Hollywood director Peter Berg says a small piece of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s personality is embedded in his new action movie “Mile 22.”
The director of “Lone Survivor” told “Fox and Friends’” Brian Kilmeade this week that he asked his lead actor, Mark Wahlberg, to infuse an elite American intelligence officer with “Bannon intensity” to make things interesting.
Mr. Berg says that while he doesn’t “unilaterally” support everything that comes out of Mr. Bannon’s mouth, he still finds the man fascinating.
“Wahlberg and I were trying to figure out how to create an interesting character — and I’m not going to say his character is Steve Bannon — because he’s not. And I’m not going to say we are unilaterally supporting Steve Bannon, because I think that it’s impossible,” Mr. Berg said Tuesday. “Steve is a very complex human being. I will say that when we saw Bannon’s interview on ’60 Minutes’ it was hard not to be mesmerized with how that guy’s mind works.”
The director, who also serves as the executive producer on HBO’s hit show ’Ballers,” then added that he sees a “febrile, intense, hard-charging” man when he observes Mr. Bannon.
“We took some of that kind of Bannon intensity and put it in Wahlberg’s character,” Mr. Berg said. “Am I clear on that? He’s not playing Steve Bannon.”
Mr. Walhberg stars alongside Ronda Rousey and Lauren Cohan as part of a ground branch of the CIA known as the Special Activities Division.
“Mile 22” premieres Aug. 22.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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