Christian Bale is a traitor. Since 2015, the Oscar winner for best actor for “The Fighter” (2010) was committed to star in the film about the life of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the luxury car manufacturer.
He started to learn the Modena dialect, used by Ferrari when he was next to Italian competitors, drank the favorite Lambrusco of the team owner, had dinner at the restaurant where he used to eat and gained weight.
Three years ago, however, Bale abandoned the project that would be directed by Michael Mann and would have people like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the cast. And now, he shows up in “Ford v. Ferrari” in the role of the Ken Miles, a driver hired by the American manufacture Ford to defeat the Italian Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1966.
“It was a fantastic script, but I started to feel like I was going to have a heart attack when I got fat. My body was screaming, ‘You can’t do this now’. So I had to stop and lose weight”, Bale tells “Folha de S. Paulo”.
Matt Damon, who plays the role of Carroll Shelby, a former driver and engineer hired by Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) to build the car capable of surpassing Ferrari on the French circuit, questions his costar presence in “Vice”, the biography of former US Vice President Dick Cheney, released last year.
“I said I wasn’t going to make the film, but I found a nutritionist who promised to put on weight without looking like I was dying. I basically ate only rice and eggs. I would like to return to the role. Who knows, I may live Enzo Ferrari meeting Ken Miles ”, jokes the actor, who lost weight for“ Ford v Ferrari” and is already a name for the Oscars 2020.
In fact, the movie directed by James Mangold (“Logan”) is one of those rare films in the current American cinema without superheroes or themes that resonates in teen social media. Another example would be “The Irishman”, by Martin Scorsese, but this one is produced by streaming giant Netflix.
“It’s even strange to be offered an original story,” Matt Damon says. “There is no possibility of a franchise. It’s a movie and that’s it. ” For this very reason, the battle to bring this production to life has been going on since 2010. No executive wanted to risk investing $ 100 million in an original movie about the 1960s racing drivers. After the success of “Logan”, Mangold won the green light from Fox. Everything seemed on track and filming was going strong.
Then, in the middle of the process, Fox Studios was bought by rival Disney. With dozens of postponements and cancellations for other features, the future of the film looked uncertain until the new executives realized its potential for the Oscars.
The arrival of Disney can be compared to the theme of the film. Ford, a giant automaker, wants to humiliate Ferrari after a failed deal and decides to create a racing team. But the marketing team and the board have a hard time accepting the brilliant but rebellious Ken Miles, a WWII veteran.
“We talked about it while we were filming, including with executives. Of course, there is a correlation that makes it difficult to miss [the irony],” Damon confirms. “There is a parallel with the art of making cinema, something that made me identify with the character. I don’t give a shit about cars, but I know how it feels to try to do something with a group of big bosses backed by a big corporation. ”
Bale, for his part, says that his attraction was for the parental side of Miles. “He obviously had an eternal passion for racing, but now he was a father. Would he be able to follow such a dangerous dream?” asks the star, who, even though he loves motorcycling, did not know the story of the British driver he plays. “He is a great unknown hero.”
Part of this legend comes from the famous 1966 race at Le Mans, perfectly recreated by Mangold. Miles arrives as one of the Ford drivers and with two important victories in the same year. “What happens after Miles crosses the finish line could be another six-hour film,” Christian Bale says.
“You have the man and the machine, which he controls like no one else. Suddenly, bureaucracies, rules and federations appear shouting slogans against him. Inside the car, he was in his territory. The problem was when he had to get off the vehicle.”
