Posted on 06/15/2007 4:58:04 AM PDT by RedRover
NORTH CASTLE
At just age 26, Andrew McLaren has already had many roles in his life - soldier, bodyguard, playboy and, most recently, family man and political candidate.
The North Castle man is now trying his hand at another venture - acting.
He's starring in "Battle for Haditha," a film scheduled for release in January. It is based on allegations that Marines killed 24 Iraqis - including women and children - during a 2005 rampage in that Iraqi city.
"I kind of wanted to live a full life and do whatever I wanted to do," McLaren said recently about his rather unique résumé.
For McLaren, a former model, this is his first major role in a film, and his experience in the military helped him land the part.
"He had some combat experience in Iraq, and he and the other guys that were in the military give it a little credence as far as reality is concerned," said Gordon McLaren, Andrew's father and a Vietnam War veteran. "They've all been there. They've all seen it."
Andrew McLaren was a Marine for several years, which included a 2003 mission to Liberia to guard the U.S. Embassy during that country's civil war. He also served in Iraq, hunting for improvised explosive devices on the streets of Baghdad and helping to train members of the Iraqi army.
For his service, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal, according to his honorable discharge papers.
McLaren returned from Iraq in 2005, but he soon went back to the war zone as an employee of the Blackwater USA private security firm. He said he earned top dollar guarding senators and Bush administration officials and even the president on one occasion.
The work of contractors like Blackwater has sparked controversy over the role of the private sector in war zones, with some critics charging they're mercenaries whose work exists outside normal legal oversight.
McLaren bristles at any suggestion that Blackwater employees are soldiers for hire. They're highly trained government contractors, he said.
"I was a certified special agent over there. We're not mercenaries," McLaren said. "We have authority from the U.S. government and we go through a strict vetting process."
The job is very dangerous. Part of the work included providing armed escort duty for U.S. officials going outside of Baghdad's relatively secure "Green Zone."
The work is also very lucrative. McLaren said he earned about $200,000 in eight months last year, money that allowed him to return to the U.S. periodically and enjoy a playboy lifestyle in Manhattan, driving around in a Ferrari and Lamborghini he rented. He also outfitted his own Lexus convertible with television sets, a DVD player and new rims.
But there came a time when the money and the job lost their allure, and McLaren wanted to settle back in this country with Melissa Garcia, a model he met at a fashion show in 2004.
"I had this great thing at home waiting for me, so that's why I left that job," McLaren said.
They married in October, about a month after he returned from Iraq. Melissa McLaren recalled recently that when she spoke to Andrew while he was in Iraq, she could sometimes hear mortar shells exploding in the background.
"It was a big ordeal every time I had to hang up the phone with him and not know when I was going to be able to speak to him next," she said "The money wasn't worth it. His life was more important."
McLaren returned to the U.S. in August and the couple moved out to California in September so she could pursue her modeling career and he could try out acting.
One day, McLaren noticed an ad in LA Weekly that said military men were wanted for a movie, but the ad didn't specify what it was about.
McLaren said he and hundreds of other hopefuls auditioned for 12 parts in the film. After several call-backs, he landed the role of Capt. Sampson - who heads a unit of Marines that's struck by a roadside bomb, killing one of them.
McLaren said his character is based loosely on a real-life Marine company commander, Capt. Lucas McConnell, who is facing charges in the incident.
The investigation into what happened at Haditha continues. After the bombing, enraged Marines killed the Iraqis, according to press reports. Several Marines have been brought up on murder charges, and four other officers have been accused of failing to investigate war crime allegations or covering them up, according to press reports.
"Battle for Haditha," filmed in Jordan, is the latest movie from British director Nick Broomfield, whose other films include "Kurt & Courtney," a 1998 documentary about Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, who took his own life in 1994 at age 27, and his wife, singer Courtney Love. He also made "Biggie and Tupac," a 2002 documentary about the unsolved homicide cases of rap artists Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.
Broomfield was busy recently with post-production work on "Battle for Haditha" and could not be reached for comment. A trailer from the film was recently shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
The trailer is chilling to watch. After a bomb set up by insurgents blows up a Humvee, a Marine is shown shooting Iraqis who have their hands up.
McLaren said he was initially concerned about how the movie would portray the military. In the end, however, he said it shows what it's like to be in combat and the realities soldiers face during war.
"The movie is told from an equal playing field - from the Iraqis' point of view, the insurgents' point of view and the Marines' point of view," McLaren said. "There's no black or white in this movie, it's all just a (messed) up situation for everybody."
He's also posted comments on an online forum for military service members asking them to keep an open mind about the film.
"We represented the Corps in a positive light. ... We would never sell out our fellow Marines for 15 minutes of fame," McLaren wrote. "This movie is far from liberal propaganda, and is the most accurate portrayal of the War on Terror yet."
During a recent interview, McLaren wore a "Battle for Haditha" T-shirt, which covered a tattoo on his shoulder of the World Trade Center. He also has images of cherry blossoms with skulls in the middle on his right arm. On his left arm is a tattoo of the Marine Corps eagle, globe and anchor symbol.
He and Melissa are expecting a baby in about four months. The couple and their 5-year-old daughter live with McLaren's parents in North Castle. McLaren attended Byram Hills High School for two years and graduated in 1999 from Avon Old Farms School, a private school in Avon, Conn.
McLaren said he hopes the "Battle for Haditha" leads to more roles. If he can't pursue an acting career, he has a backup plan. He's attending the New York City Police Academy next month.
He's also planning to run for a seat on the North Castle Town Board under the banner of the Veterans for Improvement Party. McLaren, who describes himself as a moderate Republican, acknowledges the odds of him winning a seat are daunting, but said he views the post as another chance to serve his country.
"I really, really want to get my voice out there," McLaren said.
Well, the Article 32 hearings are not fictional nor are they completed. You may say and even think the film is fictional but it's a film about the Haditha incident, no matter how you cut it.
I wasn't a Marine, I was an Army grunt but I know the meaning of Semper Fi.
You know, I missed that on the first read.
Do you know who Murtha is?
Do you know what he has said?
Do you truly not care, one way or the other?
Hell, Hollywood, you'd make more sense to me if you defended him. At least you'd be expressing a point of view.
Good Grief, Hollywood, is there anything in your skull?
What do you care about?
#37 is Post with out the T????
I think Boats might have a point, this guy doesn’t sound like a Marine.
I don’t see an old dog...I see a dude!
This is a low-budget film, more like an “art house” project really than a Cineplex production. I have a hunch that the cast is trying to get out there on mil-blogs to create some “buzz”. Giving the response here and on Military.com, I’d say the reaction isn’t quite what was expected!
(Hey, is that you by the Wall, smooth???)
I guess some people get their kicks in strange ways. I’ll bet the closest this turkey has ever been to the military is accidently walking past a recruiters office.
I agree, Lily. That's a great pic, especially with The Wall in it.
* snicker *
I think you nailed it, Red.
Here's a great one of the two of them, real girls flaunting it all for the camera! LOL!
Wish I could have been at the GOE!
But you were, Lily, you had many representatives that day.
That is true!
That’s a very good picture of you, smooth. (And the girls look like they’re having a great time!)
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