"Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius" - The Story Behind the Movie
Like Caviezel, Claire knew little about Bobby Jones and was drawn to the script rather than the character. "From what I learned about Mary," she says, "I thought the script had truly captured her essence." She continues, "It's such a beautiful love story, and it's true. Bobby was a good man, and I'm sure that Mary was good as well. It's uplifting, and we need more people like that in our movies.
"There's a beautiful story, which is true, that later in life when Bobby Jones was on the second floor in a wheelchair, a fire started in the house," recounts the actress.
"Mary couldn't get him out so she just sat next to him and prepared to die with him. That story, to me, showed who she was and how deep their love went. I feel that's definitely in the film that we're making."
The character of Walter Hagen was another important casting decision for the filmmakers. When Dawson met Clara, Bobby Jones' daughter, who has since passed away, she told him that Jones was great friends with Hagen, one of his main rivals on the golf course, but that his mother, Clara, really didn't like Walter's influence on Bobby. He was a raconteur who not only loved the game of golf but loved life and lived it to its fullest.
"Walter Hagen was a professional," explains Dawson. "He knew he was going to make his living playing golf and he did it with grace and fellowship that was somewhat uncommon to a person with his proclivities for living the high life. It was important that just the right actor be found to fill Hagen's shoes.
"When we found Jeremy Northam," says Dawson, "who is one of the most accomplished actors in the world, let alone the U.K., we found someone who really brought that sort of wry sense of humor, as well as the elegance that Walter possessed, to the role.
While Jeremy is not heavy-set like Walter was, he brings his own flair to the role and makes it really very believable."
"Walter is a card," adds Herrington, "and Jeremy came in and understood this in a heartbeat. He's a fine comedic actor, and he used that talent to get to the underlying humor in the Walter Hagen character. He pulled it off brilliantly.
"When Northam first got to Scotland, Malcolm McDowell walked up to him and said 'You know, you've got the best part in the movie. Don't screw it up.' The pressure was on. Jeremy pulls it off. He's a fantastic actor," says Herrington.
Probably the most important person in Jones' life - next to his wife Mary - was O.B. Keeler. A sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, he had won national recognition and fame as a writer and authority on golf. He saw 14 year old Bobby Jones win his first big tournament and became his close companion. He traveled 150,000 miles with Jones and is the only man to witness all of Jones' 13 championship wins, most notably the Grand Slam victories in 1930.
"O.B. and Bobby shared so much in common," says Dawson. "They had a love of literature, great love of the game of golf and classical music, and they were also writing partners. Because of all this, we felt that we needed an actor of not just great intelligence but great experience in acting and in life. We went through a range of candidates but when we heard that Malcolm McDowell might be available, it became apparent that he was the guy.
"Not only does Malcolm love the game of golf the way that true golfers do, he also brought humor and wit to the project that I never really expected," continues Dawson. "The one thing that I don't think is well-known about Bobby Jones is that he had a fantastic sense of humor that he*d gotten from his parents, and I think that Keeler must have supported that sense of humor in a way that gave him a great deal of lightness as they went through their struggles on the golf course. Malcolm just matches that personality so beautifully that we couldn't have cast anybody better. I swear, he's perfect for the role."
Unlike his two co-stars, Malcolm McDowell says he was not attracted to the role of Keeler because of the script. "And it wasn't the money," explains the actor with a devilish twinkle in his eye. "To be honest, it was the golf. I'm addicted to the game and they got me at a weak moment. I must say, I've had the best time on this film because the two things I love the most - besides my wife and family - are acting and playing golf, and I'm getting to do both in one project. They promised me golf and they delivered!
"But it's not just a story about golf, you know," he adds seriously. "Golf is a big part of it, yes, but it*s really a story of the human spirit. For me as an actor, this film has been a gift - getting to know who Bobby Jones really was."
"There's a beautiful story, which is true, that later in life when Bobby Jones was on the second floor in a wheelchair, a fire started in the house," recounts the actress.
"Mary couldn't get him out so she just sat next to him and prepared to die with him. That story, to me, showed who she was and how deep their love went. I feel that's definitely in the film that we're making."
The character of Walter Hagen was another important casting decision for the filmmakers. When Dawson met Clara, Bobby Jones' daughter, who has since passed away, she told him that Jones was great friends with Hagen, one of his main rivals on the golf course, but that his mother, Clara, really didn't like Walter's influence on Bobby. He was a raconteur who not only loved the game of golf but loved life and lived it to its fullest.
"Walter Hagen was a professional," explains Dawson. "He knew he was going to make his living playing golf and he did it with grace and fellowship that was somewhat uncommon to a person with his proclivities for living the high life. It was important that just the right actor be found to fill Hagen's shoes.
"When we found Jeremy Northam," says Dawson, "who is one of the most accomplished actors in the world, let alone the U.K., we found someone who really brought that sort of wry sense of humor, as well as the elegance that Walter possessed, to the role.
While Jeremy is not heavy-set like Walter was, he brings his own flair to the role and makes it really very believable."
"Walter is a card," adds Herrington, "and Jeremy came in and understood this in a heartbeat. He's a fine comedic actor, and he used that talent to get to the underlying humor in the Walter Hagen character. He pulled it off brilliantly.
"When Northam first got to Scotland, Malcolm McDowell walked up to him and said 'You know, you've got the best part in the movie. Don't screw it up.' The pressure was on. Jeremy pulls it off. He's a fantastic actor," says Herrington.
Probably the most important person in Jones' life - next to his wife Mary - was O.B. Keeler. A sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, he had won national recognition and fame as a writer and authority on golf. He saw 14 year old Bobby Jones win his first big tournament and became his close companion. He traveled 150,000 miles with Jones and is the only man to witness all of Jones' 13 championship wins, most notably the Grand Slam victories in 1930.
"O.B. and Bobby shared so much in common," says Dawson. "They had a love of literature, great love of the game of golf and classical music, and they were also writing partners. Because of all this, we felt that we needed an actor of not just great intelligence but great experience in acting and in life. We went through a range of candidates but when we heard that Malcolm McDowell might be available, it became apparent that he was the guy.
"Not only does Malcolm love the game of golf the way that true golfers do, he also brought humor and wit to the project that I never really expected," continues Dawson. "The one thing that I don't think is well-known about Bobby Jones is that he had a fantastic sense of humor that he*d gotten from his parents, and I think that Keeler must have supported that sense of humor in a way that gave him a great deal of lightness as they went through their struggles on the golf course. Malcolm just matches that personality so beautifully that we couldn't have cast anybody better. I swear, he's perfect for the role."
Unlike his two co-stars, Malcolm McDowell says he was not attracted to the role of Keeler because of the script. "And it wasn't the money," explains the actor with a devilish twinkle in his eye. "To be honest, it was the golf. I'm addicted to the game and they got me at a weak moment. I must say, I've had the best time on this film because the two things I love the most - besides my wife and family - are acting and playing golf, and I'm getting to do both in one project. They promised me golf and they delivered!
"But it's not just a story about golf, you know," he adds seriously. "Golf is a big part of it, yes, but it*s really a story of the human spirit. For me as an actor, this film has been a gift - getting to know who Bobby Jones really was."
