Ford v Ferrari tells the story of Shelby American’s fight to victory at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The film is packed with incredible high-speed action sequences and gorgeous classic sports cars, but ultimately it’s about the people who put their all into ending Ferrari’s winning streak by getting the Ford GT40 across the finish line first. Those people are Ken Miles—the gritty, uncouth racer portrayed by Christian Bale—and Carroll Shelby—the motorsports icon and crafty team manager played by Matt Damon.
MotorTrend senior features editor Jonny Lieberman had a chance to sit down with Bale and Damon for an interview about their work in the movie. The actors discuss techniques they had to learn and ways they had to adapt to make scenes fun and realistic. They also talk about how director James Mangold’s lack of interest in cars was actually a benefit for the production.
Jonny bounced some car enthusiast questions off them, too. Bale speaks of the amazing vehicles he’s driven in some of his other famous roles, and Damon mentions the early-production electric sports car he had the opportunity to own. It’s a fun discussion that shows how dedicated these actors are to their craft, and the cars involved along the way. Check it out below.
Ford v Ferrari opens today in theaters everywhere. We recommend buying a ticket to see it—hearing those Ford V-8s and Ferrari V-12s on a massive surround-sound system is totally worth it. In the meantime, read Jonny’s review of the film, and take a trip back in time to revisit MotorTrend’s original coverage of the race from our September 1966 issue, awesome historical photos included. Oh, there was also that time we tested the finest Le Mans-inspired mid-engine supercars from Ford, Ferrari, and Porsche at 200 mph on an oval track.