From Green Beret to the Director’s Chair: Nate Boyer
Happy Veterans Day. I'm so excited for you to hear this episode. If you're a veteran or currently serving, well, here's a roadmap into film and TV from a guy who made it happen. And if you are a filmmaker unfamiliar with the military, Nate Boyer is your guy.
When United States Army soldiers get around the firepit and talk about what they aspire to do after the military, it's invariably professional football player or film star. I'm joking around here, but only a bit. The majority of soldiers in the combat arms certainly played sports in high school, and as you earn entry into more selective units, you'll find individuals that accomplished more selective things. I can't think of any other single individual who went from Green Beret to NFL player to film director, though. Only one: my guest today, Nate Boyer.
There's so much about Nate's life we could talk about, including the vitriol he received for standing beside NFL football player Colin Kaepernick while he kneeled as a protest to racial injustice. The kneeling was Nate's idea, and after Boyer's involvement, the controversy quickly dissipated...but Nate still pays the price.
We talk about that briefly as a way of highlighting what a uniquely strong and morally courageous person -- and filmmaker -- Nate is. Whether it's the moving MVP (2022), which is a fantastic example in the genre of the ex-servicemember struggles in his post-military life or the upcoming D-DAY +80, he's continuing to do special things. I cannot wait to see what's next.
Nate and I talk about:
- what he might aspire to professionally other than Special Forces, NFL player, and filmmaker;
- his transition from acting to becoming a Green Beret and what he learned about himself by doing difficult things;
- similarities between a team room, a locker room, and a film set;
- the process of making a feature film;
- why MVP stayed away from the usual tropes of the genre and it was a narrative film rather than a documentary;
- his advice for actors playing a military role;
- what his future holds -- writing, directing, acting;
- the challenges of seeking distribution and what he would tell a guy transitioning out of the military about the business.
Nate's Indie Film Highlight: ATONEMENT (2026) dir. by Reed Van Dyk; Reed was a guest on the Cinema Flow Podcast on October 14, 2026
Memorable Quotes:
" I would do it again 100%. I wouldn't change a thing from the meeting itself...after his team had reached out and brought me down there and from there to what I've stood by ever since, which is listening to those you don't necessarily agree with or have a different perspective with and trying to find common ground and, unify this country in some way."
"We self select so much."
" When I got cut from Seattle, that was in some ways tougher than losing the camoflauge."
"I wish we could have been more nuanced."
"When the cameras are around, it's not that authentic."
"My focus is storytelling period."
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