Daniel Brühl discusses rivalries, rally cars, and motor racing for Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia also starring Riccardo Scamarcio.
Actor Daniel Brühl gets into gear for a different side of racing in Stefano Mordini’s Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia. Here he plays German race car engineer Roland Gumpert as Audi battles it out with the Italian manufacturer Lancia during the 1983 World Rally Championship.
Here, Nadine Whitney interviews Brühl
How much do you know about cars and racing now? It must be quite a lot after also starring as Niki Lauda in Ron Howard’s Rush.
Well, I do know a bit but also I don’t. I’ve always been interested in cars but mainly old cars. I still have one, an old Peugeot that never works. Racing is something I was fascinated by, but I wasn’t a real buff. I was a bit more interested in Formula One. My brother was always a huge fan and he taught me a lot when I was growing up. The Rally Touring side of the sport was something my Spanish side of the family enjoyed. I would sit with my uncle and cousins when I was a child and remember being thrilled as I saw these cars flying through villages and towns. People were standing so close to it and I was thinking, “This is so dangerous, this is weird.” Yet, it was fascinating.
As an actor I did not look for existing in any particular genre and I didn’t see myself playing a figure in the motor sports world. When I got the script for Rush it was a no brainer – it was so wonderfully written. It was a Mozart vs. Salieri competition between two drivers. I loved every minute working on that film. So, my first instinct when I was given the script for Race for Glory was to say no. I said to Riccardo Scamarcio (who plays Cesare Fiorio of Lancia) “No, I don’t want to do another race film.”
Because we are friends and we have been for a long time we wanted to work together again. Riccardo was really persistent, and you might have noticed in the film how insistent the Italians can be! Riccardo said, “Don’t worry, it’s a side part – you’re not playing a driver.” He said that “All the fun we make of each other personally with him being an Italian and me being a German we can bring that to another level in the film.”
So, I had another look at the script, and I loved it right away. It really is a different world to Formula One, Rally is a completely different sport. So when we shot Race for Glory I didn’t even think of Rush.
I’m very impressed with what everyone did because with sports movies it’s always very important to translate the thrill of it cinematically on the screen. It’s important that people don’t think “Watching a real race is more exciting than watching that film.”
Everyone accomplished that translation. And there was a great feel for the 1980s. The audience is inside the 1980s. The film is visually stunning, and the dynamic of the races is amazing. You can tell they had real rally drivers. They pushed everything to the limits. It was safe, but you can see in the film that there were professionals behind the wheels.
Tonally, the texture, the soundtrack, the colours, the costumes – everything is authentic. It’s just a lot of fun to watch!
Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia also known as Play 2 Win is in select cinemas and PVOD.
