Prefontaine Interview

Q: You play the Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine in the movie, did you know who he was before
you got the role?
A: I had no idea who he was! (laughs)
Q: Was that a weird feeling?
A: It was exciting to me not knowing who Prefontaine was. Because when I sat down with the director, Steve James, he was excited about the project, saying he was going to shoot it documentary style, using archival footage, all this stuff. And then he started pulling out pictures of Steve - with the big moustache and sideburns. I was like, "I don't know if I can pull this off!
"Q: You actually look very similar.
A: Yeah. It's like a weird coincidence. I don't know if they were looking at me because of that reason. Then I watched the documentary on him called Fire On The Track and I was just blown away. Right then I said,"Oh God, I've got to do this. This guy has so much personality, and is so charismatic and so complex." It was just the role of a lifetime.
Q: Is it harder to play a real person rather than a made-up character?
A: No because to me, it just raises stakes. Especially getting to know the family, they really opened their hearts and their homes to me, and talk to them about Steve. I wanted to make them proud. That was my goal.
Q: Were they happy with the movie?
A: They'd come to the set going,"Oh my god, he sounds like him!" It was a very emotional time. I don't want to make it something it wasn't, but it was really special, great, touching time for everybody. I had a lot of responsibility, and I knew that, to expose Prefontaine to a whole new generation. I feel like I got to know him.
Q: Were you an athlete growing up?
A: Not at all. I had run long distance when I was longer, with my mother on the weekends, just a couple of times. And I never ran track and field in High School. Never did any competitive sports.
Q: What did you do instead?
A: Oh, just all kinds of things besides running. But I'll tell you, it was really important for me to get in the mindset of an athlete. Because I think it had a lot to do with the actions that Steve Prefontaine took in life. To understand winning and losing and getting in touch with that side of yourself.
Q: Why do you think you got the role?
A: I don't believe every person can play every role. I don't believe you become a different person when you play a role because when it comes time to feel pain, and to lose the race at the Olympics, I'm still me. I can only hope to capture some sort of essence of Steve Prefontaine. How he ran, how he talked and do the best I can in that area. But there were a million
different things between me and Prefontaine.
Q: You seem to be as ambitious as he was.
A: Not like he was. The sweat and blood that he put in, I'm telling you. He went to the Olympics at 21. I had barely decided to act then. I've only been doing this four and a half years.
Q: Has it rubbed off on you in real life?
A: Yeah, I'm still running. I don't want to put it like I never exercised. I love the outdoors and hiking and camping. So I wasn't like huge and fat before I did this. But definitely my joints, my knees and ankles, weren't
up to par. I had to go through some pain.
Q: Why do you want to become an actor?
A: To be great at what I do. To grow. To enjoy the journey, as corny as that sounds. To be challenged by characters. Because I know if I'm not challenged, I'll get complacent. And if I'm not complacent, I will not do a good job.
Q: What's been the best thing about acting?
A: I think it's just the whole creative process that I love so much. I learned about someone I had no idea about and he ended up being one of the most interesting people I've ever learned about. It's just getting in touch with different sides of yourself.
Q: And the worst thing?
A: The worst thing would be the fascination that people have with public persona. I don't get it. I'm a weirdo, I guess- I just don't get it. When I read an article about somebody, I don't want to know who they're sleeping
with.
Q: You're a pin-up boy in the US.
A: I don't think so. I think you really have to work at that. You have a certain amount of control. You have to pose for pictures. You have to go show up at the mall tours. That's something I never participated in. So I really can't claim that title. I've never strived for that.
Q: So what do you do when you're not working?
A: Oh, just all kinds of stupid things. I play with my dog. I like to snowboard.
Q: What's in store for the future?
A: Something that's going to challenge me. Everybody from big movie stars to just little actors like me say there are not enough good scripts out there and I'm going to find them. I'm telling you, if someone writes a good script, it will get made. Because that's everybody's complaint - from studio people I take meetings with to managers. Everybody! Where are the good scripts?