
“As a scene partner, Kirsten is so giving and it is remarkable how easily she can access that truthful vulnerability within herself. It was one of the best and most indelible moments of my career,” he added.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Hill remarked, “It is kind of strange. Over two decades ago when I was pursuing a career in acting it was so different. I remember I would have to go to Kinko’s to print out my head shots and then staple my résumé to the back of it and then drive across town and hand it to a casting director and everything was done in person.”
“Now, everything is primarily done via self tape,” he said. “It’s very rare that you’re given the opportunity to get in a room with actual casting directors, directors, producers, etc. I think some people focus too much on social media presence and these kinds of things but it’s something that we can’t avoid these days.”
Hill continued, “I remember after I did a film called ‘Operation Finale’ I approached someone who would become a good friend of mine about helping me figure out how to traverse the new digital climate of the industry. It’s a lot different now but just like anything else you can learn how to use it for your benefit I suppose.”
“I feel like ‘Civil War’ is important because it’s been a long time since we’ve had the mid-level budget film in cinemas,” he said. “I believe that if these movies continue to be successful and studios take a chance on them, we will start to see a new era of movie stars emerge,” he said.
“For such a long time, people have been talking about ‘the death of the movie star,’ but I believe that movies like this can bring that kind of thing back,” he added.
Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “I would just say that if you can’t imagine your life without doing this thing, if it is a compulsion, you are obsessed it, and it keeps you awake at night, then do it. Do whatever you have to do.”
“Move wherever you need to move where there’s people making movies and pursue it with the fullness of everything you have inside of you. It can be kind of heartbreaking and you have to face a lot of rejection. Just keep pursuing your dream,” he said.
“If you can think it, you can do it,” he admitted. “I’ve always thought that if anybody was ever able to achieve anything then why can’t I? There’s this band I love called Soundaze, and they just grind and hustle and I admire that kind of determination.”
“I admire any artist(s) who has a dream and just goes after it and doesn’t take no for an answer when faced with adversity. Reach for the stars and if you get a piece of the sky you’ll be doing alright,” Hill added.
Future plans
On his future plans, he shared, “Right now, I am trying to develop material for a film that I am very passionate about by a very talented writer and director. I want to start developing material so that I can be in charge of the trajectory of my career and tell the stories that I am passionate about.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “To me, the measure of success is how you feel inside about the things that are antithetical to the superficial. Are you content? Are you happy? Do you have the support of your family? Are you in service to the people you need to be in service to? These are all things that I ask myself and I know that the core of my happiness.”
“Success derives from the peace I feel when I know that my children love me and that I have a great relationship with my wife and my parents and my friends,” he said.
“I think love is all that matters. Feeling love for yourself, and for those closest to you, I think is the greatest form of success that any of us can hope to attain,” he added.
Closing thoughts on the ‘Civil War’ movie
For fans and viewers, he stated, “I just think it’s time for people to start coming together. You could look at ‘Civil War’ as a cautionary tale. I don’t think it’s the intention of the filmmaker to scare people into thinking that this is really going to happen to us. I think it comes from more of a place of love.”
“Let’s all start talking to one another. Let’s try to figure out what our neighbor’s are going through. Let’s try to be more empathetic. Let’s try to be more loving. Let’s try to be more patient with each other. if we unify, we can conquer any adversity there is,” he concluded.
To learn more about Greg Hill, check out his IMDb page.
