Jann Mardenborough Talks The New Film "Gran Turismo" Which Tells The True Story Of His Life & More!!

Jann Mardenborough sits with The Feature Presentation DJ Suss One to talk about the new film "Gran Turismo" which tells the true story of his life, race car training, growing up in England & more!!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Movies, you do what are youdoing? TV? What do your mind?
The step aside or it will beviolence, thank you? Violence,
video games, music and celebrative.Yeah yeah, ladies and gentlemen stay connected
right here the feature Presentation podcast wheremovies and music leaves. Do you know

(00:24):
what up? Baby? Dj Susswants the feature presentation podcast, And we
got big talent in the building,talented in many ways, race car driving.
He owns it. He has amovie now based off of his entire
journey in his life. He's keepingthe light skin culture alive. He comes
in here with a suit that's makingme look crazy. Jan Martin Borrow,
what's up? Boy? You lookgood at my g Thank you too?

(00:48):
Yeah, man, so thank you. This is actually the company right here
in the feature presentation. So let'stalk about it. How does it feel
to have a movie based on yourjourney? Grant Tarismo, Yeah, it's
real. Getting into racing the wayI did. I did it through a
racing game Arismo. It's my dreamto be a racing driver ever since I
was eight years old. So that'skind of crazy enough to kind of follow

(01:10):
your dream and make it your createyour life, and to follow through your
dreams and make it reality. That'scool enough for me, But then to
have a movie be based on howI did it and a part of my
life, the first four years reallyof my life getting into racing a huge
film, Hollywood film, if somany pictures. It's I didn't imagine that.
So it's it's weird, like ifyou wrote it down the script of

(01:34):
what has happened. Okay, guy, normal guy went to the university,
drops out, enter the placetage competition, wins, it wins, it,
becomes a racing driver and then hasa movie movie made about that part.
It's like it is far fet wasan amazing story that I want to start
with that. How was it growingup in England? And what made you
want to become a race car driver? Because you know, you hear people
say I want to be a fireman, I want to be a doctor,

(01:56):
I want to be a lawyer.But a race car driver very you got
to be a talented it's very dangerous. So what made you excited about that?
What made you passionate about it?I believe in fate, really,
I believe that everybody has like agod given gifts and talent. My I
have two great parents my dad usedto play professional football for thirteen years.

(02:20):
So and this is in a timewhere there wasn't TV money involved, there
wasn't big sponsorship. This was inthe eighties, so he just did it
out of love. And I rememberhim telling me, me and my brother
from a young age, you know, do something in life which brings you
purpose and that you're passionate about.When you're eight years old, you don't
really understand those words. Once Ihad a concept of what a job was.
I started watching the most sport andTV around that time as well,

(02:40):
and cars were my first interests inanything. I just latched onto that.
So I want to be the guythat's behind the wheel of a car,
of a racing car, and Ithat was my dream. But it started
from there. Wow, So I'dhad, you know, I'd watch it
on TV. I'd play the racinggames Grand Tris. I've had one version,
Grandson one in PlayStation one, youknow, when I was eight and

(03:01):
had all the versions since, asyou say, mote sport is very dangerous,
but also it's extremely expensive. There'sa joke like, really it's it's
an absolute obscene to see how expensiveit is. But I understand why My
parents had just normal parents work normaljobs. My dad now works on the
railway, still does back then aswell. My mom works in payroll's.
You know, to go racing.It's not feasible, but that's what we're

(03:25):
going to ask. So you're saying, they said, find something that you're
passionate about. When you found thisthings you told them where they completely like,
go get it signed. They knewthat I had an interest in the
sport because I used to watch itall the time. My whole family were
interested in football because of my dad. My dad's side of the family has
we have I think I have eightor nine counties and uncles, and they're
all interested in football because my fatherwas successful at it. I was never

(03:47):
interested in this round thing. Sowhen my dad would give me a football
when I'm like five or six,I didn't care. I did not care
for it. All I cared forwas these little matchbox cars. That was
what I was interested in, andthey never forced me to like it.
My dad secretly was like, Iwish she liked I wish she was good
at it, but I was.I don't know. I was just very

(04:11):
sure. That's I love cars.I love racing and that's what I want
to do, getting from me Ato B of becoming a driver. As
you know, there's many things thatI've had to happen, but yeah,
that was my I was very surethat's what I want. If there was
ever an opportunity for me to fulfillthat dream, I'm all in. So
when you're in school and you havea we have a career's advisor, like

(04:31):
in a year with me like fifteenand sixteen years old, because everybody gets
funnel to the universe, go touniversity. I mean, it's a bit
of a joke really, but it'snot like I went to my career's advising
and when she asked me, sowhat do you what do you want to
do? And I said, oh, I want to be a racing driver.
Yeah, I would never say thatthat. You keep it within yourself.
So even with my friends, Inever really spoke about it as much

(04:53):
because it was such a far fetched. Their dreams are far Frenchs like I
can relate broke as when I wantto be a DJ. When I was
younger, nobody you know, mydad was a lawyer. He didn't see
that fast forward. I'm doing radio, TV, traveled the world, you
know DJ from a right carry andGod rest his soul now. But when
he was alive, he was sayinghow proud he was of me. And
you have a movie based on yourjourney now that's in theaters. Your family's

(05:16):
proud of you, everybody's proud ofyou. Sometimes you know, they don't
see the passion. They don't seethe journey or what you're what you have
in your head, you know,and that until you get the goals.
I'm you know, that's a goodpoint. I'm very proud that might I've
represented my first, my family andnaming in a good way. Yes,
congrats, by the way, I'mvery thank you. I'm very happy with

(05:39):
that. Well, look, peoplewho haven't seen the movie talk about the
journey. So you started in avideo game contest, Grant Sarismo video game
contests, you were nice at it, you won, and then all of
a sudden had it go right afterthat. So when I won, I
moved home. I moved to Northampton, which is a place near Silverstone,

(06:00):
which is like the biggest, mostpopular race circuit in the UK to do
training. And then also in racing, we have not like when you have
your road car, obviously you haveyour race your road license. In racing,
there there's a different criteria of racelicense which enables you to race in
certain parts of the world in certainchampionships in racing, depending on your grade.
And I had to get an internationalsee race license, which is shown

(06:26):
in the movie as in NFI arace license. So I was racing a
lot, trying to get competent,better, faster, earn a reputation in
those those six months of living afterthe Academy, and I was very much
aware there's there was so much mediaaround as well. Now I can appreciate
it because with the movie right nowit's a bit crazy. There's lots of

(06:50):
cameras and stuff, whereas back thenit was similar. But that isn't normally
motorsport. Really. It was justvery, very busy, and all I
cared about is my my progression asa racing driver. I didn't care for
any of the media. I didn'tinstagrammed, YouTube, don't care. I
just want to make sure my progressionis exponential. So I was quite hard

(07:13):
on myself for a long time becauseI was very much quite a grounded person
anyway, my dad was always groundedme and the people that I had around
in my circle. Very They werefrom northern England and they'll they'll let you
know if you're kind of getting abit above your station. But it was
wild man like, it was reallycool. How do you train for something
like this? There must I'm tellingyou straight up, I would be scared

(07:34):
when I started taking my regular driver'slicense. When I started driving a regular
vehicle, it was nerve wrecking.So yeah, how did the training go?
At the beginning stages? For me? I thought, anything that I
need to do to get better atracing a racing car, I'll do.
So it's intense, you're judge andeverything. The fitness is insane. It's

(08:00):
very very in depth of that.Like with racing, your work muscles that
don't really get normally used in reallife. I mean, we have a
muscle behind that year there's been able, there's a muscle there and that's for
a while was a muscle behind yourear. Yeah. I feel like every
girlfriend I have, every dated headthe muscle. They hear everything. Yeah,
I mean we get they get marksright like around there. But yeah,
in in racing, it gets itgets worked and it's just getting used.

(08:24):
Your body used to that with peoplethat have come through the traditional route
of carting. You've heard of theten thousand hour rule, right, you
do ten thousand hours of anything,you become an expert in it. Your
ten thousand hours is obviously is thisor my ten thousand hours was done on
Grand Tourisma, normal racing drivers,the traditional route carting. It's in the

(08:46):
in real life in a go cart. So you have this feel, You
have this innate feel through your body, whereas mine I was missing a sensation.
At home. You have your eyesand what you feel through your hands
with the steering wheel. But nowstepping into a real racing car, you
have this extra sensation, the vibrationof the seat, the feeling for your

(09:07):
backside, and it's tuning that withwhat I my ten thousand hours with my
hands in my eyes. It's tuningthat which takes time. So with GT
Academy, we had a lot ofinstructors, had a lot of mentors and
just a lot of hours, alot of sitting down classroom lessons and a
lot of accolades. You was thewinner of the GT Academy in twenty eleven

(09:28):
for beating ninety thousand entrants. AsBananas, you were third in your class
Sports pro Media name the fiftieth ontheir twenty fifteen most Marketable Athletes. Yeah,
so I remember that, and thiswas at the time. It was
at twenty twelve. You say thatthat one is the twenty fifteen Okay,
twenty eleven was the you beat outninety thousand entrances. So with that,

(09:52):
even at that moment in life withracing, I didn't care for that.
I was like, I'm reading that, and I was like, great,
really was because I was not.It's proud, yes, but it's not
like I was. I leveraged it, whereas now now I realized how important
that was. But at that momentin time in my life, I didn't
care for anything else. All Icared about is my speed to stop watch.

(10:16):
That's all I cared about, Whichis why I guess the movies is
a thing because I was so focusedon the racing and my what I achieved
with racing in my life during thatperiod was enough for them to want to
film a movie about it. Yeah. Whereas maybe if I did care about
it, I was very much inthe in the source and loving the cameras
and doing videos all the time,and maybe my progression was a bit more

(10:37):
flatter. Maybe I did, Iwouldn't be as successful behind the wheel.
But it's it's when you get olderyou're gonna appreciate always. I remember Eddie
Murphy said in the interview, youknow he was he was just focused on
acting in comedy and he wasn't reallyabout the awards and the accolades and all
that. But now that he's inhis sixties, he really greatly appreciates it.
He looks back, he looks backat things differently. You know what

(10:58):
I'm saying. How did it cometo you that they were going to create
this movie based off of your journey? So it was twenty seventeen. I
was living in racing in Japan outthere, and we had a phone call
with I think one of the producersand they said, look, we would
like to do this movie based onyour life. Maybe it will happen,

(11:20):
maybe not, But the keyword wasmaybe, because I don't work with maybes.
I work with certainties. So I'mracing in Japan and I'm like,
Okay, I know I have arace at Fuji Speedway next week. You'll
maybe of a maybe movie coming outabout me. I'm not going to even
focus on that, but you hadto be super late. Wow, no,
not all the phe didn't care becauseit's maybe. Yeah. I'm focused

(11:43):
on my driving. I'm racing inthe coolest cars in the world over there.
It's my favorite championship with a teamwhich I adore. It's a team
I was racing for a team calledImput and for car fans, they will
know Import and Team Calsonic, whichis the longest running sponsorship of any car
race team in history. That wasthe car I used to see Young Grand
Treisma when I was ten, andI'm racing for that team. So I

(12:05):
didn't care for this because it's it'sa maybe. However, two years later,
when I started to meet these guysin person in London, they spent
some a few days with me,wanting to know everything about my life.
Then it became a Now I needto actually sit down and dedicate some energy,
make sure the script's good, tellthem all the relevant information because my
name is going to be on it. Then it became real. But when

(12:28):
I first heard about it, Iwas like, what do you want me
to do? Like jumping down?It's I don't want based on me.
I jump up and down down.Now I'm gassed. But back then.
It's it's it was a bit.It was presented in a not a certain
light. Yo, And how didyou like? I don't want to mess
up this young man's name. Theactor that portrayed you, Archie my dark

(12:48):
way, Yes, it's exactly.How did you like the way he portrayed
your whole entire character? He's mega, So he's been I think in the
movies there's multiple casting, Yeah,but he's been the producers, everybody's involved
favorite from day one. So Iwas always updated throughout the last two years
of who they like to be playingme. Because I only had two stipulations

(13:11):
to the producers about the movie.I said, look, the guy gotta
looked like me, and he's gonnahave my name. So Archie looks like
me. He's a lot taller thanme, but he still looks he looks
like me, and he has myname. Once he was announced he was
going to be playing me, wespoken FaceTime that day, and then a
week later we met in person ata racetrack and he spent hours talking to
each other and he wanted to knoweverything. But for me, I was

(13:33):
very much at ease because I've beeninvolved in all the scripts and then meeting
Archie, I was again after thehours of talking. I was kind of
calm with him as well, becausehe was when somebody's interested in really interested,
you get the vibe, Okay,this person really wants to do a
good job. So I was calm. I was like, a great,
You're going to be great. Iknow it. So I went to seth

(13:54):
I was on set. I wasdoubling myself as a stuntman. So all
the thing I was about to askyou of being a stuntman on the actual
project. It was sick because Igot asked earlier because it's never been done.
Nobody's had a biopic be made aboutthem and then that person be a
stuntman doubling for themselves. It's neverbeen done before. Wow. So I
was gassed to do that. Youknow, racing's my world. I'm not

(14:18):
I like cameras, but I'm nota cinematographer. I don't know. I
can't act, even though auditioned forthe role. Actually, really, yeah,
I'm going to turn you down.You're the person where it was very
late, like Neil Bloomcamp, thedirector, he'd be in contact all the
time and he just said, dude, he texts me, and then immediately
rang me and said, look,there's a ninety nine percent chance this isn't
going to happen because the studio isnot going to be with not going to

(14:39):
be for you acting playing yourself,considering they're spending like three figures on this
movie and even never acted before.However, I still want you to audition.
So he sent me through these scripts, these three different scenes, and
he said, look, go toa studio or somewhere, gets me to
film you and then send the footageto me, and will our senses you

(15:00):
do? Yeah, let me stopyou right there. That's so weird because
I understand what they're talking about,like professional actors are different and they want
somebody to be able to act,but they're acting as you are. In
reality, you wouldn't be actually acting. You would be being yourself, replaying
the things that actually happened. Andthen Archie had the FaceTime you and go
over what you could have just didnormally by yourself. So it's I don't

(15:22):
know, it's complicated. So whenyou proposed me this, I was signing
my car and I was like,well, what's the worst that can happen?
Like if I managed to get thegig. Cool. That's great.
It's another door that's been opened.If not, it's a funny story to
tell that I didn't actually get thejob yourself playing myself, so I talk
about it a lot. It's likeI didn't actually get the job, which
is funny. But yeah, Archiewas great, and so being a stunt

(15:46):
man, that's my world. Iknow cars, Steve, Steve Kels,
so the stunt coordinator, he wasreally good at kind of bringing me in,
show me you know what it's about. All the stunt A lot of
the stunt drivers actually were I've racedit against because there's a lot of race
drivers in that industry to do thisas well. So it's like another world
which I didn't really know of alot for I know, all the stunt

(16:07):
drivers said that my movie was themost fun they've ever had on set before,
which is cool. And it's veryweird going on set where there's five
hundred people. For the first dayI arrived, there was five hundred people
on set at this racetrack and I'dbeen there seven years prior because for a
race, so it was it wasfull. But now I'm going again,
but it's full because they're filming mymovie, which is such a mind plays

(16:29):
with your mind. This journey isamazing, bro. I mean now you're
a developer, correct, So nolonger with McLaren on this and I did
this the last two years. Iwas developing an electric electric race car with
them, whereas now I'm a freeagent. I'm racing still currently did a
race in May in Japan. Yeah, twenty four hour race, which is

(16:51):
great. And now it's sorting outcontracts and talking to teams for next season,
because now it's the time you wantto start being in the paddock talking
to teams preparing for next year,for the season, because the season ends
in around November October. You wantto get your contracts sorted around men and
then the season starts April next year. So I want to race. I'd
like to be racing in America.I'd like to do imser call me when

(17:15):
you get here. Oh, Ithink there's something to do here. So
to race here in MZER or GTthree or LMP one hyper car or the
same thing in Europe as well inLMP one. I want to do LUMO
again. Wow. So yeah,now it's workings. So the movie is
great, it's it's coming out inAugust twenty five. That's fantastic. It's
out today in Europe. But I'mlike focusing also, okay, racing.

(17:36):
It's I'm not sat here just goingon. This is fantastic. It's like,
okay, let's I'm still racing's let'sgo racing. Are you into regular
cars at all? Yeah? I'mmassive, really yeah, it seems like
you're just really into the race cars. The race car. Now, I
petro head at heart, man,Like if you go on a date,
you're picking them up in a racecar. That would be cool that I
do have a goal to have toconvert a race car to drive on the

(18:00):
road, because now you have manufacturerscar manufacturers. They'll say, oh,
we have this fancy, fancy roadcar which is very fast on the track,
and it's amazing and it's very fast. But as a racing driver,
it's I know that that fast carfor the track is nothing compared to a
actual proper racing car. So whenyou have your manufacturers say, ah,

(18:22):
we have this racing car for theroad, it's it's not It's not like
you buy a race car and thenthen yeah, then we talk. Then
you experience that it's it's like beingpunched in the back by Mike Tyson.
The strong engine of a Ferrari.Does it get close? Like I have
an old Ferrari from ninety five.I like that era for me. And

(18:44):
if people know cars, there's youhave. Ferraris are very good with.
And then engine configuration called V twelveand this is getting nerdy, but there's
something it's like music the engine.Having an engine a V twelve, it's
like music that you feel the mechanicalnature of the of the engine, each
piston moving and the sound of itas well. It's gorgeous nice. What

(19:10):
is the end goal for you?What's what's coming up in the near future?
What are you trying to accomplish?So again, Lament next year,
the next two years, I couldon even see that far out because it's
not like I thought about this moviewas gonna be a thing. So it's
it's a short sighted of me tryto think of what's going to happen in
five years. But the next twoyears would be to do Lament in top
class LMP one hyper car, dosome racing in America as well, and

(19:33):
the same categories. Yeah, soI'm working towards that, but nothing's are
given in this sport. I guessit's like every industry, you're hot and
then you're not, and at themoment it's hot. In closing, since
you've got a little bit of ataste of actually trying to audition to play
yourself, do you think you couldsee yourself in the movie world at all
or are you going to just stickwith the race world. I never say
no to nothing, you know,I give everything to go, So you

(19:55):
know, I'd like to get involvedin more stunts actually in the stunt industry.
Yeah, I can see that way, because it's it's quite very small,
right, And I made some goodcontacts there. I was good at
it as well. And acting.I mean, if somebody wanted to give
me a real acting I would notsay no. If it fifted him with
everything, I would not say no. So you know, after that game,
actually I went down to London tomeet the casting agency who cast it,

(20:18):
casted Archie, just to have achat, just to give me some
tips on the future. So Inever say no to anything. Nice.
Well, grant Eismo the twenty fifth, make sure you go see it.
It's based off of Jan's whole entirejourney one of the best race car drivers
out here. Apparently he was oneof the best PlayStation players of all time
as well, So after PlayStations,After Sony, and thank you for coming

(20:41):
to the Future Presentation Podcast Brother,and congratulations on everything.