Pietruszewski played a pilot in Zero Dark Thirty and a NASA mission controller in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He’s also appeared on Days of Our Lives, Criminal Minds, All My Children, The Bold and the Beautiful, and other television programs.
“Acting is a thankless world. I would not wish it on anyone I care about, but my military training has served me well in this pursuit, and the industry has never been more veteran-friendly than it is today,” Pietruszewski says. “I am thankful for that and for the training I received during my time in uniform.”
Some famous female veterans who caught the acting bug include Golden Girls star Bea Arthur (Marine Corps) and “Miss Jane Hathaway” Nancy Kulp (Navy) from The Beverly Hillbillies. Then there’s Emmy-nominated television meteorologist and science reporter Christine Clayburg, who serves with the Air National Guard. She has appeared on The Closer, 90210, Desperate Housewives, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and on Hallmark and Lifetime channels.
“I’m amazed at the respect some of the most creative and talented directors, casting directors, and producers in LA have for those who serve. That was not my experience in TV news, and it has been a pleasant surprise,” says Clayburg. “What people seem to understand out here about veterans is that when you hire one, you will get a disciplined, hard-working, and honest person you can count on to do the impossible, if asked.”
Clayburg started acting and singing in and producing church plays, school productions, and community theater programs at age 7. For most of her life, she studied acting on the side while pursuing the sciences. She has worked for stations like KABC in Los Angeles, WCCO in Minneapolis, and WHDH in Boston. Clayburg, who moved to Los Angeles 10 years ago, admits even with years of experience and Screen Actors Guild eligibility, it is hard to break into Hollywood.
“You must have a rock-solid sense of what is unique about you and never waver,” says Clayburg.
While she doesn’t think being a veteran necessarily gives an actor an edge, she credits the experience of being a soldier who swore her life to defend her country as helping her keep her “eye on the horizon.” Clayburg says she typically gets roles as a media person, but sometimes she gets called for aviation-related roles because of her military background.
“The best projects are always about so much more than just what those involved have to gain from them,” says Clayburg. “Many people in LA struggle to see this. Veterans seem to get that right away.”
Clayburg and Pietruszewski get support from the organization Veterans in Film & Television (VFT,
www.vftla.org), which facilitates networking between veterans and the entertainment industry. It was founded in 2012 by Marine Corps veteran Mike Dowling and Army veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. The website allows its more than 1,500 member veterans to create professional and searchable profiles at no cost.
72 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2014
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