Closes storm B.O., sans SAG card

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Toplined by real-existence Navy Closes, 'Act of Valor' brought the domestic box office. Give them a call heroes, heroines as well as box office stars. Just don't give them a call stars. Although the eight active-duty Navy Closes who topline "Act of Valor," which snapped up $24.5 million within the February. 24-26 frame, shipped scripted dialogue, they were not included in SAG's collective negotiating agreement. Actually, the mere reference to SAG place the project's uniformed participants in defense mode. "We are not getting into that whatsoever," states the film's co-producer, Capt. Duncan Cruz, when requested when the recently minted celebrities have grown to be SAG people. "These were representing themselves. They were not playing service station mechanics or school instructors. These were playing Navy Closes dealing with training. We labored with SAG. This is the way these males works inside a Navy ad. Same situation." Still, it's not uncommon for any policeman who plays a police officer from the law inside a Hollywood production to concurrently hold a badge and SAG card. But "Valor's" filmmakers explain that unlike their film's uniformed gamers, SAG-covered cops are this is not on duty throughout production and therefore are needed to consider a compensated leave throughout lensing. "(These Closes are) not playing a component,Inch describes Scott Waugh, who directed the Relativity action thriller with Mike (Mouse) McCoy. "They are playing themselves. They're government employees. It might be illegal to allow them to take another contract and become compensated." SAG was not able to explain why the Closes were granted an exemption. So rather than taking conferences at CAA or WME, the mono-monikered Closes -- who dropped their last names for that film's credits because of Navy protocol -- say they immediately accompanied their 18-month "Valor" stint with increased dangerous (and clandestine) projects. Meanwhile, the filmmakers were equally cryptic about budget issues. Waugh rejected to go over "Valor's" cost, that your source called at $12 million. Distributor Relativity, that was not involved with financing the pic, set up just north of $30 millionfor P&A. "We funded a great deal from it ourselves," notes McCoy, who rejected to title additional traders. "This can be a true indie film. We did not possess a studio are available in and also have us ensure changes." The origin adds that Legendary also set up gold coin and nixed any notion the government funded "Valor," which some experts have compared to some feature-length recruitment video with Hollywood production values. McCoy states the Navy's participation was limited. "The Navy gave us complete creative control around the story," he adds. "However they needed to (ensure) that people did not hand out any classified information." Waugh, who choose McCoy includes a background like a stunt coordinator as well as in docus, describes the film like a hybrid -- part narrative feature, part quasi-documentary. He notes that unlike most action films, "Valor" eschews CG and stunt doubles, giving a feeling of real effects. "We are certainly starting unchartered territory," notes Waugh, who'll next team with McCoy around the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle "Black Sands." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com