The Gran Turismo cast on why you should never, ever game with David Harbour

When David Harbour received a call about an upcoming adaptation of beloved racing video game series Gran Turismo, he was initially skeptical. This was before smash hits such as The Last Of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were released, so overall video game adaptations didn't exactly have the best reputation at the time. Meanwhile, this particular project had been in production hell since it was first announced in 2013, with various creatives departing, including Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. Plus, there was the question of: what would a Gran Turismo movie look like anyways?

This exactly what Harbour asked himself at the time. So, what changed his mind? For the actor, it was the combination of two things: "When it was pitched to me that it was about the video game, I was like, 'What the hell is that going to be?'" he tells GamesRadar+, speaking ahead of the actor's strike. "But then they told me the director was Neill Blomkamp [best known for the brilliant District 9] which was a big deal as that guy is a real artist. You get big films directed by people who are capable of putting them together, but they aren't artists and not willing to take risks or fight for what they want. And then I read the script which gave me such a swell of euphoria, by the end there was an unconscious [loudly cheers]. I love movies like that and I hadn't gotten to make my version of Hoosiers yet, so I thought this could be that."

The 1986 sports film Hoosiers follows a small–town high school basketball team as they enter a state tournament, a classic underdog tale that is partly inspired by the real–life victory of Milan High School at a 1954 championship. Just like Hoosiers then, Gran Turismo is also based on a true story, that of teenager Jann Mardenborough as he goes from gamer to professional race-car driver thanks to an ambitious competition. It's no surprise, then, that this is being billed as 'Rocky but with cars'.

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Archie Madekwe takes on the role of Jann, the enthusiastic yet naïve teen at the centre of this remarkable tale. Upon signing up to the project, it was clear to Madekwe what his first task would be – contacting the real Mardenborough. "As soon as I knew that I had the part I DMed him, just saying how excited I was. We chatted and weirdly I was shooting a film right by where he was training that day – he said if I had time, to come to the track, which I did," he says. "Now, I'm a big boy, I'm six foot five, I remember stepping out and seeing everybody's faces drop, but Jann came in for a hug. His manager then pulled me away saying, 'Let's see if you can get into these cars' – I crossed my fingers and thought, 'By hook or by crook I will fit into it'. From that first moment and throughout, Jann was just so open and gracious with his time, so comfortable about telling me everything I needed to know to play him, his whole story. It was amazing."

Getting behind the wheel

Whilst Madekwe did thorough research and preparation here, he admits that he wasn't ready for just how intense filming the racing sequences would be. For starters, the actor didn't know how to drive, so he was squeezing in lessons ahead of filming. Whilst this indeed was an initial hiccup, it's safe to say though that nothing could have readied Madekwe for how challenging these scenes would be, especially since the filmmakers were committed to making everything in the film as real as they possibly could. 

As Madekwe joked to GamesRadar+, that was "much to [his] dismay", continuing: "It was a real test and education – I'm in the car the entire time! It's funny actually as we did the emotional, heavy scenes first which as an actor is normally what you feel the most nervous about. Then we moved into the racing stuff which I thought would be what I was the most excited about. However, I quickly learned that I'm just a mere mortal and these people are professional athletes for a reason. It's so hard and physically taxing. I was vomiting every day, I'd have to lay low on the floor in the foetal position, I was boiling hot, sweating, I could wring my clothes out by the end of it. I had to try to keep spirits up for everyone but it was really hard." Maybe don't expect to see Madekwe in a race car ever again then…

Finding redemption

Despite not being behind the wheel, Harbour had to get physical too in his role as chief engineer Jack, which came with its own challenges since his character is often found in the pit lane: "Neill was really adamant about making it real and using as little CGI as possible. So, for example, we actually did all the pit stops. The cars would come screaming in at 100 miles per hour, we would put them up on hydraulics, change the tires, peel the windshields off, all in real time."

Harbour's Jack isn't just there as an engineer though, as he becomes Jann's unlikely and reluctant mentor on this journey. Many parallels are drawn between the pair, as we discover that Jann isn't the only underdog in Gran Turismo. For Harbour, he enjoyed peeling back the layers of Jack who hides his deep–seated pain with plenty of crankiness and bravado: "Whilst he repeatedly says that he doesn't want these kids to do this and that they don't have it in them, really he's talking about himself. He desperately wants them to succeed so that he can show both Jann and himself that redemption can be found through this. I mean, even in that one scene, where he talks about how he let himself down, how he wasn't able to see how good he could have been – he sees that through this kid. This is his chance at redemption that he begrudgingly takes after denying it – it's a beautiful thing to watch."

Game on

The duo have natural chemistry, which clearly comes from the actors' own bond off–screen – joining them on Zoom for this interview, that spark was immediately clear. However, there is one thing that could ruin that friendship in a flash – and perhaps surprisingly, it's the game itself, Gran Turismo. Whilst Madekwe trained on the racing simulator for hours and hours, in preparation for the gaming scenes, even he doesn't think he's good enough yet to go up against Harbour. This is why they haven't played against each other yet on the game, as Madekwe knows what the outcome would be: "I remember watching David play for the first time in a hotel room and being nervous as he was scarily good on that very first play, right from the jump. Like, he just got it immediately, but it took me a second. He probably would beat me. He's a gamer, he spends so much time gaming, you know it's just something he's tuned into."

Harbour meanwhile is keen for the competition, although he admits he doesn't think he could ever forgive himself if he lost: "I've never played Archie but I'd like to. I'm pretty good. If I didn't win, I would feel very bad about myself, yeah". Been there David, been there.

Gran Turismo opens in UK cinemas on August 9 and US theaters August 25.

In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond.