George Clooney admits that casting Hitler for his new movie was "a really tough" and weird experience
Jan. 10, 2024EXCLUSIVE | Clooney discusses his latest directorial effort, the astonishing real-life drama The Boys in the Boat
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Telling a remarkable true story, new uplifting sports dramaThe Boys in the Boattransports us to the ’30s, when America is still reeling from the effects of The Great Depression. In a desperate attempt to earn some cash, young University of Washington student Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) joins a rowing crew after hearing that making the team means regular income.
Adapting Daniel James Brown’s non-fiction book of the same name, the film follows the team of working-class athletes as they go from competing in local university tournaments to winning gold at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. That event, of course, was hosted by Adolf Hitler, who had become Führer of Germany only two years prior.
As directorGeorge Clooney, here helming his ninth feature film, tells GamesRadar+ and theInside Total Film podcast, these boys therefore went on a journey like no other, facing obstacle after obstacle. For the filmmaker, this is why The Boys in the Boat stands out amidst the crowded sports underdog genre: “We haven’t seen this before. There hasn’t been a real rowing movie, not one which has addressed it technically in the way we did. It’s a pretty fascinating sport – it doesn’t seem like it might be if you don’t row, but it is. Dan, who wrote the book, invested in really interesting characters and honestly, any film you see isn’t interesting unless you give a damn about the characters. So, more than anything, it’s about caring for these young men who really rose against all the odds – legacies, rich schools, and then the Nazis.”
The final chapter of the movie, then, is set in Nazi Germany, as the team represents the United States at Hitler’s Olympic Games. Actor Daniel Philpott dons a mustache to portray the dictator, with the film’s lead Turner being full of praise for his performance, saying he did a “great job”. But, how do you even go about casting an actor to play the most evil man in history?
As Clooney chuckles at Philpott’s dedication to the part, Turner jokes: “I remember, I tried to say hello to him one day and he ignored me!” Well, that’s certainly one way to make an impression on set.
The Boys in the Boat is out in US theaters now and will release in UK cinemas on Friday, January 12.
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For more you can read our fullconversation with Joel Edgerton, as well as see what he, Clooney, and Turner had to say abouttraining for the movie.
For the full chat with Turner and Clooney, listen to the latest episode of theInside Total Film podcast.
As Entertainment Editor at GamesRadar, I oversee all the online content for Total Film and SFX magazine. Previously I’ve worked for the BBC, Zavvi, UNILAD, Yahoo, Digital Spy and more.
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