We all know that Michael Bay likes an explosion or two, but what about the man's sensitive side? Like, does he have one?

“It’s actually a huge one,” answers Pablo Schreiber, calling the Straight from Toronto. Schreiber stars in Bay's latest, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, opening today (January 15).

“When he’s off set he’s incredibly gentle and funny," Schreiber continues. "I think he’s a bit like a child, in a way. He really loves what he does, he puts a lot of passion and energy into it, and he wants people to like what he does. When you see that quality in him, it’s pretty relatable. I have a lot of empathy for him.”

This is the first time Schreiber has worked with Bay, a divisive presence on the Hollywood landscape, regardless of what the filmmaker would like you to think. Dramatizing 2012’s events in Libya, when a U.S. diplomatic compound and CIA station were attacked by Islamic militants, is bound to further polarize opinion about the man’s work.

For Schreiber’s part, he saw the opportunity to do something a little perpendicular to the Broadway fare or screen roles that we’re used to seeing him in, like The Wire and Orange Is the New Black. Ditto for his co-star in 13 Hours, John Krasinski of The Office. Both men bulked up considerably for Bay’s picture—“I added 25 pounds of muscle to what is a relatively thin frame,” Schreiber says—and did boot camp with a team of Navy SEALs in California before shipping off to Malta. It’s a long road for a guy who was born in Ymer, B.C., and who still regularly makes his way to Vancouver to visit his mom.

“Once I got the job, every friend I had in the industry wanted to share their own story about Bay and his set. A lot of them usually involved screaming,” says Schreiber, chuckling. “But nothing anyone can say can actually prepare you for the experience. What you find when you get out there is that the screaming is really the least memorable thing.”

Bay was knocking out 70 setups a day, according to his amazed star.

“Which is insane,” he says. “He works at a pace that is unmatched by any director in the industry. And each one of them is some crazy action sequence with explosions and guns and whatever else is going on in the frame. He expects a lot, not only from his cast but the crew. But you know, you look at him and you see him running around from shot to shot—he’ll have three or four shots set up simultaneously, and he’s jumping in between them as they’re being set up—and you think, if this guy can maintain this level of energy every single day, then I better bring my A-game, too. It was actually a pretty inspiring place to work, for me.”

Sounds incredible, but should we be concerned for his health, maybe?

“I’ll leave that to other people to worry about,” answers Schreiber. ”But  I wouldn’t wanna be his doctor, let’s put it that way.”