Buffalonews.com spoke with William Sadler about the HBO mini-series “The Pacific” in which he plays Lt Col. Lewis ‘Chesty’ Puller. <\/p>\n
[…] The most recognizable face in \u201cThe Pacific\u201d may be William Sadler, the veteran character actor from Hamburg who worked with \u201cPacific\u201d producer Tom Hanks on \u201cThe Green Mile.\u201d Sadler gives Western New Yorkers an extra reason to watch, playing a legendary, pipe-smoking lieutenant colonel, Lewis \u201cChesty\u201d Puller, who leads with pep talks, praise and preparation. <\/p>\n[…]\nSadler is the son of 87-year-old World War II Army veteran William J. Sadler, who fought in the Philippines and was recently given the Distinguished Service Medal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually thought because my father fought in the Philippines and my Uncle Jack Colley was at Guadalcanal, I knew a fair amount about the war in the Pacific,\u201d said Sadler. But, he said, he knew nothing about his legendary character beforehand and was \u201cblown away\u201d while doing research about the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was truly amazed and had a whole new respect for what they did,\u201d said Sadler.<\/p>\n
When he was told by his agent that Hanks and producer Steven Spielberg wanted him to play Puller, Sadler\u2019s first thought was \u201cWho?\u201d \u201cI had never heard the name,\u201d said Sadler. \u201cIt sounds like it should be a lap-dancing stripper or something. The more I read about Chesty, he is just an astonishing guy. To this day, he is the most revered Marine who ever wore the uniform. You ask any Marine alive \u2018Who is Chesty Puller?\u2019 and they\u2019ll go on for half an hour about his exploits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sadler could go on that long talking about the dedication of everyone in the production.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mantra was, \u2018We\u2019ve got to get this right,\u2019 \u201d said Sadler. \u201cThis is my father\u2019s story, this is your father\u2019s story, and it\u2019s never really been told in this kind of detail or on a scale like this. I felt a tremendous responsibility. When we were filming I kept running into Marines and I told them I was playing Chesty Puller and they said, \u2018You better get it right.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n[…]\n
Sadler is proud of the work, saying, \u201cIf it isn\u2019t No. 1 [in his career], it is right up there.\u201d He hopes the miniseries will do his father (who lives in Hamburg) and his generation proud.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope when he watches it, he recognizes the amount of care and attention to detail and passion that this group of filmmakers and producers and performers put into this thing,\u201d said Sadler. \u201cI genuinely hope my dad watches it and says, \u2018That\u2019s what it was like. That\u2019s what it felt like. That\u2019s what it looked like. You got it.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that\u2019s the case, I will feel we\u2019ve done that generation a service that needed to be done. A thank you for what they went through.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Please read the full article on buffalonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n