Only Easy Day, the Navy SEAL movie you definitely haven’t seen before

Former Navy SEAL Brett Jones has recently finished filming a new film called Only Easy Day. In the film, Brett plays a SEAL but in a very different portrayal of an elite special operator than what is seen in recent movies.  Only Easy Day is described as a film about a former SEAL battling with PTSD, substance abuse, “self-destruction and ultimately homelessness.”  It is also a film about redemption and regaining control over a life that has spun out of control.  We caught up with Brett and asked him a few questions about Only Easy Day.

NEWSREP: Is this your first foray into acting? 

Brett: I dabbled in high-school plays and took classes before I joined the Navy. Months before filming started, I was fortunate enough to train and rehearse with some incredibly talented local professionals. 

NEWSREP: What inspired your portrayal of the protagonist in this film? 

Brett: The character (Bradley Johnson) is a combination of many SOF guys I know or knew, along with nuances of my own life experiences.  I was able to have incredible conversations with some pretty heroic people in recovery.  

NEWSREP: Only Easy Day is a pretty sharp departure from how SEALs are normally portrayed in the media, which often makes them out to be real-life superheroes.  What do you think the audience response will be?  

Brett: People are going to have a powerful reaction. This film definitely isn’t some Marvel superhero flick. This is a movie about human beings with real-life problems. 

NEWSREP: Could you describe the process of getting Only Easy Day made as an indie film?  What was your approach? 

Brett: Working on this movie really opened my eyes to how difficult it’s to make films. In fact, I don’t think this movie would have happened anywhere else. This movie is the product of a whole city (Huntsville, Alabama) rallying around this project to make it a reality. We had so many people and organizations donate set locations, filming equipment, props, food, and most importantly their time. We were also lucky to have a talented director, DP, crew, and cast that saw the importance of making a movie like this. Since money is always tight on independent films, most of the people working on this project did so for a percentage of the proceeds. We currently have an Indiegogo page to help get us to the finish line with the post-production costs.

NEWSREP: Only Easy Day appears to tackle some challenging subjects, including veterans who struggle with their family life, opioid abuse, homelessness, and more.  Why do you feel it’s imperative for Americans to be challenged by these important topics?

Brett: It’s really easy to look at the struggle of others as their problem and not yours. What’s great about a good story is that it can bring a personal or identifiable perspective to these issues. We believe this story has the power to start some much-needed conversations. But, more importantly, we hope that it will motivate the right people to make changes.

NEWSREP: What is your plan for the release and distribution of the film? 

Brett: We are going to enter it into film festivals and hopefully sell it to a distributor or a platform like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. However, those who contribute to our Indiegogo page will be able to stream it before it ever comes out. They will also receive a bunch of cool swag.