Hardy – who’s known internationally for roles in movies including Inception, Lawless and the new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises – recently visited the country with scriptwriter/producer Olly Williams to research a new feature film entitled Samarkand.
Samarkand documents the traumas of a Special Forces soldier returning from service in the territory.
Hardy and Williams’ main aim was to experience at first hand the harsh reality of life in an environment where terrorism is an ever-present threat, and to visit places usually off limits to ordinary travellers.
All the while, they needed to limit any risks to which they might have been exposed.
Security advisor to the new film
Pilgrims Group, which was founded by William Freear (himself a former Special Air Services man), is also security advisor to the film and obtained special permissions from both the US military and Afghanistan prison authorities to afford the VIP visitors the access they required.
The company arranged all accommodation, security personnel and vehicles through its own in-country assets, while Hardy and Williams were looked after and advised by Pilgrims Group’s best Special Forces personnel (William Freear among them).
“In my line of work it’s very important to do the right kind of research,” said Hardy. “Part of that is endeavouring to immerse oneself in areas and cultures that are off the beaten track to most civilians. Observing the real world is not always possible or sensible without the help of appropriate adults who can facilitate, escort, advise, supervise and generally take care of every situation that can, and often does, arise on a daily basis in these territories.”
Producer Williams continued: “Elements of our film are set in an urban war zone and track the operational intensity of a Special Forces soldier. Tom, as an actor, and myself as a script writer, wanted to get a sense of daily life in an environment where there is constant danger. Spending time on the ground with Pilgrims’ professional operators, observing their protocols and visiting serving military personnel and bases gave us valuable insight into daily life and banter as well as information on local customs.”
Visit to an Afghan prison and Kabul
Pilgrims – which was awarded Risk Management Company status by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs back in February – arranged for the guests to visit an Afghan prison and the British Cemetery in Kabul.
“Pilgrims adopted a typically low profile to cater for Tom and Olly’s visit,” explained William Freear.
“We relied on the quality of our intelligence, planning, personnel and procedures to ensure a safe and successful trip. Our approach was to allow as much exposure to the real Afghanistan as possible without placing them at any unnecessary risk.”
Williams (who’s co-writing the film with his brother, photographer and director Greg Williams) explained: “Visiting Afghanistan with Pilgrims has helped us to get a sense of the urban environment in which our soldiers are serving today. Although we are conscious we only scratched the surface of the operational challenges they face, we left feeling we had a sense of the truth on the ground in these locations.”
He added: “We plan to use Pilgrims services in all key elements in the location, action training and kit selection for our film. Having the Pilgrims stamp of ‘ground truth’ will give our film a special quality that’s often missing in films of men and war.”
In conclusion, Hardy stated: “Pilgrims sustain the highest standards of security with a level of discretion specific to those who are genuinely operating in their comfort zone. We saw how their teams act with incredible ability, affability, insight, wisdom and integrity.”
