This is why it’s so damn hard to play a veteran, according to an actor

Mandatory Fun

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the crew speaks with standup comedian turned actor Tone Bell.

Tone isn't a veteran, but as always, there's a connection. On the Netflix show Disjointed, Tone plays a veteran who has served on three Iraq combat deployments and now deals with the everyday struggle of veteran issues.

To play the role, Tone prepped for multiple levels of PTS, the process of veteran transition, the culture of cannabis, all while bringing his comedic charm to the character. These hot topics would send the average actor running toward the next potential part, but this comedian believes this role only made him a better thespian.

Since Hollywood doesn't have the best track record of getting the veteran characters right, we tend to become very harsh in our criticism — which we're entitled too.

"[The role] it took a toll on me as a person in my day-to-day life," Bell admits.

Since Disjointed Part:1 debuted on Netflix, Tone has received numerous amounts of support from the veteran community for finally getting the role right and not going over-the-top with his performance.

"You just want to get it right," Tone Bell says. "You want people to appreciate it and not go 'bullshit' that's not the way it happened."