How ‘Osiris’ Star Max Martini Meets This Hollywood Moment
‘Saving Private Ryan’ alum dons producer hat on old-school indie thriller
Max Martini followed the light from director Guillermo del Toro’s laser pointer on the set of 2013’s “Pacific Rim.”
That helped the actor “see” where the Kaiju was at any given moment. For “Osiris,” Martini could look the creatures straight in the eye.
The science fiction romp, available on VOD platforms July 25, casts Martini as a soldier swept up by an alien craft mid-battle. His character, along with fellow humans (including a mysterious survivor played by Linda Hamilton) must defeat an alien army and find a way back to Earth.
“Osiris” gave Martini the chance to flex old-school practical effects in our digital age.
“We’re so accustomed to seeing computer-generated monsters and aliens,” Martini tells Hollywood in Toto. “There’s a whole generation of movie-goers who aren’t familiar with this way of doing it.”
That means actors stepped into the intricate alien costumes while a separate team worked their heads, down to the saliva dripping from their jaws.
“It’s so cool to watch,” Martini says with childlike wonder.
The effects allowed for what he calls “off-screen comedy,” the sight of workers giving the costumed actors drinks through a hole in the creatures’ chest cavities.
Check Out a NEW & EXCLUSIVE Clip from the Sci-Fi Actioner OSIRIS! Out this Friday!
EXCLUSIVE! It’s Survival of the Fittest in a New Clip from OSIRIS Starring Max Martini & Linda Hamilton! #OsirisMovie https://t.co/RjWjm97S32— ACTION-FLIX.COM (@JMJActionFlix) July 21, 2025
“Osiris” follows in the intergalactic footsteps of 1986’s “Aliens,” but the price tag was far less than most studio films – then or now. Martini credits director William Kaufman for stretching the film’s tight budget – $6 million – as far as possible.
“Pacific Rim,” the actor notes, had a much larger budget – reportedly around $190 million. Smaller budgets spark creativity, the actor says.
“You end up with really interesting moments in the film … you didn’t have the luxury of buying that moment, you had to create it out of nothing,” says Martini, who bounces from indie fare to studio projects and served as an “Osiris” producer.
Martini’s impressive resume includes “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), “13 Hours” (2016), “Captain Phillips” (2013) and, more recently Paramount+’s “Lioness.”
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He’s often a bruiser on screen, scoring many military roles along the way. That means “staying in a pocket of physical condition,” the star says, “if I want to continue playing these characters.”
His military-themed films have left a mark on the actor. He recalls watching a screening of “Saving Private Ryan” with a theater full of World War II veterans. The film’s opening, with soldiers stepping into a veritable meat grinder on Omaha Beach, remains one of the most harrowing scenes ever shot.
“At the end of the battle sequence, they were drenched in tears,” he recalls of the assembled veterans. “It sparked this conversation among that generation … they had largely been sitting on those experiences and not talking about it … it was healing and therapeutic.”
Later, Martini wrote, directed and starred in “Sgt. Will Gardner,” a film that raised awareness for soldiers battling PTSD on the home front. He’s proud to help remove the stigma of veterans asking for help upon their return.
He’s happy to outslug aliens in films like “Osiris,” but he loves making movies that impact the culture. And he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty in the process.
That’s where his producer hat comes in. Martini may work constantly on screens large and small, but now he’s shepherding stories to the screen.
“I do like to get involved in a boots-on-the-ground kind of way,” he says, adding his on-screen commitment with “Osiris” limited what he could do … to a point. He still helped prepare the film for its New Orleans-based shoot and pushed the film forward in a PR capacity.
“I love being involved beyond an actor … I’m very passionate about filmmaking,” he says. There’s a practical side to being a producer.
“On the business end of it … you know what investors are looking for,” he says. “You can make choices that facilitate the sale, whether it’s casting or during action sequences … knowing what really works on screen.”
Martini began acting in the 1980s, which means he’s watched Hollywood undergo seismic changes over the decades. Now, with A.I. looming and streaming services disrupting the theatrical experience, he’s ready for more upheaval.
Mostly.
“I’m just bracing for all the change,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think anyone knows what’s happening.”
You can follow Max Martini on his Instagram account, where he shares behind-the-scenes snippets from his various film and TV projects.