Hollywood star Damson Idris has opened up about future possibilities for Joshua Pearce, his character in global success F1 The Movie, in addition to how the film changed his life.
The movie was a hit with audiences and grossed more than $630 million at the box office, with much of the filming completed through unprecedented access to the Formula 1 grid over Grand Prix weekends.
Idris also joined fellow star Brad Pitt in learning how to drive race cars and emulate the fitness routines of current drivers, making Pearce – a young rookie who becomes Sonny Hayes’ (played by Pitt) team mate and rival – an incredibly unique role.
Speaking on the latest episode of Beyond The Grid, the British actor admitted that there could be more to come in the world of F1 The Movie, especially as it resonated with such a wide range of people.
“There’s talks, there’s not much I can say but there’s exciting conversations that are happening,” he explained. “The main goal is to make the sport and the fans proud. And I think the first movie did that.
“I know people who watched it 19 times! The brilliance of F1 The Movie, I think, is it was, for the first time in a long time, it 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.
“We don’t often get that with movies. So I think that’s why it was so successful. Because your whole family can go and watch it, and it’s 10, 20 seats that you’ve bought and you’re all enjoying that. I think movies like F1 are very important.”
Probed on whether he would be interested in taking a part in any potential sequel, he replied: “100%, in a heartbeat. Just for the experience to get in the cars again, and drive round the tracks. I’d have to get quicker! That’d be so embarrassing – ‘Damson you’ve slowed down!’
“That would be amazing. This time I’d definitely take the advice of doing the espresso shots a bit more often to gain a couple more seconds. No more banana peanut butter smoothies for me, I’m going to shed the weight even more.”
Idris – who was appointed as a Global Brand Ambassador for F1 earlier this year – told Beyond The Grid host Tom Clarkson that becoming involved in F1 The Movie has led to new opportunities that he’d never expected.
“It really has changed my life,” he said. “I was the young actor that was on Snowfall and then this movie just kind of catapulted me in this rocket ship.
“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 1 racer to my two-year-old niece who’s the only person who is going to believe me. ‘Uncle Damson’s a racer!’”
To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.
You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.
