Damson Idris: F1: The Movie ‘changed my life’

0:00Cadillac has entered Formula One, deepening the racing pedigree behind every V-Series on the road. Discover a line-up that delivers pure adrenaline in the form of modern luxury. Experience the quickest Cadillac ever, the all-electric Lyric V, the peak performance of the CT5V Blackwing, the nimble agility of the Optic V and the legendary roar of the Escalade V, All engineered to thrill Find out more about Cadillac's performance story in Formula 1 And our race-tested V-Series line-up at Cadillac.com Playing Joshua Pierce in F1 The Movie The Oscar-winning, highest-grossing sports film of all time Was a watershed moment for Damson Idris It really has changed my life this movie just kind of catapulted me in this rocket ship.

0:58And I think the roles I take have to be roles that give me the same feeling that F1 gave me and being able to brag at family Christmas dinners that I'm a Formula One racer to my two-year-old niece. Yeah, Uncle Damson's a racer, you didn't know? He's clearly a passionate F1 fan and an admirer of one of the sport's greatest. It's more history for Hamilton! Lewis Hamilton wins a Grand Prix for Ferrari! Sent him a text when he won at Barcelona and I was like, get in! Let's go! And he was like, oh man, everything's crazy, da da da, damn, so he calls me damn, son. He has that Michael Jordan thing. It's him against him.

1:46Hello and welcome to F1 Beyond the Grid, with me Tom Clarkson and F1 The Movie star Damson Idris. A year on from the movie's release, Damson reflects on what it was like to immerse himself in the world of Formula 1 and live the life of an F1 driver, both of which he loved. He talks about racing in the F2 cars they use for the film, How he and co-star Brad Pitt compared against each other on track and the dramatic moment during filming which showed him what it feels like to be a real racer.

2:25Damson, how are you? Amazing. So, so happy to be here and especially happy to be with you. Oh man, it's mutual. look we're actually at Silverstone and I'm guessing this place was a second home for you guys during the filming of the movie is that right yeah 100 % even walking into this room was nostalgic because this is the first time I met all the drivers before the the race briefing the FIA race briefing which was something that was new to me I didn't know that all the drivers even sit near each other ever. And they were talking about the different rules that could be in that particular race and suggestions to make the race better.

3:06And I was watching all of them collaborate and making the sport better. And I was really shocked, but also just admired. Every Friday evening of every Grand Prix, they get together with the race director, you're right. So cool. I was about to raise my hand at one point and be like, I think that everyone would like, who's this kid sat next to Brad Pitt? When you think of Silverstone, right, if you close your eyes, you did so many laps around here. Can you visualize this racetrack? Okay, I'm going down the street. I'm going to do a right, a fast right that I usually do flat. I think we're in cops here.

3:43Yeah, going. All right, it's a slow. I'm going right down to second gear. Now I'm going round. Now I'm around second gear. Still go. Okay, I'm straight, straight down at back underneath the ton. All right, boom. then there's another no okay now it's maggots and beckets like yeah right or am I still wrong am I wrong do you know I misled you actually you weren't in COPS you were going through ABBY so yeah you were going through ABBY then then farm and then I think I crashed I think you got it is the point right you know your way around it was so much fun I mean we did it so many times so many laps how many laps do you reckon you've done oh I could never tell you I mean it was we trained for about five months hundreds yeah 100 yeah hundreds yeah me going quicker than brad i did hear that actually no no he was he's quicker than me he's quicker than me yeah he's better in every way damson we're speaking almost bang on a year after the release of the movie um i mean it was a huge success right just how do you reflect on on the whole experience It's crazy because, yeah, I saw about last week, it was a year.

4:55One, time flies ridiculously. But two, it really has changed my life, I think. I was kind of the young actor that was on Snowfall. And then this movie just kind of catapulted me in this rocket ship. And it's really made me respect the business that I'm in even more. And just to see how, when a movie of that magnitude is successful, how the domino effect on other movies and how other people take risks at creating blockbusters that are really saving the movie business. And it's the reason why people want to go to cinema, big movies. That's something I know now. You know, that gives the leeway for art house smaller movies to exist.

5:37So that's one thing on a business side. But on the second side, I think the roles I take have to be roles that give me the same feeling that F1 gave me. Taking on a new trade, a new skill and being able to brag at family Christmas dinners that I'm a Formula One racer to my two-year-old niece, who's the only person that's going to believe me. The best driver in the family, right? Yeah, yeah. Uncle Damson's a racer. You didn't know? I read a great quote, actually. Damson had to become a Formula One driver because he had to fine that$73 million, right? Oh, my goodness. Yeah. They got taken in Snowflake.

6:16It all comes from Franklin. Everything I do, even in my normal life now, it's like people are like, oh yeah, he's on a boat. He's got that 73 million. Hilarious, yeah. But there's more Joshua Pierce as well now, right? There's talks. There's not much I could say, but there are exciting conversations that are happening. But at the forefront, the main goal is to make the sport and the fans proud. And I think the first movie did that. I mean, I know people who watched it 19 times. And the brilliance of F1, the movie, I think, was for the first time in a long time, unlike Toy Story, which I watched alone in Cardiff the other day, I loved.

7:01It was a movie that you could take your whole family to. You can go with your grandparents, your kids, your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever the case may be. And we don't often get that with movies. So I think that's why it was so successful, because the whole family can go and watch it and it's 10, 20 seats that you've bought and you're all enjoying it. And that is a core memory as well. I had that when I was younger when I watched movies with my parents. But now, you know, it's a horror movie or it's not that they shouldn't exist, but I think movies like F1 are very important. When did you last watch F1?

7:36When you're on a plane? I might just watch it one more time. Oh, yes. Yeah, on a plane. Yeah, the last time I watched it was on a plane. because I wanted to see how it changed, like see if they took some of the curse words out or whatever. And I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I always get goosebumps at the exact same moment, and it's when Brad, spoiler, is in Vegas, and he's driving angry, and the sound, Hans Zimmer takes all the noise out, and you just hear the car, and then you hear the announcer, hey, he's a tax from the inside, and then boom, crash. Every time, it's goosebumps. That and going head to head with Lewis.

8:19That's pretty cool. Can we talk more about the driving, right? Because I know Brad had done some track days. Had you had any prior experience of racetracks in any form? No. Karting? Badly in my land. And Burgess Park. No, no, no. I drove kind of M3s, AMG GT turbos, you know, 20 miles per hour road humps, Southeast London and Porsches. I loved fast cars because my three older brothers - So you're a car guy? Yeah, yeah. My three older brothers were the ones who always had great cars, R8s and stuff. To this day, I don't know how they afforded it. But I would learn about cars because of them. So as I became an actor, I always made sure that I had a car that I loved, that had a bit of speed.

9:08So I understood speed, but just the technicalities of Formula driving. I mean, it's just out of this world. And it really was deep end stuff for me. But it was the most fun and I miss it so much. Cadillac has entered Formula One, deepening the racing pedigree behind every V-Series on the road. Discover a lineup that delivers pure adrenaline in the form of modern luxury. Experience the quickest Cadillac ever, the all-electric Lyric V, the peak performance of the CT5V Blackwing, the nimble agility of the Optic V and the legendary roar of the Escalade V. All engineered to thrill. Find out more about Cadillac's performance story in Formula 1 and our race-tested V-Series line-up at Cadillac.com.

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10:50I think a lot of people watching this, listening to this, are going to think I'd love to be a racing driver, right? And for someone who'd had no prior experience, It's just how difficult is it to go and suddenly get in a Formula 2 car, right? This isn't an old banger, is it? This is a serious racing car. Yeah, yeah. They gave us the freedom to start slow and get quicker and quicker. I remember they would kind of cap the speed and then... Or limit the revs. Exactly. Right. So I think we were at about 60 at first, which means we were walking, right? It was them rocking them. And that's where we started.

11:29And then when we finally came to Silverstone, we started getting all the way up until about 180. The good thing for me was I was always good in the fast corners. Like I said, flat through cops. Genuinely, that's what I've been told. Flat. They know. The streets know. They were there. And the data proves it, right? The data proves it. Breaking wasn't so good, though. But yeah, I think through Veil and everything, it was just those slow corners that brad would get me on i remember he was really good in the slow corners i'd go through fast and make detours you know going to the stands um but that was really my experience from from road driving into formula driving but again i was a sponge um the the most important thing was safety of course so it was a step by step we just got more confident and by the time we got to abu dhabi we really felt like oh wow we could we can come last against the boys on the track yeah did you did you ever feel fear hmm once i felt fear in austin texas once i was driving behind i believe it was luciano by chetop no maybe it was craig craig dolby just so people know they were the stunt drivers yes they were the stunt drivers and i was getting really close really close and i think around turn 13 i was in fifth i should fourth but i was close i'm like i'm finally gonna beat him i'm finally gonna get

13:00oh radio's silent everyone it was damson are you okay i'm like whoa so excited and you know everyone was like now you're a real racer and it was that was again fear in the spin of course but you know it was such an exhilarating feeling and i'm not promoting it but at the same time I could see, I got as close as possible to seeing how these guys push themselves for those seconds, you know, the tenth of a second, the way they push themselves and the risks that they take. And it just made me even more respectful. Yeah. Did you have a favorite racetrack? Austin, Texas. That's two. Silverstone's first.

13:39It's got to be first. It's home. Austin, Texas is second because I think they said at Cody, I think they incorporated all the different races. like the best parts of everything on that racetrack. Is that true? That's absolutely true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the, you know, Sector 1, as we call it, at Austin is sort of the Maggots-Becketts complex from Silverstone. And then you've got, there's a long right-hander there. Do you remember that? That's a sort of reverse of a corner in Istanbul. So, yeah. Yeah. And I think Brad did a McLaren car out there, right? He drove the McLaren F1 car, yeah. Yeah, and he told me he hit 198.

14:13And he was gutted that he didn't get to 200. Yeah, yeah. Would you? know what I'd get to.

14:21If Zach Brown, if you're watching Zach, if Zach Brown offered you a ride in that car, would you take it? Oh, in a heartbeat. In a heartbeat, I'd clean a car for them. Yeah, I wouldn't get in it, I'd just clean it. Listen, that's a beast. That's a real beast. And the first Formula One car we got in was in, I believe it was France, and it was an old Alpine. It was... Down at Paul Ricard. Exactly. That's actually the first race track that we really went on. And I remember it was wet and I was such a chicken and the noise. Of course, that's an old screamer, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Sort of V8. Spaceship.

15:00And I tried to push it down the street and right when I was... No, no. But now I think I'd be a bit more confident. Drivers, the current grid, which of those guys offered you the most advice? Was it Lewis? Lewis Hamilton? Oh, 100%. Yeah, yeah, definitely. What was the best bit of advice Lewis gave you? Dampson, stop driving so slow. I tell you, I mean, those that know, you know, the cars, the quicker you go, the safer it is. More grip they produce. Exactly. So, you know, if you're being a bit of a chicken, then, you know, you're going to run into some troubles with those engines, the ones we had anyway.

15:38But again, Lewis was just so, you know, so supportive. He was always coming by set and everyone was always so excited when he came. And any advice on the sort of the actual technicalities of driving? It was that. It was, yeah, stop driving so slow. More of the right foot, less of the left foot. Yeah, exactly. That was really it. But the stunt drivers we had as well were just remarkable. I mean, just constantly being around those guys, going and having a Nando's every Friday and just asking them every question under the sun was just really brilliant. I believe you got to know Lewis quite well during the whole process, right?

16:14The more you speak to Lewis, right, do you understand why he's had the level of success that he has? Yeah. He has that thing, man. He has that Michael Jordan thing, you know, that it's him against him. You know, he's not in competition with anyone else. He's really focused and he cares. He cares about legacy. I can see it because I see those remnants in other fields. talk about Michael Jordan talk about Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo talk about actors like Daniel Day Lewis you know those people who just absolutely wholeheartedly commit to their craft are always going to excel over everyone else and that's what Lewis does and I was telling you earlier I sent him a text when he won at Barcelona and I was like get in let's go and he was like oh man everything's crazy and da da da damn so he calls me damn son like but yeah he's just he's always just so excited about the thing that he loves, you know, despite how long he's been doing it.

17:16And he's really got his mojo back this year, it feels. Oh, yeah. In every conversation you have with him, just the way, you know, there were some moments last year where you were thinking, come on. Yeah, yeah. And he loves the car now. He loves the team. I think he's a really natural fit for Ferrari as well. He's so passionate. On the one hand, he's the sort of the cold-blooded racer, right? but he's actually an incredibly passionate guy, which is so Ferrari, right? The incredible passionate guy who's on a scooter. Yeah. A lot of time on a scooter. A lot of time on a scooter. The first time, because I met Lewis through the fashion industry.

17:56So that's how I met him at the Fashion Awards. It's the first time I met him. And then I remember the first race I went to was at Budapest. And I thought like he was, you know, he was a mate. Oh, we had that great night out at a fashion event. So now I'm in his world. So I'm going to say hello. Lewis! headphones, and I was like, oh, he's in the zone. And that's when I realized this is not a joke for him. This is really, really serious and this is why he's excelled, as I said, and he's so great. I guess you get the two sides, right? You saw the fashion event you were at, you saw the laid back Lewis and then suddenly, it's almost like he flicks a switch as he goes through the turnstiles, isn't it?

18:32Yeah, yeah. It's a switch I don't have. I'm nuts all the time. Tell me more about the fashion thing because you've got your own jewellery... Yes, yes, didgerous. ...line, is that right? Yeah, yeah. I made it as homage for my mother. So my mum bought and sold gold in her 20s and her dream was kind of deferred. She raised six kids by herself and I was the baby. So I said, as I excel, I want to be a part of something that is not only about legacy, but paying homage to her. And yeah, today she steals all the pieces and the brand's doing amazingly. And yeah, so we're existing in a space and it's baby steps, but I'm really excited for what's to come.

19:15I love it. And I've learned that again from people like Lewis. Yeah, because he's massively into it. Who create their own brands. So at the minute, that's a side hustle. Yeah. But sort of watch this. No, it's definitely a side hustle. Act is a side hustle, yeah. Jewelry and Formula One, that's my main. No, but you see the pin, look. Oh, you're an ambassador for Formula One now. It's great. So we're seeing you around a lot more races. Yeah, yeah. It's really, really exciting. So for a guy whose first race, I think you said, was Budapest 2018. Yep. Are you now like full-on, passionate, F1 nut? Yeah, yeah, 100%.

19:51I used to be, you know, the guy that was very embarrassing. I watched Drive to Survive. No shade, Drive to Survive. But now I'm like, okay, I'm locked in now, you know? And because I kind of had that kind of inside scoop from doing a movie, it took us two years to film it. We're just really, really excited. I am of the direction that the sport's going in from a sense of lifestyle and fashion, entertainment culture. And I want to be a part of that. And I want to bring more people to it. And those are the conversations that we speak about. And it's why I've got the pin. Well, isn't it great to be at Silverstone?

20:32half a million people coming here you feel like you're more than just a motor race now don't you yeah yeah yeah 100 and even just walking down the paddock you know i mean just it's still on people's minds and everyone joshua all the kids call you joshua yeah it's like daddy is joshua you know josh has got braids now but yeah daddy is joshua it's really cool i love to to create characters that people can not only relate to, but, you know, are stuck in their heads and they can bring it into life too. That's why I know I did a good job. From an acting point of view, just go back to the filming of the movie, right?

21:09Because you did so much of the movie at Grand Prix's itself, right? Did it feel like a movie set or did it feel more like a sort of theatre? Yeah. Which one? The laughter? Theatre, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Live acting kind of? A hundred percent. I did not feel like I was acting. we were fully fully immersed and just the way the world of formula one embraced the film from race to race we just became a part of everything it was we were at our day job and i think that was made things so much easier it's a lot easier than being um on green screen and having to fake everything you know we were really here yeah the fans right there and me you know spinning on turn two in budapest you know thank god there's no fans around hang on this is new so you spun in budapest oh yeah yeah i've had a couple uh yeah yeah turn one got running nicely turn two paps came out i was like no it wasn't me it was brad yeah no craig was in the car then right craig's yeah hilarious well on the topic of a sequel obviously the fans would want it there's nothing official but um if it was offered would you be up for it Nah, I'm playing.

22:24I had 100 % in a heartbeat. Just for the experience to get in the cars again alone. You reckon you'd get quicker? Oh, come on. I have to get quicker. That would be so embarrassing. That's when you've slowed down. That would be amazing. This time, I'll definitely take the advice of doing the espresso shots a bit more often, though, so I'll get a couple more seconds. Well, no, they do say that, actually. The driver's knocked back a double espresso before quality because it's... I've been watching. Yeah. Yeah, no more banana peanut butter smoothies from me. Yeah, I'm going to shed the weight even more.

22:59I went down to 77 kg for the first film. And I was like about 83. Is that well below what you normally are? Yeah, it was like 83 kg. I went down to 77 because they're like, you know, D, the drivers are, and now you're a bit tall. So, you know, you're like up there with like George and everyone. I was like, okay, cool. Man, I can't get the height down. So fix these pedals and I'm going to lose a bit of weight. and it really helped me. Do you know, one of the things I loved about the Apex F1 team, right? In fact, I think Lewis even came up with a quote about it saying that that for him was the perfect F1 team.

23:33Just in terms of diversity, everyone doing, you know, you've got the old guy, you've got the young guy, you've got everything going on, right? And of course, Kerry Condon. When you're on set, how did it feel just working with such a... Diverse. Yeah. It's just like a glimpse of the direction that the sport's going in. Yeah. You know, And bringing more people to the sport, bringing more people to every category of everything, is the reality of, I mean, even if we just even speak about England, not to get too political, but when you walk out on the street, and then when you watch us play in the World Cup or wherever, and it cuts to the different people watching in bars and stuff, that diversity exists.

24:12And I love it that Formula One is following suit. And I love it that F1, the movie, was able to be, not the start of it, but to further put a spotlight on that. Because one, it's important. And two, it's just fun to be around different people with different experiences and different cultures and all paying homage and showing love to the thing that we love, which is Formula One. Yeah, and I feel that Apex is showing the way forward in so many ways. And in fact, of course, we've got the 11th team for real. I know, right? Cadillac are here. So you kind of prove, oh, there is room in the pit lane.

24:47Yeah. But I mean, if we do the next move, now there's 12th. Yeah. So, oh, that's a lot. Yeah. But it's exciting. Very, very exciting. I love the directions going in. Great. Damson, thank you so much for your time. It's been brilliant to catch up. I love your enthusiasm for F1. It's, you know, it just shines through. thanks for your time good to chat cheers

25:19what a guy Damson's enthusiasm for life and for Formula 1 is infectious I love catching up with him again Brad Pitt came on the pod last year and I've wanted to get Damson on ever since and amid the laughs he gave some fascinating insight into what it was like to be part of F1 the movie Damson, many thanks for your time, and I hope to see you again soon. And don't forget that you can watch F1 The Movie with Damson and Brad Pitt on Apple TV right now. And why not check out our episode with Brad himself? It's on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast feed and the F1 YouTube channel. And speaking of other podcasts, F1 Nation's preview of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix with Jolien Palmer, James Hinchcliffe, and myself is out now.

26:03We discuss the biggest threats to Kimi Antonelli's hopes of becoming world champion this year. And 1996 world champion Damon Hill joins Christian Hugill on the latest episode of F1 Explains to answer your questions about Formula One. That's also on the F1 Nation feed right now. Thanks very much for listening. I will, of course, be back next week with another great guest from the world of Formula One. F1 Beyond the Grid is produced by Formula One and Audioboom Studios. Until next time, keep it flat out.

26:38Cadillac has entered Formula One, deepening the racing pedigree behind every V-Series on the road. Discover a line-up that delivers pure adrenaline in the form of modern luxury. Experience the quickest Cadillac ever, the all-electric Lyric V, the peak performance of the CT5V Blackwing, the nimble agility of the Optic V, and the legendary roar of the Escalade V, All engineered to thrill Find out more about Cadillac's performance story in Formula 1 and our race-tested V-Series line-up at cadillac.com