1 of 5 | Lena Headey stars in “Ballistic,” in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Brainstorm Media
Lena Headey said her role in Ballistic, in theaters Friday, is a character seeking answers she’s never going to find. Headey plays Nance, a mother whose son, Jesse (Jordan Kronis) dies in the military.
Because Nance works in a ballistics factory, she traces the bullet that killed Jesse. Writer/director Chad Faust shares in the film that American-made ammunition represents an estimated 30% of bullets found in American soldiers.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Headey said Nance is seeking the origin of Jesse’s fatal bullet to avoid looking inward.
“For Nance, she’s shattered by this deep guilt and self-hatred and still not brave enough to fully confront that in herself,” Headey, 52, said. “So she’s seeking some exterior answer or some regulatory answer that she’s just not going to get because it’s simple.”
Headey already knew Faust personally and trusted him to tell the story of Nance’s grief. A mother of two, Headey called losing a child her “everyday nightmare.”
“How do you continue if that happens?” she said.
Jesse enlisted in the military, where death is always possible. However, moving to the U.S. as an actor, Headey feels the specter of violence is present in everyday life.
“I feel that I’ve got an understanding of what it is to be a parent, especially in the States with the possibilities of every day here, with the big stupid non gun rules,” she said. “You send your kid off to school and that’s a possibility. That’s insane to say but it’s the truth.”
Headey said the film suggests how socioeconomic status informs enlistment. Jesse enlisted to pay for his future family. His fiancé, Diana (Amybeth McNulty), is pregnant with his son when he dies.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the military recruitment situation and choices for young men and women,” Headey said. “Some people choose to go in because they genuinely are drawn to and want to serve, but it’s sort of an endless discussion.”
Nance confronts the recruiter who enlisted Jesse. He gives her an explanation of the job he’s assigned, too.
“What’s so great about the film is it goes to unexpected places,” Headey said. “You get these conversations that we don’t really ever see or think we’ll hear.”
To get into character as Nance, Headey made a playlist of songs she listened to on a drive from New York to Ontario, Canada. The playlist included Stephen Wilson Jr, Antony and the Johnsons, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Counting Crows.
“Then we stayed in a little hotel in the middle of winter in this tiny town,” she said. “I was really excited to just be able to go and not worry about how you look and not worry about costume and just be free as an actor. That’s the joy. That’s the juice.”
That freedom and communal environment included discussions about Nance’s treatment of Diana. Nance pushes Diana away, even though she is pregnant with Nance’s grandson.
“She just can’t look at her,” Headey said. “We discussed this a lot. She can’t connect. It’s too much of a reminder what was going to be, this beautiful life.”
Best known for fantasy epics Game of Thrones and 300, Headey also starred in many science-fiction properties like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dredd. She was cast in Season 3 of Wednesday days after this interview.
Headey said she chooses roles equally for fun and for poignant opportunities like Ballistic offered.
“I don’t take myself seriously,” she said. “I’m not like I need to win six Oscars. I like to do what I like to do.”
