WAR HORSE Production Notes

WAR HORSE (2011)PRODUCTION NOTESWaverly as "the joker in the pack. I don't think he's a particularly serious soldier, but he's verywell meaning. And I think a lot of his gregariousness and humor comes from the fact that he'sscared."On the German side, David Kross, who played Michael Berg in Stephen Daldry's adaptation of"The Reader," took on the role of Gunther, the German soldier who goes AWOL with Joey to tryto save his underage brother. Kross says that for someone like Gunther a horse such as Joey wasa spectacular thing to behold. "Gunther's background is as a working class farm boy who hasonly ever dealt with working horses. So when he sees this Joey, who's so beautiful and strong, Ithink it's like seeing a Ferrari out there. He falls in love and realizes he has found his chance toescape."The German boys and Joey flee to a French farm where, hidden within a spinning windmill, Joeyfinds his first true respite from the war. Here, he meets Emilie, a frail but spirited little girl andthe grandfather who hopes to shield her from the war as much as he can. Coming out of battle,they remind Joey of home. "The bond Emilie makes with Joey is very similar to the bond thatAlbert and Joey had," notes Spielberg. "It's as if the horse remembers Albert through this littlegirl who is taking such good care of him."Celebrated French actor Niels Arestrup, recently lauded for his role as a prison kingpin inJacques Audiard's "A Prophet," takes the role of the grandfather. After extensive auditionsSpielberg cast London newcomer Celine Buckens, who learned to speak in a French accent forthe film, as Emilie. Buckens had never spent much time around horses, but she understooddeeply why Emilie becomes so attached to Joey and Topthorn. "She is very isolated during thewar, but the horses become a source of hope for her, a connection to the world beyond herThe film was a life-changing experience for Buckens. Not only was it her first movie, and adream chance to work with Spielberg, but despite knowing little about them before, shedeveloped what she believes will be a life-long passion for horses. "Now, I love horses," shesays. "I've realized what beautiful and gentle creatures they can be. The horses I got to knowwere so amazing."Another character who bonds with Joey in a profound way lies at the center of a scene thatSpielberg says he is most proud of in "War Horse": when a Geordie goes "over the top" of thetrench, risking his life in No Man's Land, to rescue a horse that has somehow clung to life in asmoky maze of barbwire. When the Geordie meets his German counterpart in this broken landaround this horse in need, a hushed, tenuous human peace is momentarily struck.In the role of the Geordie soldier is English actor Toby Kebbell, recently seen in "Prince ofPersia: The Sands of Time." Kebbell says the scene hit him hard. "When I finished it, it affectedme far more heavily than I thought." he recalls. "There was something so actual about goingdown into the trench, climbing out of the trench, climbing across No Man's Land. But that is whyI act: for the experiences that come with it. It all became real to me."THE EQUINE CAST (AND THEIR TRAINERS)© 2011 DreamWorks Pictures 12