Fresh off “Sully” and the Miracle on the Hudson, Clint Eastwood is back with another true story about American heroes. He’s taking us back over the events of a failed terror attack in 2015. But in this movie, there’s a twist. Deco Drive history professor Chris Van Vliet, Ph.D. is here with the history lesson…
Two and a half years ago, three friends were vacationing in Europe, and one train ride turned them into internationally-known heroes. So who better to play them in the movie than themselves? We sat down with the heroes turned movie stars.
Spencer Stone (as himself): “You ever just feel like life is pushing us toward something? Like some greater purpose?”
Clint Eastwood’s “The 15:17 to Paris” is the ultimate art imitating life situation.
The movie tells the true story of the three American friends who stopped a terror attack on a train in 2015, saving hundreds of lives.
Cellphone video captured the moments after it happened.
And now we’re seeing it play out on the big screen.
Those three heroes play themselves in the film, which Eastwood says was meant to be.
Clint Eastwood: “I kept looking at the guys, I kept looking at their faces. Finally, one day I just said, ‘Do you guys think you could play yourselves?'”
Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler told us that acting like yourself is harder than it sounds.
Anthony Sadler: “It’s a weird dynamic having to be authentic to yourself, but also you’re trying to capture yourself in 2015, and you’re like drawing some insecurities back.”
Alek Skarlatos: “If nothing else, it’s very accurate to how we act. And a lot of the movie, especially like when I’m talking to Spencer about the baby soda, like that’s a direct quote!”
Alek Skarlatos (as himself): “Look at the baby soda, Spencer!”
Clint Eastwood: “They had a lot of natural gift. And it also was a bit of a catharsis for them to go back and sort of relive the moment.”
The film takes us through the guys’ lives leading up to that fateful train ride — a scene that Spencer told Deco was a little stressful, but also exhilarating.
Spencer Stone: “We were finally able to hash things out permanently because we all have kind of still different perspectives to what happened that day.”
Now, just because they’ve become movie stars doesn’t mean they haven’t thought about which celebs could have portrayed them.
Alek Skarlatos: “Zac Efron … obviously.
Anthony Sadler: “Mine is Michael B. Jordan.”
Spencer Stone: “And Chris Hemsworth.”
All stellar choices, gentlemen.
Might we also suggest a stellar choice in visiting beautiful South Florida for your next friend vacay?
Alek Skarlatos: “Uh, absolutely, yes. If you’re paying for it.”
Anthony Sadler: “We’re definitely gotta go to Miami, I don’t know what he’s talking about!”
And you can see the movie at 15:17, or anytime, anywhere you want.
We’re giving away passes to “The 15:17 to Paris.”
Just email your name, address and phone number to giveaways@decodrive.com and you could win.
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