“Race” tells the true story about track legend Jesse Owens and his experience competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, a volatile time in the history of both the United States and Europe. Racism was institutional in the United States, and with the rise of the Nazis in Germany, things weren’t too great over there either.
Today, race conversations are at high intensity. Therefore, getting Jesse’s story right was crucial.
“Obviously, there’s a little bit of added pressure when dealing with real-life people. You can’t fake things,” Stephan James, who plays Jesse Owens, said in a roundtable interview.
James is no stranger to playing historical figures. He previously portrayed John Lewis in the critically acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma.”
“There’s people that are alive that either knew those people, are related to those people or that person may even still be alive,” James continued. “You want to make sure that when they see the film, you want them to feel proud of what you’ve done as well.”
Jesse Owens’ daughters, Marlene and Gloria Owens, played a large part in helping James prepare for his role.
“He’s a sweetheart … It was instant kind of click ‘cause of his personality,” Marlene Owens said of James. “He’s easy to work with and smart as heck. He portrays our father in the way that we wanted. I think they did a phenomenal job in embracing his character and projecting it. Because we had script approval, we knew that the facts were right.”
Marlene said because of their involvement, the sisters could shape the script in a way that would tell their father’s story as accurately as possible.
“They were extremely cooperative with us in making the changes to the script,” she said. “Even after the film was shot, if there were things we wanted to tweak, they were cooperative with that. There is some creative license, but for the most part, it’s right.”
In hindsight, it seems James was perfect for the role. However, “Race” could have ended up with a different lead actor if it weren’t for “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.”
“Whoever played Jesse had to be an unknown because he was 19 to 22 years old, so there’s very few famous actors at that age,” director Stephen Hopkins said. “At one point it was John Boyega, but then he went off to do that weird film. But actually, he wasn’t set. I was just talking to him and then I thought it was going to be him, until it wasn’t.”
Perhaps losing Boyega was for the best, because according to Hopkins, James could not have been a more perfect fit.
“He reminded me of Jesse,” Hopkins said. “On the outside, he was very sweet and gentle and kind of saintly a bit, but inside, he was made of steel from his childhood.”
The film deals with the theme of racial injustice, which Hopkins said he saw the effects of in James.
“He had a lot of anger like Jesse, as you would if you were African American at that time,” Hopkins said. “That’s what drove him, I think. He just wanted to feel free and run, and Stephan just got me.”
Jesse’s coach, Larry Snyder, was also a vital relationship in Jesse’s life. Jason Sudeikis was cast as Snyder — his first dramatic role.
“Jason in his comedy is very edgy and dark, and Larry Snyder was very charming and dark … When I met [Jason], I thought he was the right age,” Hopkins said. “He was the right everything. He understands the psychology behind what we’re talking about, and he really wanted to do it.”
When asked about how he prepared for his first dramatic role, Sudeikis drew on his past experiences as an athlete.
“When I read the script, I just connected with this guy,” Sudeikis said. “I played basketball in grade school, high school and college for the little bit I went. So I knew the coach-athlete relationship. That resonated with me.”
However, he did not totally abandon everything comedy taught him. In fact, Sudeikis said he felt there was little difference between the two contrasting forms of acting.
“There was very little difference because it was just about stringing together moments,” he said. “Moments in comedy end with laugh, you hope. Here, you just want to make it feel real.”
Throughout the interview, the cast and crew said that they learned much from the examples Jesse set in his life for the world to follow. Sudeikis in particular had hopes for modern audience’s takeaway of the film.
“If you find something that you love and you work really hard at it and you take your natural gifts and you allow yourself to be open towards being coached, mentored, directed or taught, you can change the world,” he said. “I do believe that allowing yourself to stay open and following your bliss can really make a profound impact on the world.”
