Summary

• The Boys in the Boat is a 2023 sports drama directed by George Clooney, based on the book by Daniel James Brown.
• The film follows the University of Washington rowing team as they train to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics during the Great Depression.
• The movie explores the personal stories of the team and delves into broader historical events such as World War II and Hitler's rise to power.

The Boys in the Boat is a new sports drama that centers on the University of Washington rowing team as they compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Based on the nonfiction novel of the same name by Daniel James Brown, the period piece delves into the fierce training the team underwent while also dealing with the challenges brought on by the Great Depression. George Clooney serves as both director and a producer on the movie, which stars The Green Knight's Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner of Fantastic Beasts franchise fame.

The film offers a blend of personal stories and broader history, with the main plot centering on rower Joe Rantz (Turner) and his coach Al Ulbrickson (Edgerton) as well as World War II and the rise of Hitler to power. The narrative also explores the personal histories of all the entire team, with all its originating from different backgrounds. The Boys in the Boat is the ninth film George Clooney has served on as director, first jumping into the project in early 2020.

Screen Rant interviewed several stars of The Boys in the Boat at its red carpet premiere in New York City last week to learn more about behind-the-scenes moments, the challenges of dramatizing a nonfiction novel, and some of the stars' other exciting projects.

Cast & Crew Talk The Boys in the Boat

George Clooney

Screen Rant: So with this film, I'm curious if there are specific challenges that come with adapting a non-fiction work versus other projects?

George Clooney: Yeah, always, because you can't cheat things. You can't cheat where the boats are in any part of the race, you can't really make one of the characters worse than they were, because there's family involved. So you have a big responsibility.

When I did Good Night and Good Luck, they were real people, and you have to be very careful how you address it when you're talking about real people. Even though they're long gone, their families aren't.

And what can you tell me about your project Wolves?

George Clooney: Well I did this with this - he's an up-and-coming, young ingénue named Brad Pitt, who's trying to get a film career. I don't know if it'll work out, but we'll give it a try.

And if you had to participate in any Olympic sport, what would it be?

George Clooney: I don't know. I think maybe - what's that curling thing where you just -

Where you sweep?

George Clooney: It seems nicer, doesn't it? I'd be the guy with a broom like this. [pantomimes curling] I like that sport. That feels very athletic to me.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Callum Turner

Screen Rant: So first, I'm curious to hear what it was like getting into character as Joe. Did you do any sort of outside research on the time period or anything like that?

Callum Turner: Yeah. The two main things that I really enjoyed as well as... because it's a part of history I didn't really know about, was listening to a lot of Woody Guthrie music. This Land Is Your Land became my anthem. I listened to it every day as sort of a gateway back into the 1930s.

And watching old movies. Gary Cooper became a heavy inspiration for me. Mr. Deeds [Goes to Town] and High Noon are some of my favorite movies, so I would just watch them on repeat. And then with the rowing, there's this documentary called Rowing for Gold or Going for Gold about Steve Redgrave. And you can just see the sheer desire and determination that he has to get his fifth Olympic gold. So I just watched that on repeat. There's a lot of repeat; once I worked out, it was repeat, repeat, repeat.

What was it like working with George Clooney?

Callum Turner: Terrible. Horrible. Nightmare. A lot of people warned me, they said, "You're going to go work with George? Oh, wow. Well, you're going to have a good time, so you better be ready for a good time." And we did, we really did. We became a family. He's like a big brother. And I love him, I really adore him.

This is the second period piece you've been working on lately. What can you tell me about Masters of the Air and working with Austin Butler?

Callum Turner: Well, Austin Butler's one of my favorite actors. I think he's phenomenal and we had this wonderful partnership together, and friendship, and we bonded like brothers. And Masters of the Air is about the 100th Bomber Group in World War II, the Americans who went over to Europe to save the world.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Courtney Henggeler

Screen Rant: You play Al's wife in the film. I'm curious, what was it like building that marriage relationship dynamic?

Courtney Henggeler: That was a lot of me being like, "Please don't f*** up [Laughs] in front of Joel Edgerton and just be cool. Just be cool and act like you love him." Because I do - I'm a huge fan of his. So I just took every feeling I had with him professionally and just put it into being like, "I love you husband." That's kind of how it went.

What was it like working with George Clooney?

Courtney Henggeler: That was terrible. He is an awful man. That was the greatest - probably the highlight of my entire career. He is everything you want him to be and more. He is wonderful with actors.

You've done a really amazing job in Cobra Kai as well, as Amanda. I'm curious if there's anything you can reveal about what fans can expect for the final season?

Courtney Henggeler: I wish I knew. I just got the script for the - we're doing the last season, starting in January, and I just got the first script so I'll find out soon.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Hadley Robinson

Screen Rant: In this film, you play Rantz's love interest. I'm curious, what was it like building that sort of marriage relationship dynamic with Callum Turner?

Hadley Robinson: I mean, it was pretty easy, to be honest. We got along immediately. I I met Callum for the first time and we walked his dog in a park and we talked about the character; and I think there's just an affinity there, and so,.it came pretty naturally. And it's all there in the material, those scenes are so beautifully written.

What was it like working with George Clooney?

Hadley Robinson: Oh, George is just the best guy in the world. I mean, he just brings light and levity into everything he walks into. He makes everybody feel at ease and everybody he's talking to, he makes them feel special, and he's just got that quality that makes you want to work harder.

You're in another movie coming out this month too, Anyone But You. I'm curious, what was it like working with Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell on that project?

Hadley Robinson: That was another cast that just was absolutely incredible. We had so much fun in Australia. And Sydney and Glenn, they just - jokes non-stop and keeping the energy light, which is great for a rom-com. And every weekend we all had something else to do together. We were hanging out a lot, it was fun.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Sam Strike

Screen Rant: First, of course, I have to ask, what was it like to work with George Clooney on this project?

Sam Strike: Oh, it's fantastic. I was a little bit intimidated. You are working with someone that you've been watching most of your life. And my mum loves him, so my mum was really excited I was working with him. But he's fantastic.

He's really disarming, really great with everybody on the set, super charming. Puts everybody at ease. And a great director. Really clear about what he needs from you and what he needs for the scene, and what your job is within that scene to help communicate that. I couldn't say enough nice things.

You also had a guest role on Sandman last year. What was that experience like?

Sam Strike: It was really fun. My main motivation for doing it was that it was a scene with David Thewlis, who I'm just a tremendous fan of. So it was great to work with him and Sarah Niles. She was fantastic. Yeah, I just showed up for a night in Surrey - I think it was Surrey - and we filmed at a gas station. It was great.

If you had to compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be?

Sam Strike: Oh, I'm not athletic at all. I was a skateboarder all my life. That was my thing. Is skateboarding in the Olympics now? But even then I wouldn't have been good enough, so probably none of them.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Luke Slattery

Screen Rant: A big theme in this movie is all of the rowers having to be really in sync, in sort of every sense of that word. I'm curious what it was like building that sort of team dynamic with your castmates.

Luke Slattery: We had a two-month training process where we were up at six every day, rowing several kilometers every day. Well, not me, I didn't have to row. That was their problem. But also working out. And I think anytime you do something in the trenches like that, anytime you work hard together towards a common end, it's inevitable that a team bond is going to form. Did that answer your question? I feel like I lost track of your question.

What was it like working with George Clooney?

Luke Slattery: It was a dream come true. In a million years, I would've never thought it would be happening, but here I am, there I was. And he comes at it as an actor, but I think that he's been on so many sets, he knows what's going on in front of the camera and behind it, and he shoots the movie in his mind before he shoots it on the day. So he had a plan. He was decisive, efficient. It was a dream come true.

If you had to compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be?

Luke Slattery: Oh, man. That's a good question. My favorite event is the a hundred-meter sprint. I would personally, obviously, would never compete, but if I could spend twenty-four hours in Usain Bolt's shoes and just be the fastest man on earth for even 12 hours, I'd take it.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

More About The Boys In The Boat

The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction book written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.

Check out our other interviews here:

• George Clooney & Joel Edgerton
• Callum Turner & Hadley Robinson
• Daniel James Brown
• Mark L. Smith

The Boys in the Boat arrives in theaters December 25.