One of my favorite movies of 2019 is directorJames Mangold’sFord v Ferrari. Not only is the true-story racing dramaincrediblywell made, it’s loaded with fantastic performances from every single cast member. Trust me, if you want to see a brilliant piece of filmmaking, look no further thanFord v Ferrari. For more on the film, you canread Adam Chitwood’s glowing review.
If you haven’tseen the trailer,Ford v Ferrariis set against the backdrop of 1966’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France and follows maverick American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), who is challenged byHenry Ford II (Tracy Letts)andLee Iacocca(Jon Bernthal) to build a revolutionary car that would allow Ford to challenge Ferrari.Christian Baleplays the fearless British racer Ken Miles, who gets behind the wheel of the new Ford racing vehicle. The film also starsCaitriona Balfe,Josh Lucas, andNoah Jupe.
With the film arriving in theaters this weekend, I recently sat down with James Mangold for an exclusive interview. During the wide-ranging conversation he talked about if he still gets excited working with big name actors, what he learned from working withRobert De NiroonCoplandthat helped him as a director, what he does to help craft his actors performances, what it was like filming the “pathetic” fight sequence between Bale and Damon, how they filmed the great driving scene with Damon and Letts on the race track, and you can hear him talk about a great photo that happened withHarrison Fordat the Ford v Ferrari premiere party (you’ll see the pic in the interview).
Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
James Mangold:
Here’s the official synopsis:
Academy Award-winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in FORD v FERRARI, based on the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.
