F1 The Movie
‘IT TRANSCENDS JUST BEING A RACING MOVIE'
‘F1’ star Damson Idris on playing a rookie, acting with Brad Pitt and training to drive
Damson Idris, who stars as rookie Joshua Pearce in F1, sat down to chat about the movie ahead of its highly anticipated release.
F1 The Movie is out this week, telling the story of ex-Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) as he makes his comeback to the sport with the fictional APXGP team to partner rookie Joshua Pearce.
Ahead of the film’s release on June 25 internationally and June 27 in North America, Damson Idris – who stars as Joshua – sat down to discuss the process of making the movie, why he felt compelled to “protect” his character and what he can’t wait for fans to experience when watching…
How did you first hear about director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer's intentions to team up and make a movie about the world of Formula 1?
I first heard about the movie in 2022 like everyone else. I reached out to my team and we met with Joe and Jerry as just a general meeting in 2022, and then eventually jumped at the opportunity a year later when they were kind of starting up the film.
Did you read the script first or did you have your in-car camera tests first? How did that process come about?
I was actually fortunate to get the script a little earlier – pulled some strings! So that was really helpful because I knew what the journey of the story would be. But yes, jumping in those cars was definitely the first time that I really felt immersed in the world of F1 and started preparing for the film even before it was ever an option for me to be in it.
I went to a location out in LA and jumped on the simulators and everything before any audition. I was like, I'm going to start preparing from now. I even created a character on the F1 game and named him Joshua Pearce and won a championship with him and everything. I definitely manifested this!
Joshua Pearce is now going to be in the F1 game…
Joshua Pearce is now going to be in the F1 game, so I no longer have to create the character. You get to be him.
What jumped out at you? What were your first thoughts when you did read that script? What made you so excited to be on board?
Initially the first thing that jumped out to me when I read the script was, how on earth are they going to film this? Because it was just so detailed, the racing and the description of the races. I was like, how are they going to shoot this? Are there going to be cameras on the cars? I had so many questions.
But the biggest thing for me and the reason why I wanted to be a part of it, aside with working with all the creatives, was I really related to Joshua. I really felt like I knew him, and it became a compulsion of mine to protect him and to show him to the world in his best light.
I could relate to being an underdog, a rookie, a young actor, and having a need to want to prove yourself so badly, and I think that is what Joshua was going through. So, after reading it, that was definitely something I wanted to give.
Many racing films have been made in the past. Did you look to any of these films as reference? Was there anything that inspired you?
Yeah, one hundred percent. I watched every single racing movie possible. I think the last one I might have watched was maybe Ford v. Ferrari or Gran Turismo. One of the biggest for me was Rush, because I just felt like the film had so much heart, and I knew that that was going to be a huge goal for our film, to make it one that transcends just being a racing movie.
But also, the documentary Drive to Survive was really helpful. It really helped me, and just getting into the mindset of this world and how, whether you're at the front of the grid or the back of the grid, this means everything to everyone. Understanding that gave me a different respect for the sport.
It just made me develop a new respect for the drivers, people who have been doing this, living this, breathing this their entire lives... Aside from the people on the track, the people off the track that are a part of building these amazing machines, I take my hat off to them.
DAMSON IDRIS
You've already said this is a movie that just entirely transcends being just a sports film, but why is this movie for absolutely everyone? In your opinion, where does this global appeal come in?
I think, for me, this film, even if you look at the character of Sonny Hayes, he initially rejects the offer to come back into Formula 1, so it lets you know that it's a lot more than just the racing. He's coming back because he wants to feel worthy.
He wants to find his purpose, and he wants to overcome adversity, and I think that's something that we can relate to in everyday life. I think that is the true heartbeat of the film sprinkled with the beauty of Formula 1 racing.
We see Sonny and Joshua battling on the track, but they seem to be clashing off the track as well. What is that dynamic like between the two characters? Have you enjoyed playing it?
Definitely. In the world of Formula 1, I'd say your biggest competition as a driver is your driving partner. Regardless of the race ending, that's the person that you want to beat, so I think that alone is a reason for the two characters to clash.
Aside from Joshua being a rookie, and us being at a point in the team where everything is up for grabs and everyone's so desperate and these are our final races, and Joshua is under the pressure of losing his seat and losing his place in Formula 1, Sonny becomes his ultimate enemy.
And it's been fantastic to play that because I think that's the only thing I could have played to not be nervous working opposite the brilliant Brad Pitt.
What type of gravitas does Sir Lewis Hamilton bring to this production?
When you think of Formula 1, you think of Lewis Hamilton, in my opinion, no matter who you are. Having him as a producer on this was such a gift, because every step of the way he was able to call BS, to call us out for things that would not happen, and he was able to do it with a confidence.
He was able to command that, and we all respect him greatly. And just to have him as a producer in this is also, again, it just reassures everyone in the world of Formula 1 that we were not there to play. We were there to be respectful, and we were there to make the best and truest representation of Formula 1 possible.
