Stars talk fast cars, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities filming 'F1 The Movie'
NEW YORK (WABC) -- We've all heard about second chances, but what if yours came at 200 miles per hour?
That's the question at the heart of the new film "F1 The Movie."
In it, Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, the greatest driver that never was. Thirty years after a debilitating accident, he gets one last shot at redemption.
That shot comes from his former teammate played by Javier Bardem, as well as hotshot F1 rookie, Damson Idris.
Kerry Condon stars as Kate, the team's technical director, the secret sauce behind making their cars competitive.
There were some "geek out" moments that the cast experienced, doing things that they never in their wildest dreams would think they would get to do and call it work.
"Driving a Formula One car a 180 miles-per-hour. I was just recording all the time and yeah. The only ones. Carrie and Joe. They're like, oh, Danson's on Instagram again," Idris said.
"To be in the podium in Abu Dhabi, it would be a lot of that was pretty amazing with the fireworks, and it was like, wow," Bardem said.
"My first film shot in front of a live in a live sporting event," said Joseph Kozinski, the director.
Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer didn't just make a movie about racing, they embedded their cast into the racing world itself, filming during actual Formula One weekends.
"So, you know, rather than having a few hours to shoot a scene like you normally would, sometimes it only had a few minutes, and that meant one or two takes," Kosinski said.
When coming up with Sonny, Bruckheimer said it had to be Pitt.
"It was always Brad. First of all, he loves racing. Let's start there. He's an amazing actor. He's an Academy Award winner. He's really handsome," he said.
Lewis Hamilton was on hand and Idris had to pass a driving test essentially.
"When it came to the driving, all he'd do was he'd tease me all the time," Idris said.
The character Sonny races, not for the fame or accolades, but for the love of the race.
"In acting, I definitely do it for the money and fame," Idris said.
"Well, they say that they pay us for waiting and the acting, we do it for free," Bardem said.
"It's just, I've never, I can't remember when I didn't want to be an actress. Just I love it. I love doing it," Condon said.
"F1 The Movie" hits theaters on June 27.
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