The Summer of Sarah Niles: ‘F1’ Star on the “Theater” of Racing and Tom Cruise’s Reaction: He Was “on the Edge of His Seat”

It’s the summer season of Sarah Niles, it appears.

The English star is speaking to The Hollywood Reporter from New York, the place she simply premiered Heads of State, starring Idris Elba and John Cena. “Everyone was simply so pumped for it,” she says of Ilya Naishuller’s imminent motion comedy, set to debut on Amazon Prime on July 2.

However this isn’t the mission Niles is right here to debate — and it’s not her function in the hotly anticipated Implausible 4: First Steps, both. The actress, maybe finest recognized to audiences as Ted Lasso‘s Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, is doing press for the Brad Pitt-led F1 film, the high-octane, high-budget sport thriller at the moment dominating the U.S. and world field workplace.

“I can’t actually complain,” she says of her jam-packed calendar. “I’ve had these movies popping out and the pleasure round them… I’m dwelling the dream.”

In F1 — filmed at real-life Formulation One races throughout the 2024 season — Niles stars as the mild and smart Bernadette. Mom to Pitt’s co-star Damson Idris, taking part in Joshua Pearce, her function is a welcome break from the thrilling, nail-biting velocity of a film devoted to emphasizing the sport’s extremes.

Sonny Hayes (Pitt) joins Javier Bardem’s APXGP, a flailing F1 staff whose survival relies upon on one small feat: profitable a race. When driver-turned-businessman Ruben Cervantes (Bardem) calls in a favor to his former teammate, all eyes are on Hayes to ship.

There are, of course, the hurdles: a “shitbox” automotive not performing as technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) would really like it to, a promising however immature younger driver (Idris) defiantly working towards, and not with, his teammate, in addition to a board that wishes to chop its losses and promote up earlier than APXGP loses any extra money. The movie hits all the proper story beats whereas delivering on the rip-roaring motion sequences.

“I don’t understand how they managed to seize F1, however they did,” Niles says of the team-up between director Joseph Kosinski (Prime Gun: Maverick) and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “I used to be a bit apprehensive about individuals going, particularly hardcore followers. [I thought], ‘Are they actually going to love this?’”

Her fears went unrealized. Beneath, Niles talks to THR about seeing Pitt and Idris in painstaking rehearsal mode, understanding her character with the assist of seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton and sitting behind Tom Cruise at the movie’s gargantuan London premiere: “I assumed, ‘If Tom Cruise is on the edge of his seat, you’ve received a winner right here.’”

You have to be a busy lady proper now.

I’m. I can’t actually complain. It’s a beautiful place to be in. I’ve had these movies popping out and the pleasure round them… [I’m] dwelling the dream.

Had been you an F1 fan earlier than this film got here into your life?

No, I wasn’t! After I was rising up, it was once on typically on a Saturday and I might hear the automobiles going. [But] I didn’t know something about the sport. I didn’t suppose it was for me. And I like sports activities, so once I went for the audition, my supervisor was like, “It’s known as F1 and Brad Pitt’s hooked up.” That was all the data, and probably there’s a personality which will have one scene. I used to be like, “OK.” After I received the scenes to audition for, I met with [director] Joe Kosinksi and [producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer]. And Jerry mentioned to me, “That you must watch Drive to Survive.”

What was your speedy response to DTS?

I used to be blown away. I like the quick tempo of it. You get the snippets of their dedication and what they put their our bodies by to be the finest they are often. It’s simply fascinating. It’s received a lot hearth in it, drama. And the movie, you’re on the edge of your seat.

It’s an exciting watch. At the identical time, you have got one of the softest and extra mild characters to steadiness that out. What was it you favored about Bernadette?

I approached it because it was. I used to be like, “OK, she’s taking part in a mum.” I used to be in a pair of scenes once I first learn the script. Then, once I received in the room and met Joe, I beloved his work, I feel he’s a superb director, having seen Prime Gun: Maverick, and then Jerry Bruckheimer… I grew up watching so many of his movies. We had a dialog about this character. They’d an actual understanding of what she was like and the relationship she might have had with [Joshua’s] father. There’s all this background data that they had. She’s Caribbean, she works in a medical career. I used to be pondering possibly she works as a nurse or one thing to do with emergencies so she would perceive about being in these areas of trauma. She’d perceive take care of her son. Then, the relationship along with her husband, Joshua’s dad, who handed away, she would perceive caring for him… [Kosinski] was very particular about ensuring this character wasn’t simply, “Oh, I’m a mum and actually depressing and apprehensive about my son.” She has company. You possibly can inform she’s not afraid to place Joshua down. She’s not afraid to tease him. She makes a remark about Sonny being a handsome man. She’s a bit cheeky.

It’s a must to have this mom who roots issues as a result of all the things’s high-energy, high-octane. The stress ranges and pleasure — you must have one thing that grounds it to grasp the place this particular person comes from. Joshua’s character says, “I climbed a mountain to be right here.”

Your efficiency was described by our THR critic as a standout.

[Smiles.] Yeah. After I learn Sonny’s character, and I understood the complexities of this man, then I assumed, “OK, I have to be on this.” I have to [show] what the complexities are for the households [of drivers]. As a lot as it’s their sons placing their our bodies by it, being devoted and centered, it’s the households that assist to drive you as effectively. They assist to push you. They know you at your lowest level.

Did you converse to some of the drivers or their households?

I used to be fortunate sufficient to talk to Sir Lewis Hamilton. And from the get-go, Joe was like, “I’m gonna get you to have a dialog with Lewis.” And he sat with me, we talked and Joe left us to it.

Lewis was actually open about his upbringing. In my view, he’s one of the most profitable racers. He’s not solely the finest driver, he’s the best-dressed. He’s received an entire model. And him speaking about his upbringing and his sacrifices that his dad needed to make — financially, he was not half of that world. I used to be like, these are the issues that I can carry into this. I’m not half of that world. I come from a working-class background. However that’s not a limitation. How do you occupy these areas? Having that actually solidified it for me, and gave me a lot data for a way I might create this character. He was saying his dad was Grenadian… I simply thought to myself, “This character needs to be Bajan.” My dad and mom are from Barbados, and it’s a really small island. I assumed Bernadette needs to be coming from a spot that’s totally different to what we normally see.

And there’s that significance of Lewis being the first Black F1 driver. We see it with Joshua’s character, too. A component of having to work more durable to get right here.

Yeah, yeah. And what I like about the manner Damson portrays Joshua is time has moved on. At the finish he’s like, “That’s who I’m. I’ve occupied this house. I’m not apologizing for something. I’m moving into my energy.” However he’s shifting with it. He understands the place he’s come from, and he’s simply going ahead. It feels very 2025.

[Lewis] has a lot extra to attain as effectively. He’s actually modified the sport. Even watching him in Drive to Survive, how he talks about the automotive, how he’s learning it. After they’re having a debrief a couple of race, it’s not nearly having the ability to drive a automotive actually quick. It’s a must to strategize. It’s a must to know the place you went improper. Kerry’s character talks about the automotive: “I’m not on the market. I would like data from you about what it appears like with a view to change and enhance it.” They must know all about that.

Had you met or labored with Damson earlier than this movie?

I met Damson as soon as, socially, like simply accidentally. However I by no means met him [properly]. He’s received an actual drive and focus, and it really works rather well.

Is he fairly much like Joshua, the character?

No, he’s not. He’s from south London, which I’m from as effectively, and he’s received an actual type of: “That is my time. That is my house. I’m going to only work onerous for it.” He and Brad had been actually going by [it] in rehearsals. I received to look at them race and I feel the one time I noticed Damson make a mistake, he was similar to [drops head]. It meant a lot to him to get it proper.

What was that like, being aware about Damson and Brad’s relationship off-camera and the immense quantity of analysis they had been doing for these roles?

It was nice. I met Brad at a read-through. His power, the manner he got here as much as me and mentioned he beloved me and Ted Lasso. He wasn’t afraid to inform me how a lot he beloved the present and beloved me in it. That’s how he carried himself. He’s very open. And once you received somebody like that as your primary, I instructed him this at the London premiere. I mentioned: “When your primary forged member is open and type and needs to do effectively, all people needs to comply with go well with, proper?” That’s what it’s worthwhile to have. He’s the captain of the ship and he’s steering it. After which Damson, too… I actually needed to pinch myself.

What’s it like on a Joseph Kosinski set?

It’s superb. You’ve received the finest of the finest, actually, once you’ve received, Jerry as a producer [too]. He’s an architect. He understands that is the panorama and the way it’s going to be understood by these receiving it. He’s very, very intelligent.

Is it protected to say you’re an F1 fan now?

Oh, yeah, undoubtedly. 100%.

It should have been so troublesome to movie in components — at the precise races — did you get to go to any?

I used to be at [Silverstone, the British Grand Prix]. I used to be watching behind Joe. He was beneficiant sufficient to let me sit behind him whereas he was filming. And you could possibly really feel, by to the paddock, the spectators, it’s what you’d think about historic Greece was like. It’s theater. Everyone there’s high-energy. And I bear in mind watching after they did the nationwide anthem, it’s loopy how they did it. You possibly can see Brad and Damson standing there. There was a second when the two of them simply began strolling and they had been taking part in “We Will Rock You.” At that time, I feel it was the first or second day I’d been on set, and I hadn’t actually filmed something. I simply mentioned, “This movie, I can inform, goes to be successful.”

I don’t how they managed to [capture F1] however they did. I used to be a bit apprehensive about individuals, particularly hardcore followers. [I thought], “Are they actually going to love this?” However [the drivers] actually have a dedication to eager to do it effectively. Seeing what number of laps they do, seeing the turning factors, there’s a lot in it that they’ve managed to seize about Formulation One.

There may be, it has been mentioned, this fighter pilot degree of bravery in the sport.

And that’s the place Joe comes into it. As a result of once you watch Prime Gun: Maverick, you perceive the pressures of flying these planes. You then perceive Formulation One and the pressures of driving one thing which might in the end might kill you.

At the London premiere, I sat behind Tom Cruise. And Tom Cruise was on the edge of the seat from the get-go. He was watching it like this: [leans forward]. Fortunately, I’d seen it earlier than so I used to be in a position to be a bit extra relaxed. However even I discovered new issues in the movie I hadn’t realized earlier than. And I assumed, “If Tom Cruise is on the edge of his seat, you’ve received a winner right here.” He’s the final entertainer. He was so cool. He mentioned, “Hey, the way you doing?” He mentioned howdy to my pals and the individuals in our row. He was simply so comfy.

Are you able to inform us about your function in Implausible 4?

That you must go and watch it! I work with the Implausible 4. It’s an amazing forged. I can’t look forward to individuals to see it. There’s so much of coronary heart on this one.

So many blockbusters for you.

Matt Shakman, the director of Implausible 4, he was like, “That is the summer season of Sarah.”

The summer season of Sarah Niles!

Yeah. [Laughs.] I gotta go along with that.