Ben Foster is Lance Armstrong in Biopic by Stephen Frears

Ben Foster

When it comes to Lance Armstrong I only know the bullet points: he won the Tour de France a bunch of times, dated Sheryl Crow, lost a testicle to cancer, designed Livestrong bracelets (or something), and lost all his titles in 2012 due to doping charges. I think that’s more than enough knowledge about a guy who plays a sport I’ve never watched. So when I heard they were making a movie about him I wasn’t interested. And then today I learned that Ben Foster is playing the cyclist, and all of a sudden I find myself wanting to see this movie.

I’ve been a fan of Foster since I first saw him in Alpha Dog, where he played violent drug addict, Jake Mazursky, who owes money to his dealer, money he doesn’t have. In retaliation the dealer, Johnny TrueLove (played by Emile Hirsch, another actor I greatly enjoy), has Jake’s little brother kidnapped until Jake pays up. Foster is intense as the explosive and unpredictable Jake. I can’t even say what specifically made me take notice of the performance, except maybe that it felt the most genuine. There was a rawness that just bedazzled me. Since then I’ve always been pleased to see Foster pop up in supporting roles in other films, like the remake of 3:10 To Yuma, and The Mechanic, and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Now he’s carrying a movie, and I’m totally happy for the guy. More than that, I’m just excited to see him act.

Filming has just started on the untitled Lance Armstrong biopic, and they’ve released the first photo. Looking at it, I see another reason why I like Foster so much: he has a way of disappearing into his roles. I may be aware that Ben Foster is playing a character, but I only ever see the character. It probably wasn’t that hard to make him look like Armstrong, but I’d bet hard money that he becomes Armstrong in the movie.

Ben Foster is Lance Armstrong

Ben Foster as is Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong

John Hodge, writer of Trainspotting, The Beach, and Trance, penned the script, and it’s being directed by Stephen Frears, director of High Fidelity, The Queen, and current festival darling Philomena. Chris O’Dowd and Jesse Plemons are co-starring. Shooting is expected to continue through early spring. No release date as of yet.

Sources: EmpireOnline.com
 
 

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