Well said,
As you know Japanese actors are difficult to find in this neck of the woods. So it's something we're definitely struggling with. Finding WW2 Japanese Fighting gear is no easy task either. As to the "amount of Japanese" in the 2 guys we've cast, your synopsis may be correct. We are toying with idea of adding a nasty combat scene on the island and finding gear and casting are our 2 major barriers there.
With regard to the admiral we had a 30 year navy vet. Not sure of exact rank. Let's call him mid-level management, on the set and he seemed to think the beard was a non issue. I would love to get these immersion killers solved. I'm in full agreement with u that we don't want any preventable distractions. Obviously, it's a movie and different people had different experiences. We've got subvets on the boat in Alabama as well doing there best to keep us in line. It's definitely a struggle trying to decide which way to lean when there are several views from qualified guys on both sides of the issue. It seems like every time we get an issue addressed there a 10 more thoughts on it.
If you can recommend some kind of comprehensive layman's guide we'd be open. We have done tons of research and we have modern as well as WW2 subvets in FL and AL advising on this. We welcome your continued input, we'll do the best we can.
Kindest Regards,
CL
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