In the realm of video game adaptations, the film “Gran Turismo” stands as a unique example. Departing from the norm of fictionalized game plots, this film draws inspiration from the incredible true story of Jann Mardenborough, a Gran Turismo player who transformed his virtual racing skills into a real-world racing career.
The film revolves around Mardenborough, a talent whose gaming prowess propels him into the limelight. Hailing from Darlington, County Durham, England, Mardenborough’s journey begins in virtual racing, where his skills garner attention and lead him to win a series of Nissan-sponsored video game competitions. His gaming accomplishments land him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: transitioning from virtual tracks to real racetracks, an aspiration many gamers can only dream of.
EUR talked with Mardenborough about seeing his life reflected through film. He shared that the process was “surreal and a bit weird sometimes,” but, in the big picture, he felt very blessed and lucky to tell parts of his life story to a wide audience.”
Mardenborough also shared the process of connecting with filmmakers and sharing the intricate moments of his life, stating, “having to go back through my memory and kind of relive things that I haven’t thought about in detail for years, is tough, but also you remember other things, not professional accolades, but more personal things that had happened during the time.”
Mardenborough’s also performed stunt driving for “Grand Turismo” and offered insight into the nuanced differences between training for a race and tailoring his driving for the camera. He elaborates on this unique experience, remarking, “all the equipment we have is real, it’s all the same equipment, race suits, helmets, the car is the racing car… In a race, there’s way more pressure because I know in the movie they may be struggling with light and sunlight, but we can go again maybe tomorrow. So the pressures are different.”
Mardenborough also shared some of the key traits a motorsports driver has that the average person isn’t aware of, “you have to be able to talk to people, you have to be charismatic, you have to be interesting… It’s very important in sport, something I’m learning about; there’s way more that goes on than just positioning.”
#GranTurismoMovie will be exclusively in movie theaters on August 25, 2023.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Listen to her live, weeknights 9 PM-Midnight on KBLA Talk 1580. You can follow her on all social media @StilettoJill or check out JillMunroe.com
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