Gran Turismo‘s David Harbour has an interesting reason for getting involved in the sports biopic and video game adaptation. While most people would accept roles because of the filmmaker or they’re passionate about the project, he claims that his latest onscreen outing felt reminiscent of a film he enjoyed immensely.
Harbour plays Jack Salter, a trainer who assists Jann Mardenborough on his journey to becoming a pro-racer. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained that his role in this latest blockbuster reminded him of Hoosiers, a 1986 film about a high school basketball team entering the state championship. Not only did it receive a 91 percent Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s also listed in the U.S. National Film Registry.
The Stranger Things star said that his love for the sports drama was the reason why he took on the part, and believed that the role would allow him to “remake the 80s classic for a younger generation.” He also shared that he used Gene Hackman’s Norman Dale performance as inspiration, while also adding his own elements to the character.
“Yeah, but only because I watch Hoosiers once every couple years. Gene Hackman and Hoosiers are part of the reason why I took this movie. My agent sent me the Gran Turismo script and I read through it and thought, “Oh my God, I get to remake Hoosiers for a younger generation.” So that was exciting, and Hackman’s Norman Dale was really the primary North Star character for me. He’s certainly even more complicated [than Jack]. He’s got a lot more going on, and the story is really about him, but it was a nice model in a certain way. Of course, I’m doing my own personal work and I want it to be specific to me, but you can use archetypal models and tropes like that along the way.”
An interesting fact about Harbour’s role is that Jack Salter is a fictional character created for the movie. According to Digital Spy, he is a combination of various people who made an impact on Jann’s career. The actor told the publication that Gran Turismo has its “own particular style,” and is less concerned with accuracy.
Gran Turismo is a retelling of one of the most astonishing motorsports stories in recent history, where a gamer enters the world of pro racing, and it currently holds an average critic score of 61 and audience rating of 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The biopic had its world premiere in Belgium and will race its way to theaters on Aug. 25, 2023.