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SINGAPORE: Invictus in Latin means invincible, unconquerable, undefeated. It is also the title of a 1875 poem by William Ernest Henley, the very poem which inspired post-apartheid South African President Nelson Mandela to persevere while imprisoned on Robben Island for 27 years by his white oppressors.
It is this poem that Mandela shared with South Africa's national rugby team captain Francois Pienaar to help spur a struggling team on to win the 1995 World Cup Championship - and unify a country, wounded and split by racial divide and ugly apartheid.
It is, of course, now the name of the movie.
Getting a triumvirate of Oscar winners to bring this uplifting story, based on John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela And The Game That Changed A Nation", pretty much guarantees critical buzz - it has already garnered Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations. Especially if it is a Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon trifecta.
At a Los Angeles press conference last month, the two Ms (Morgan and Matt) shared their experiences of holding Mandela's hand and concentrating on growing an extra six inches. For Matt to play Captain Pienaar, that is.
"Invictus" is in cinemas now.
Morgan, you have wanted to play Nelson Mandela for a long time. Can you talk about that journey?
MORGAN FREEMAN (MF): Nobody else is going to get a chance to talk. (Laughs) This started out with Madiba (as Mandela is known in South Africa) ... When he was asked during the press conference at the publication of his book, "Long Walk To Freedom": "Mr Mandela, if your book becomes a movie, who would you like to play you?" He said: "Morgan Freeman." So, from then on, it's, like, okay, Morgan Freeman is going to be Mandela somewhere down the line.
We spent a lot of time - Lori (McCreary) and I, my producing partner at Revelations - trying all this time to develop "A Long Walk To Freedom" into a script. Couldn't happen. And then, in 06, I believe, we got this book proposal from John Carlin and it was perfect.
Matt, what was it like to play a real life sports hero?
MATT DAMON (MD): Yeah, well, the first thing I did when I read the script is I called Clint (Eastwood) and I said: "I can't believe this happened. I can't believe this is true."
And he said: "I couldn't either." But this is true. So, I went immediately and looked up Francois online. And I said: "Clint, this guy is huge. We've never met but I'm 5 feet 10." I told him on the phone. And he started laughing.
He said: "Don't worry about that. You go worry about everything else." I said: "All right, I'll worry about everything else. You worry about the fact that I need to grow six inches to play the guy."
Morgan, how did you go about developing and preparing to play one of the most revered people in the world?
MF: When he said that he would prefer that I be the one to play him ... I had to start then preparing myself to do it. So I met him not long after that and said to him: "If I'm going to play you, I'm going to have to have access to you. I'm going to have to get close enough to hold your hand." And, over the years, while we were trying to develop "A Long Walk To Freedom", that is what happened.
Whenever we were in proximity, like a city away, for instance, I would know about it. And I would go to him. And have lunch, have dinner or sit with him while he's waiting to go on stage for whatever. And during that time I would sit and hold Madiba's hand. Now, that's not for camaraderie. I find that if I hold your hand I get your energy. It transfers. That's important to me trying to become another person.
Morgan, at the time of 1992's "Unforgiven" you said that Clint ran a very good set. And you keep coming back to him (they collaborated on 2004's "Million Dollar Baby"). Can you and Matt talk about working with Clint?
MD: Morgan and I were saying yesterday, maybe if we sit out for the next few years and let Clint get some more experience he’s really going to be a good
director. (Laughs)
MF: Three more.
MD: Three more, he’ll be solid. (Laughs)
No, it's incredible ... Clint says: "Look, I hire the best people I can and I put them in a position to do their best work and I get out of the way and take credit for all their stuff." (Laughs)
MF: You don't really want to go to Clint and say: "I'd just like to talk a little bit about the character." (Laughs)
Why? He expects you to know what you're doing. And he's going to take two giant steps back and let you do it. Try to imagine yourself as the captain of a ship that really runs well. You don't do anything. You just get credit for the fact that it runs well. The engine room does their job, the steering does their job, deck crew do their job ... And they say: "Well, Captain, you run a very nice ship." "Thank you very much." So, that's what Clint says he does.
Matt, given your last few films, are you looking for films that have some kind of social or social consciousness?
MD: I think as actors, we react to the material that's out there. And I probably just react more strongly to things that I feel will have some social value. And I think this movie's a great example.
This is a really, I think, wonderful message to put out. It's a completely non-partisan message and, coincidentally, this is about healing and coming together. It's an incredibly uplifting story and I think that's why it appealed to me.
It wasn't that I went and said I want to make a movie that's about this.
It's that I read this terrific script and it was about the greatest world leader of the past 50 years. And he was being played by Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood was directing. It was a pretty easy decision for me.
- TODAY/sh
Transcript courtesy Warner Bros
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