From the Flight Deck to the Big Screen
Story By PA1 Donnie Brzuska, PADET Jacksonville, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Petty Officer 3rd Class Matt Laub's done something no other Coast Guard rescue swimmer has ever done. He's passed Aviation Survival Technician "A" School - twice.
The first time Laub passed rescue swimmer school was in May 2003, when Laub's |
| Shelby Fenner, who starred in "Ghost Game," and Petty Officer 3rd Class Matt Laub hold a brick the pair pushed across the bottom of the pool for a scene in the new Coast Guard movie "The Guardian." Laub was one of only a handful of Coast Guardsmen to get a role in the film. Laub plays Matt Stokes an aspiring rescue swimmer learning the trade from legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall played by Kevin Costner. Coast Guard photograph. |
Laub's second trip through rescue swimmer school was anything but conventional. His classmates consisted of Mark Gangloff, an Olympic gold medalist; Shelby Fenner, who starred in "Ghost Game" and was recently featured in FHM magazine; Peter Gail, who was featured in the movie "Jarhead;" and Ashton Kutcher, who starred in the move "Butterfly Effect," just to name a few. Laub's lead "A" school instructor turned out to be Hollywood powerhouse, Kevin Costner, who's been featured in more than 40 films in his career. Laub's second trip through Coast Guard rescue swimmer school was on the set of the new Coast Guard movie "The Guardian" in Shreveport, La.
"The Guardian" is the first Coast Guard centric movie in more than 50 years. In the movie, Ben Randall, played by Costner, is sent to rescue swimmer school to become the senior instructor after losing his helicopter crew off the Alaskan coast during a deadly rescue-mission. Randall encounters cocky, aspiring rescue swimmer Jake Fischer, played by Kutcher. During training, Randall helps mold Jake's character, combining his raw talent with the heart and dedication required of a rescue swimmer.
Laub was only one of a handful of Coast Guard rescue swimmers to get a part in the movie, and he was the only Coast Guard rescue swimmer to go through every step of the casting and audition process for the movie. Laub's acting career didn't begin in Hollywood; however, it began in the rescue swimmer shop at Air Station Savannah, Ga.
"I got an email that was sent out to all the rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard announcing the casting call (for "The Guardian") in Atlanta, so I replied and heard back from someone the same day," said Laub.
Laub's supervisor gave him the day off to drive to Atlanta for the two-day, casting call in August 2005. There were countless people vying for a role in the movie when Laub arrived at the hotel where the audition was held.
"Everyone had resumes and headshots. I just showed up in my everyday PT (physical training) gear," described Laub. "Some people were dressed as
lifeguards and others had homemade Coast Guard uniforms on."
Petty Officer 3rd Classs Matt Laub sits on the steps of his trailer in Shreveport, La., awaiting his next scene. Laub was one of a handful of Coast Guardsmen to have a roll in the major motion picture "The Guardian." Laub played Airman Matt Stokes, an aspiring rescue swimmer being trained by Ben Randall played by Kevin Kostner. Coast Guard photograph.
Attire aside, something about Laub must have stood out. He was asked to attend the movie's swim audition in Shreveport in October 2005. Laub and the other aspiring actors were separated into groups where the casting crew tested their swimming abilities. Being a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Laub naturally excelled.
"The test wasn't too difficult. They just wanted to see how you looked swimming while doing different strokes and how comfortable we all were in the water," said Laub.
It was at the swim audition that Laub met Gangloff, the Olympic medalist who won the gold at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
"Matt (Laub) was a really down-to-earth guy. It was obvious that he knew his job very well," said Gangloff. "He took a lot of pride in his job, and that quickly spread to the rest of us."
Laub was cast in the movie and was on the set of "The Guardian" the next month playing the role of Airman Matt Stokes.
Laub was placed in a fictional "A" school class of about 20 people which included Kutcher, Gangloff, Fenner and many others in the movie. Similar to an actual AST "A" School class, Laub said the group became very close and were together all the time.
The group of 20 went to a week-long introduction to Coast Guard rescue swimmer school. It was here that Laub was reunited with two of his previous AST "A" School instructors -- Petty Officer 1st Class Bob Watson and Petty Officer 1st Class John Hall. Also, Master Chief Petty Officer Butch Flythe, one of the very first Coast Guard rescue swimmers, was there to lend a hand. The three senior Coast Guard rescue swimmers educated the group on Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Flythe, Watson and Hall all play themselves in "The Guardian."
It was also the first time Laub met his new senior instructor - Costner. Most people would be intimidated by the company of such big Hollywood names, but Laub said the actors made it hard to be nervous around them.
"The first day of shooting Kevin (Costner) walked right up to me and introduced himself. He really is one of the nicest guys I've ever met," said Laub.
Laub was also impressed by how painstakingly realistic the director and production crew were while shooting the movie. Flythe, Watson, Hall and even Laub were asked countless times by the film's director, Andrew Davis, whether training and scenarios were accurate.
"The sets were incredible. They made sure everything was as close to reality as possible right down to the fins we used in training," said Laub.
Laub's somewhat modest about his Hollywood debut even though he's no stranger to the spotlight. Laub recently received an Air Medal for his work in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He credits most of his success to his fellow swimmers back in the rescue swimmer shop at Air Station Savannah where it all started.
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Petty Officer 3rd Class Matt Laub (center) accepts the Air Medal from Cmdr. Anthony Vogt, commanding officer of air Station Savannah and former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Owen W. Siler August 3. Laub recieved the award for his actions following Hurricane Katrina. Coast Guard photograph by PA2 Bobby Nash.
"Without these guys, none of this would've been possible," Laub said. "They stood a lot of duty for me while I was working on the movie and were supportive of me the whole time."
The Guardian was released Sept. 29, and the crew of Air Station Savannah went to see it together for a morale day. The Coast Guard aircrews in Savannah couldn't help Laub get through "A" School the first time but were invaluable to his success the second time. The crew of Air Station Savannah could see Laub's success on the big screen and know they all had a hand in making it possible.
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