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Dominic Fumusa, perhaps best known for his role as Kevin Peyton on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, has a rich resume of film, television, and stage performances. In Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, he portrays John ‘Tig’ Tiegen, one of the members of the Ex-Seal security team who survived 13 harrowing hours as the American diplomatic outpost, and then CIA facility, were attacked on September 11, 2012. The film examines the incredible bravery and grit of these men under extraordinary and deadly circumstances.
Dominic spoke to Home Theater Forum from Washington D.C. where he was to watch a special screening of 13 Hours with members of the Benghazi Annex Security team, including John “Tig” Tiegen, Mark "Oz" Geist" and Kris “Tonto” Paranto. Images from this event can be found below.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is available now via Digital HD, and arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on June 7, 2016.
Dominic Fumusa: I would start by saying, if you thought about Black Hawk Down, then that's a really good thing. That was one of many films that we talked about in terms of a general tone, a general feeling. We knew we wanted to tell it truthfully in a gritty kind of way. Our focus was strictly on getting the story right from the perspective of these men who were there. The purpose was to make sure that their story was told truthfully and we could honor not only the four men who died, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, and the two Navy SEALs, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. But also the surviving five men who wrote the book. The sacrifice that they made as former active duty soldiers now given the charge of protecting the CIA annex. We wanted to make sure that we could honor the men and women of the military and the ex-military who are now doing this kind of work around the world, because it's happening every day. And that really was the focus of this story and [intent] of this movie.
HTF: One of the other things that I took away from 13 Hours was the overwhelming odds faced by the men and women in the compound and how the death toll wasn't higher. And then I'm reminded that these conditions exist around the world in a number of places where we have embassies and diplomatic outposts where American men and women are doing the duty of diplomacy and covert operations. It's incredibly volatile and we're in many, many places where it's dangerous, but we don't see more incidents like we did in the case of Benghazi, where the situation was so fluid, and intelligence apparently wasn’t aware of an impending attack? I'm wondering what you think of that?
Dominic Fumusa: I think that does speak to the good job that these people in general are doing around the world. I can't speak specifically to the intelligence gathering, of course. I can tell you that what struck me playing one of these guys, Tig, was the idea that six men could return to the CIA annex over the course of three gunfights and many hours into the night, and hold off what was surely scores, if not hundreds of attackers. I don't know if anybody knows exactly how many people were attacking at any given time but it was certainly 60, 70, 80 at minimum. And that speaks to the training that they have. The idea that six guys and a few [others], like Gabe Ruben, and other DS guys, held off these people. If it weren't for the fact that they ultimately used mortar attacks, which is a very sophisticated thing to do from quite a distance, and that's not something you can do in an impromptu kind of fashion, they would have had no virtually no casualties that night.
These guys [are] the best in the world at what they do. And to be honest, I think Christopher Stephens was one of the best in the world at what he did. And he was such a great ambassador. By all accounts he was just a great human being and cared deeply about the Arab world. He was fluent in Arabic. He really felt like he could make a difference in the relations between not just Libya and America, but all of the Middle East. And he wanted to be there. You may not know, but the Brits and the French and everybody else got out. They left Benghazi in June and July, months before September 11th. So, we were basically the only temporary consulate still around at that point. You're talking about tremendous courage, sacrifice, and idealism. Sort of the best of what America has to offer in the service that these men and women were willing to voluntarily provide.
HTF: I think that's a terrific point. I'm in awe when I see depictions of what our men and women in the armed services do around the world. And of course the ambassadors and other individuals that we have being protected by these brave souls. It's a bravery and a heroism that's largely unsung, but it's great to see it portrayed here. You and some of your fellow cast had the opportunity to meet with the men you would be playing on screen. What did you want to understand when you met the real-life Tig. What did you ask them, and how did you frame your portrayal, having met them and knowing just how important their story was?
Dominic Fumusa: It was a great challenge, and a great honor, and it was one that we really very strongly felt that we needed to get right. If we didn't get it right, we would have done a great disservice to them and their story. Getting to know Tig came in increments. The first thing I did was I got on the phone with him. He was still in Colorado, I was in New York [and] we talked several times having lengthy conversations about not just what happened that night, but his life, and his family, and his upbringing. He was very generous with his story, and there were no questions that I didn't feel comfortable asking. I was intimidated to play Tig. All of us, including Michael Bay, felt that responsibility greatly. The only thing I would add to what I've said is, I really wanted to understand what it was like to be there. We put on the equipment, we learned to fire the guns and the annex was recreated exactly as it appeared in Benghazi, and was to scale. Everything about what you saw in the movie was authentic and real and accurate from a physical standpoint. But what is impossible to understand is what was going on in his head and in his heart. These are humble guys. These are salt-of-the-earth men. They don't consider themselves necessarily to be heroes, but we know the truth. We know what they did and the service they've done for their country. That's just something I just had to accept, as an actor, is that I could only understand it so well. And then I just had to hope that by getting close, we could tell the story in a truthful and meaningful way and people would then extrapolate for themselves what this is really all about and honor these guys. I tried to get into his head as much as I could, but at the end of the day I went home safe to my four-star hotel and there were no real bullets flying while on set.
HTF: Talk about working with Michael Bay. Clearly he's better known for his large-scale action films but this is something quite different. It does have intensity and it does have action, but the action is different, especially as the attack transitions from one location to the other. And while the film has Bay's signature look throughout, it's an entirely different way for him to approach a subject. It had obviously a more serious tone. But I'm wondering what you learned from watching Michael Bay work? A director is like a project manager in many respects, managing a massive beast. But what did you learn from watching Michael Bay work on 13 Hours?Dominic Fumusa: You're exactly right. The management end of this is just tremendous and daunting and huge. And what I learned was that Michael Bay literally knows how to do every job on his set. And I believe that if he could, he would do every job on his set. He would jump in with helping with fixing props or painting walls. He works so fast and he's such a visual genius. And this movie is beautifully shot. His [Directory of Photography] on this was Dion Beebe, an Academy Award winner for Memoirs of a Geisha. His whole crew, they're at the top of their profession and visually and technically, he's a master. But what Michael doesn't get credit for as much is that he really does understand actors. I loved working with him. He has a no BS sensibility about him. And when he sensed that there was any acting going on, he quickly shut it down and wanted to go with what was truthful and simple, and a no-thrill approach to these characters and to the story. And I think that comes across in the movie. I think the movie in many ways is very straight forward and honest about who these guys are, and their sense of humor, and their human side. Bay is a force of nature. I've never seen anyone work so fast. He does three or four times the number of set ups that most directors would do. We were told that he basically shot the movie in his head before we get there, and the best we could hope for is just not to get in his way [laughter]. He literally can edit and see the film in his mind's eye as he's making it. It's an extraordinary gift, and there are very few people like him.
HTF: I guess the last question will be to talk about your relationship with your fellow crew members. It's a fine cast and I have to say surprising to see John Krasinski in this kind of role but always welcome when actors do something that surprises you. And James Badge Dale, who has perhaps the most English name of any American actor I can think of, was very good. But there were really terrific actors in this film, yourself included of course. You've got enormous experience on the stage and on television in very high quality production. But you guys seem to capture the interplay that we recognize as a natural part of brothers in arms. Talk about working with that group of people and what you took away from that experience.
Dominic Fumusa: Thank you for saying that. I feel very lucky to have been a part of that group. As you've accurately said, Badge and John and everybody in the film just does a fantastic job. I have to say, as an actor, I'm often surprised by how people are surprised when they see someone like Krasinski break out into a different kind of role. As actors we dream of getting to play all kinds of roles. But I think we were lucky. We bonded terrifically well, and very quickly. We couldn't have been a better team. We all really felt like brothers, and we loved working with each other. We've continued to be friends. Here it is a year almost since we finished shooting. I've got to tell you, Neil, it was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I'll do hopefully a lot more great films, great television, but the idea that I would walk away with such a good experience, such good friends-- they feel like family to me, and I know that we all to a person feel that way. We're still we're sharing stories and talking about our families and projects. So, it was just exceptional. I just feel so fortunate to have been a part of it.
HTF: Well, thank you very much for talking to me today. I enjoyed it. That was a terrific film. And I guess I was surprised by John's physical transformation more than his acting choices. I've never seen abs come so quickly from an actor [laughs].
Dominic Fumusa: I love that you're surprised. I think actors love the opportunity to surprise audiences. That's a great thing when we do that. And John got in great shape. John nailed it! I think I just heard he's going to play the Jack Ryan character in a new TV series. My guess is that doesn't happen if people didn't see him do this first. So it's opening up a whole new world for him, and hopefully a whole new world for all of us. It was such a great moment to be a part of this film. And hopefully, the film itself will have a second life with this [Blu-ray], DVD and streaming launch. There's a lot of people in our country who haven't seen it yet, who still don't know exactly what it's about. And I hope that, all the politics aside, they'll just take it at face value and appreciate it as a great war movie and a story that really honors these men's sacrificing and bravery.
HTF: Perfect final words. Thank you so much, and all the best to you in the future.
Dominic Fumusa: Thanks a lot, man. Have a good night. Take care.
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