In the interview with Forbes, Cary Elwes said of the shoot:
“We had time for rehearsals, which was a time to bond, and that was a fantastic experience. The ensemble cast, the camaraderie of it all, I’m still friends with the cast; we all just got along. I remember being very hot, though. We were in Georgia in these woolen Civil War uniforms. No one complained, we all just got on with it, and we had a great time.”
I love hearing about productions where people come together because what they’re making is an important story to tell. Elwes said that the reenactors took it even more seriously. He said, “The real heroes of the piece were the Civil War reenactors who camped on and lived on, these battlefields. They didn’t want to stay in hotels; they wanted to pitch their tents.”
That’s rough, but some reenactors want everything to feel like it’s happening with complete accuracy. Some people who do this are historians, and some do it to honor the fallen. It’s a controversial hobby, though, as some people say it promotes racism.
Not everyone goes for the whole, historically accurate experience, but I’ve seen the intensity on a set before. During the shoot for the 2010 film “Jonah Hex,” I spoke to a few of them who wouldn’t break character, even while they got food from the catering truck. I remember one guy who was checking his cell phone (off-camera) and was yelled at by the other re-enactors. I asked him about it during a break in the shoot, and he said he usually wouldn’t, but his wife was close to having a baby. Hey, if you’re going to break character, that’s a good reason to do it.
“Glory” is streaming on Paramount+.