Sir Sam Mendes's epic film 1917 has received five-star reviews and 10 Oscar nominations for its depiction of the horrors of the First World War.
Now two of its stars have met injured veterans to discuss the effects of conflict. George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman play two corporals sent behind enemy lines to stop 1,600 British troops walking into an ambush.
They met former soldiers Barrie Griffiths and Paul Colling, Help for Heroes ambassadors, at the Corinthia hotel and revealed how filming had given them some understanding into the mental challenges faced by veterans.
Hammersmith-born MacKay, 27, said: “We’ve not been to war but we have more of an insight through trying to understand the mindset. It’s the stuff soldiers go through, not just physically. It’s the mental side and how you then carry that.”
Chapman, 22, from Essex, said: “It’s not only the soldiers but the people back in normal life, their families, are also struggling.”
Former Royal Signals Corporal Mr Colling, 34, who lost waist-down functions after a march which left him in “dark places mentally”, praised 1917’s stars, saying: “If you’re living it day in, day out while acting, it must have felt like they were really there.”
Mr Griffiths, 57, formerly an RAF Regiment Group Captain, said: “[The film] was poignant because it shows that families are affected too.”
The Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on February 9
