Stroke of Genius Interview 4/26/04 with Malcolm McDowell, Jim Caviezel + Kim Dawson

Hollywood hits the greens
By Sam Weinman, The Journal News 4/26/04

    The question has already been posed several times to actor Jim Caviezel in the weeks leading up to the release of "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius": After portraying Jesus and Jones in back-to-back films, which was the more intimidating role? Laugh all you want, but the question isn't a joke. After all, Jesus may be considered the most influential figure in history - Caviezel played him in the controversial "The Passion of the Christ" - but not even he ever won the Grand Slam. And if you think biblical scholars have a critical eye for detail, they're easy when compared to golf fans.
    Therein lies one of the challenges facing filmmakers when they set out to make the biopic about the amateur great. Few careers have been chronicled and studied as much as Jones', who in 1930 won all four of what were then the game's major championships. Yet unless you count the instructional shorts Jones starred in, in the 1930s, "Stroke of Genius" is truly the first attempt to capture his legacy on film.
    The movie opens in theaters on Friday, but fans can get a sneak peek at one of two venues tonight. The Met PGA, in conjunction with MasterCard, is hosting a premiere as part of its "Celebration of Golf 2004" at Purchase College, while the MGA is hosting a benefit premiere at Lincoln Center.
    Does the movie succeed in capturing the Jones mystique? That depends on whom you ask. Advanced reviews by golf insiders haven't been entirely favorable, but the filmmakers say those might not be the people to ask. "Stroke of Genius," they argue, might be the story of one of golf's most revered figures, but it is not just a golf movie.
    "I think it's a very difficult problem to make a movie about a golfer," said Malcolm McDowell, who stars as legendary journalist and Jones confidant O.B. Keeler. "You don't want to make it a sports movie. It's kind of like 'Chariots of Fire,' which is not just about the Olympics. It's really a human story. And that's the Jones story."
    The Jones story is indeed a rich one, covering his introduction to the game as a boy in Atlanta; to his choice to remain an amateur even while dominating the sport; to his founding, alongside Clifford Roberts, of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
    But it wasn't just Jones' myriad accomplishments that made him so popular. Admired as he was for his golf game, he was respected even more for his integrity.
    "There's kind of a strain that plays to all of us in that he considered himself a common person who just happened to have extraordinary talents," said Kim Dawson, the film's producer. "He was someone who had tremendous respect and admiration for his fellow man. It's great to tell a story like this because we need more people like this."
    In many ways, the handsome but understated Caviezel was an easy choice to play Jones. But in one important way, he wasn't: The actor had virtually no experience playing golf prior to taking the role. Not only that, but Caviezel is left-handed and Jones wasn't.
    What Caviezel did have going for him, however, was he was already a natural athlete, having played basketball in college. Perhaps more important, he was also a tireless worker. Along with receiving a crash course in the swing from instructors Jim Hardy and Tom Ness, the actor also spent hours studying Jones on film.
    "Learning how to swing is one thing," Caviezel said. "Learning how to swing like Bobby Jones was another."
    Said Dawson: "Caviezel wanted to know everything. How to pull a club out of the bag. How to put a tee in the ground. He wanted to mimic everything Jones did."
    McDowell's contention is that Caviezel actually might have been better off not knowing much prior to working on "Strokes," if only because an already experienced player would have to try to forget what he already knew.
    "The swing of Bobby Jones is so unique and so different, Jim was able to learn it without muscle memory creeping in," McDowell said.
    To produce a carbon copy of one of the game's most graceful swings was impossible, but the filmmakers thought it was important to try to come close. As much as Dawson wanted to make a film that transcended golf, he also knew authenticity was still essential. That explains why shooting took place at storied venues such as Augusta National, East Lake (Jones' home course in Atlanta) and the Old Course at St. Andrew's.
    As for Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, where Jones sunk what is widely considered "golf's greatest putt" to force a playoff in the 1929 U.S. Open, Dawson's regret is he couldn't get everywhere.
    "We would have loved to shoot at places like Winged Foot and Baltusrol and Interlachen, but we just didn't have the budget to do it," he said. "If I could have made a miniseries of his life, there'd be a lot of other places I would shoot."