One team, one country

MANILA, Philippines - Clint Eastwood directs Warner Bros.’ Invictus, the moving story that chronicles how President Mandela and Francois Pienaar joined forces to turn their individual hopes — the president, to unite South Africa; the rugby team captain, to lead the nation’s team to World Cup glory — into one shared goal with the motto “One team, one country.”

In the film, Mandela calls upon Pienaar to lead his team to greatness, citing a poem that was a source of inspiration and strength to him during his years in prison. It is later revealed that the poem is Invictus, by William Ernest Henley. The title is translated to mean “unconquered,” which, Eastwood says, “doesn’t represent any one character element of the story. It takes on a broader meaning over the course of the film.”

Eastwood notes, “This story takes place at a critical point in Mandela’s presidency. I think he demonstrated great wisdom in incorporating sport to reconcile his country. He knows he needs to pull everybody together, to find a way to appeal to their national pride — one thing, perhaps the only thing, they have in common at that time. He knows the white population and the black population will ultimately have to work together as a team or the country will not succeed, so he shows a lot of creativity using a sports team as a means to an end.”

Eastwood immediately responded to the material after reading the script. “The story caught my imagination. I thought it was a natural for a movie, and I really liked the way the script was written.”

Producer Robert Lorenz adds, “Clint and I read the script and instantly agreed that it was definitely something we wanted to do. It’s a powerful story, and a very human story, too, in terms of the bond that develops between Mandela and Francois Pienaar. It’s also a fascinating look at the more personal side of Mandela, as well as illustrating his extraordinary leadership qualities.”

Invictus marks Freeman’s third collaboration with Eastwood, and Lorenz observes, “Morgan and Clint are familiar with each other’s style; they have a real shorthand. It’s an easy, comfortable relationship, which is why they enjoy working together so much. Morgan understands exactly what Clint is looking for, and Clint knows Morgan will give him the absolute best performance.”

Freeman attests, “Clint’s quick; if he’s got it in one take, he’s moving on. I just love that. I also appreciate his quietude, which represents strength and control.”

Collaborating with Eastwood for the first time, Matt Damon who plays Pienaar, says, “He’s so fluent in the language of film; he knows exactly what will work in telling the story. As an actor, you feel very secure that you’re in very, very good hands. It was a great experience working with him.”

Principal photography on Invictus was accomplished entirely on location in South Africa. As often as possible, the filmmakers utilized the same locations where the actual events had unfolded. “I would not have filmed this movie any other place but South Africa,” Eastwood declares. “You have to be there — you need the people, you need the places. We wanted that authenticity. The majority of our cast and all of our extras were South African. They also have a viable cinema group in South Africa, so we also had a nice ensemble of Americans and South Africans working together behind the scenes and their crew could not have been better.”

Invictus, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, is now showing in theaters.