An Officer and a Gentleman to be reimagined in SACRIFICE

Sacrifice is derived from the exceptionally successful short film of the same name. It stars Australian actor Leigh Smith and Isaac Crawley. They bring to life the love between humanitarian lawyer James Hunter (Smith) and his beloved soldier Blake Robinson (Crawley).

The new feature presentation “Sacrifice” will convey their complete journey, whilst also introducing their familial and social backgrounds. All eyes will be on this film as it continues to develop. Thanks to the success of the story and characters established the world over.

The exceptionally alluring chemistry of Smith and Crawley will also be a driving force in its own right.

indieactivity: Leigh, CONGRATULATIONS! Tell us. How hard was it to find your counterpart for the feature film?
Leigh Smith (LS): Thank You! It’s still very surreal to be sitting here at this stage, trying to comprehend the support. And the success we have seen both with the short (Sacrifice) itself and of course the feature.

It has been without a doubt one of my greatest creative challenges to date! It was imperative to find someone who was able to not only look the part but possess the emotional magnitude. This required for Blake. We saw hundreds of Australian actors from all over the world. And what was beautiful about that is that all of them were willing to come back if they were successful. The adoration for Blake is a creator’s dream.

So, then Isaac came along! What was it about him that you as the writer/creator all-rounder drew you in?
Leigh Smith (LS): They say all good things come to those who wait, and I’m still waiting. I joke.

Isaac was actually introduced to me through a good friend of mine and his acting agent. In his reads and chemistry test, He was incredibly relaxing and fluid. Isaac had this genuine energy that just embodied the core of Blake’s character.

Whoever was to perform the role needs to have a good sense of humor and play. The story in Sacrifice is passionately intense that the moments of levity and intimacy engage the wider audience inherently. Isaac possesses all of these qualities.

Over to Isaac. Tell us how you’re feeling about donning Blake’s uniform?
Isaac Crawley (IC): That is a tough act to follow, Leigh has a very eloquent way of speaking, he should be a writer.

I am beyond excited and privileged to be playing Blake. He’s such a layered character that diving into him and his mind is a bit of an actor’s dream. I was such a huge fan of the short, and I feel very lucky that I am the one to step into the film’s world and expand on it.

To take your question to the literal level, putting on the uniform was this wild experience that was almost the missing piece I had been looking for. I had this moment of like ‘ohhhh, this is Blake’. The military and its service are pivotal and I think I felt that sense of pride the moment I put the uniform on.

When you read the script for the first time what were your initial thoughts? How did you prepare/approach your auditions?
Isaac Crawley (IC): Straight after reading the Sacrifice script I had the thought ‘I need to be a part of this”. The story is so beautifully gut-wrenching. I had a mate tell me just before I read the script, ‘if you have the chance to be in something good, do it”

The passion for the military, the service ideology, and Blake’s ‘soul-mate’ admiration for James were the things I knew I had to nail to do Blake justice. This took a lot of focus and experimentation, but Leigh took a chance on me so jokes on him in the end!

Given how much the short has accomplished, what are some of the ideologies and intricacies you feel that only you can bring to the role of Blake?
Isaac Crawley (IC): I think the internal drive to do the ‘right’ thing is certainly something I can relate to with Blake. I’m a bit of a people pleaser myself, and I have an inherent need to make my family proud and ‘impress’ them. But with that, comes a fairly significant clouded judgment of what is ‘right’. Is it what we think is right or what those around us determine it to be?

That pressure that a person can put on themselves, as Blake does, as I do, creates an inner conflict that can really burden someone internally. I am blessed to be able to bring that conflict out in Blake’s portrayal because I think it is something we all go through. We all look for ways to counter that conflict. For Blake, that counter effect is James and it’s truly beautiful.

If you had to express your main intention behind the relationship of James and Blake what would it be?
Leigh Smith (LS): Primarily I want the audiences to fall in love with Blake and James as the real and authentic entities they are. So many couples that are presented in this sphere of cinema are overly animated or on the other end of that spectrum forbidden. Their dynamic in Sacrifice is not what many circles expect, and I think that’s their true power.

One of the greatest things I took away from the short was so many viewers conveying to me that they all want now is to find their very own Blake or James. I want to make sure that the feature builds on that as I am sure Isaac does.

Isaac Crawley (IC): Absolutely! Following on from what Leigh said, authenticity for me is the primary goal. I think this story is such a great example of how challenging life can be. Trying to navigate it all can be exhausting, and a lot of the time lonely. Finding a person who you can tackle those challenges with? Incredible. From Blakes’s perspective at least, James not only helps him to find peace within himself but also inspires him to be his true self. SO my answer is peace. I want both characters to be at peace.

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