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Aaron Eckhart is one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors. While you have most likely seen him in plenty of films (such as The Dark Knight, where he played Harvey Dent), Eckhart isn’t exactly a household name. However, Battle: Los Angeles might give him some much-deserved recognition, starring as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz who must lead his Marine platoon and bystanders to safety during an alien invasion. Interviewed via telephone conference call, Aaron Eckhart discusses Marine training, why Battle: Los Angeles isn’t another Independence Day, how he broke his arm, and his extra-terrestrial beliefs.

This is quite a departure from December’s Rabbit Hole. What initially drew you to this project?

AE: I read the script and thought, “Well, I’m not sure if I want to do an alien movie right off the bat,” but once I was in the room with the director, Jonathan Liebsman, who is a 32-year-old South African...great guy. He didn’t even have the job yet. So for all of those people who want to be directors, producers, and actors and all of that sort of thing – Jonathan didn’t have the job, but he made a presentation that was outstanding. He did it all himself. He used his computer; he did all the aliens and showed us how it was going to work. He timelined it and all this very impressive stuff, and then he showed us on YouTube a clip of some Marines going through Fallujah, house to house and said, “This is what this movie’s going to look like.” As soon as I saw that I said, “I’ll do it. I’m in.” True to his word, Jonathan filmed it exactly like that clip, and he made it entertaining, big, and I think we came up with a great film. So I guess the lesson for me with Jonathan was, go out there and you can make it happen if you put a little extra effort into things.

How do you prepare for a film like this compared to one of your other genre works like Rabbit Hole?

AE: I prepare mostly the same by doing as much research as I possibly can on my character and the subject matter and then through my technique or whatever actors do, I try to personalize the material as best I can. For example, Rabbit Hole, I went to some grief groups and talked to people who had lost a son or a daughter or sibling or a mother or father. Then I would go onto the Internet and YouTube people video blogging their grief. So I use any tool I possibly can to get closer to the material. Like in Battle: LA, we went through boot camp. We got to know our weapons, know the mind of a marine and all of that sort of stuff. Whatever movie I’m doing I try to make it as real as possibly, so my methods are all the same.

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