As the military advisor for X-Men 3 and X2: X-Men United, Ron Blecker seems to be the go-to man for how the production portrays the military's involvement in mutant affairs. Ron has been busy helping out X3's production teams with the movie's filming, which means he wasn't able to answer our questions when we first contacted him a few weeks ago, but recently took an opportunity to talk to us about his experiences. Ron asked that site visitors be aware that he is unable to talk about X-Men 3 at the moment, but did discuss his participation in X2. TheXverse: What does your job entail on a day-to-day basis? How involved with the project were you, and how long did you work on the film? Ron Blecker: My job as a Military Technical Advisor varies from project to project. Sometimes it's very involved in every aspect of production and sometimes what happens on set. For X2 I was brough in from the very beginning. I worked with the writers, props dept, costume dept, stunt coordinator and production designer. I consulted on the uniforms, tactics, weapons, and air assault on the X Mansion. I was a Rappel Master in the U.S. Army so I supervised the training and rigging for the stunt performers who did all the rappelling. On set I assisted in choreographing the soldiers' movements and patterns. Thanks to the producers, director and AD team, I was given a lot of freedom to make sure that these guys looked like they knew what they were doing. My team of advisors worked on the project as well. It was too big to do alone and somethimes they don't get the credit they deserve for the job they do. Jeff Harris and Trevor Herman did a great job and I'd like to publicly thank them for all the work they do. TXV: I notice that for X2 you are listed as a "technical advisor", but for other projects, as a "military advisor"? What is the difference between the two? RB: There is no difference between a "Technical Advisor" and "Military Advisor". It all depends on what the Post Production Producer puts on the credits. If the production has a military or police theme then you can be sure that if someone is listed as the "Technical Advisor", it means they were consulting on the Military or Police aspect of the production. TXV: As an advisor, did you work with the cast and crew on the set, or did you work in the production offices? What areas of the film crew did you spend most of your time with? RB: I work in both places. During pre-production you'll find me in the offices, going from meeting to meeting. I normally don't have an office in the production office itself. If there is research that has to be done, I do it from my own offices or hotel room where I can access my staff via the internet or telephone. Once production begins, I'm on set or in rehearsals working with cast and background performers. TXV: Do you have any funny or really memorable stories from working on the project? RB: Yes I do. I recall that while we were filming at the X-Mansion set, there was a crowd of people who were waiting behind the barriers to watch what was going on. Some of them had been there since 6am. We didn't start working that day until 11am. These people were really great. They didn't cause any problems, make any noise or disrupt any work; they were really great. That night at about 1:30am, we were still filming and Bryan Singer went out side to see who was still there. Sure enough there were a few people who had been there since 6am. Bryan invited them inside to sit around the monitors, and watch the rest of the day's work. I was really impressed with the way the fans handled themselves and the generosity of Bryan; it was the one and only time I have ever seen anything like that. TXV: Have you ever read the X-Men comics? Ayou a fan? RB: As a kid I was a fan of Wolverine. I didn't have the comic books, but was able to watch some of the earlier X-Men cartoons with my brother. TXV: What are your opinions of the finished product for X2, and how do you think your involvement influenced it? RB: I am very happy with the way X2 turned out. As for my influence, I cannot respond to that. There were so many people who busted their asses on that movie, that for me to say I had any influence on its success would be demeaning all the work the rest of the crew had done. TXV: How do you feel about working with a different production crew for X-Men 3 versus X2? RB: The producers are the same, and I have always had a great working relationship with them. TXV: Have you ever come up against a production with a lot of incorrect ideas/stereotypes that you've had to strongly advise against? RB: That happens all the time. But that's why I'm there. There are producers and directors who really care about how things look on their project, and they bring me on to make sure it looks right and doesn't distract from the story, and what audiences are supposed to see instead of mistakes that take their attention away from the story. TXV: Would you be interested in pursuing a career in acting, or another branch of movie making? RB: I don't have any desire to be an actor. That being said, I have been on camera a few times at the request of the directors or producers. Acting really is a talent that I don't have and never will. I think if you put all my lines together, it wouldn't even equal a paragraph, and even then my bit parts involve Military characters, which really doesn't require me to act, just to remember. I have produced a few independent films, and I am always looking for a challenge. I think being a producer presents different challenges on a daily basis. If I ever were to move to another branch of the business it would be as a producer. TXV: What is your favorite part of being involved with movie productions/film making? RB: My favorite part is that everyday it's something different. It's always a new place, new people, and new experiences. Not one day is ever the same as the last. Our thanks to Ron for speaking with us; to find out more about him and his work, visit his website, Def-Con-5!