HBO's war drama miniseries The Pacific features stunningly realistic performances from the main cast; here's what the actors have done since the series ended. The television show is a companion piece to 2001's Band of Brothers. Both of the shows focus on a group of U.S. soldiers fighting for their lives in the midst of World War II. Band of Brothers is about the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment battling through the European Theater, while The Pacific explores the U.S. Marines and their part in the Pacific War Theater during World War II. Co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, one of the main writers for Band of Brothers, fronted the project.
The Pacific is based on a piecemeal of several true accounts. The brutal war epic takes stories primarily from two memoirs written by the show's real-life counterparts Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie. It also draws from other memoirs written about Sledge, such as China Marine, and the book Red Blood, Black Sand which is about fellow Marine Chuck Tatum. Tatum's memories prove particularly useful to the show, as he fought alongside the real John Basilone at Iwo Jima.
The storyline of The Pacific follows Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), and John Basilone (Jon Seda) as they fight with their respective troops in the Pacific War. While the three characters don't meet, Sidney Phillips (Ashton Holmes) acts as a link between two of the troops as he serves with Leckie and is also Sledge's best friend. The Pacific's cast of characters brings the realism of war to the forefront and each protagonist is no less important than the other. So what has the talented bunch been up to since the miniseries ended?
James Badge Dale - PFC Robert Leckie
James Badge Dale plays a charming and yet complex character in the form of Robert Leckie. The marine is known for causing a few drunken brawls as well as getting into enough trouble to land him in the brig after gross insubordination. Dale is primarily known for his role as Barrigan in The Departed. Since The Pacific, the actor has maintained a solid career. Most notably he played the protagonist Will Travers in AMC's crime drama Rubicon and Savin in Iron Man 3. He's also had roles in popular films such as World War Z, The Lone Ranger, and 13 Hours. He continues to make well-known projects with the likes of A-listers such as Liam Neeson and Brad Pitt.
Joseph Mazzello - PFC Eugene Sledge
Band of Brothers' more brutal counterpart shows how the war greatly affects Sledge's mental health as he slowly starts to lose his humanity. After convincing his parents the naive Eugene Sledge joins in the war and Joseph Mazzello plays his descent with frightening authenticity. The actor got his start as Tim in the classic film Jurassic Park. After The Pacific, Mazzello landed the role of Dustin Moskovitz in The Social Network that same year. He made television appearances in Coma, Justified, Person of Interest, Elementary, and American Crime Story. In 2018 he caught another big movie deal in the form of Bohemian Rhapsody, in which he plays John Deacon aka the bassist for Queen.
Jon Seda - Sgt. John Basilone
Gunnery Sargeant John Basilone is the only main character that gets to see Iwo Jima and reach higher ranks in his military career. Unfortunately, he's is tragically killed in active duty during the battle of Iwo Jima. Most recently Jon Seda was cast in La Brea as Dr. Samuel Velez. Audiences probably know him best as the character of Antonio Dawson in Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Justice. Directly after The Pacific, Seda had some small television roles on popular crime shows like Burn Notice, The Closer, and Hawaii Five-0. The actor continued his extensive television career by playing Nelson Hildago in Treme, a show focused on the lives of the survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.