Photo by Michael Heitz Actors Jim Caviezel (left) as Jim McCormick and Paul Dooley as Madison Mayor Don Vaughn prepare to film a scene along Vaughn Drive at the Madison riverfront in fall 1999.

Jim Caviezel

‘Madison’ set to roll
on silver screen

Actor Caviezel gave up his salary for independent film

By Don Ward
Editor
(April 2005) – Prior to his recent rise to Hollywood fame playing Christ in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” (2004) and his lead role in “The Count of Monte Cristo” (2002), actor James Caviezel spent the late summer and fall of 1999 in Madison, Ind., portraying a real-life Unlimited hydroplane race boat driver.
The late Jim McCormick, a fierce competitor on the water but affectionately called “Gentleman Jim” for his mild temperament, piloted the community owned Miss Madison to victory in the July 4, 1971, Gold Cup race in Madison. Twenty-eight years later, when Indianapolis native Bill Bindley was preparing to shoot a movie based on the Gold Cup story, he needed someone who could capture McCormick’s quiet intensity.
He chose Caviezel.
That may seem like quite a stretch for Caviezel fans today. But back then, the 30-year-old Caviezel was a relative unknown who had shown potential for big screen parts after having starred in “Frequency” and “The Thin Red Line.” There was something about the Mount Vernon, Wash., native’s dark eyes and good looks that stood out. He exhibited a determined, yet calm demeanor that brought McCormick to life on screen.
That story is about to be told to thousands of movie-goers with MGM’s scheduled April 22 limited national release of the movie “Madison.” A world premiere of the movie is being planned April 16 in downtown Madison.
In a March 11 telephone interview from Los Angeles, Caviezel, 36, praised the movie as a story that demonstrates “character, triumph and integrity.”
The movie’s storyline focuses on the father-and-son relationship, through which the son learns the value of grit and determination to achieve one’s goals. For Caviezel, the overriding message of the film is that “character is not built in times of triumph, it’s built in times of hardship.”
Caviezel said he spent many hours meeting with with McCormick’s son, Mike, and his wife, Bonnie, to learn as much as he could about the man. He had little else to go on except for the “ABC Wide World of Sports” interview with McCormick that was filmed immediately after the 1971 race.
“I never heard him talk other than that interview,” Caviezel said. “ I listened to it over and over to try and imagine what he might be like.”
In the end, the character you see on screen is a little of both men, he said: “This is Jim McCormick, but it’s a lot of me, too.”

Photo by Michael Heitz Mary McCormack portrays Bonnie McCormick in a touching scene with Jim Caviezel.

To look the part, the actor wore the actual Rayban-type sunglasses that McCormick wore. Bonnie McCormick gave the sunglasses to Caviezel as a memento, and Caviezel said he keeps them in a special place in his home.
Asked what he remembered most about his nine weeks spent in Madison to make the movie, he replied, “I remember thinking that I hope we have enough money to finish it. I gave up my salary to make the movie.”
He recalled that the restored vintage Unlimited hydroplane boats used to recreate the race scenes “were difficult to operate and maintain, and it was draining the budget.” But in the end, he said that overcoming such challenges “made the film stronger.”
He compared the 1971 team’s struggle to overcome the odds to win the Gold Cup had many similarities to the independent film crew’s challenges of getting the movie made on a shoestring budget.
Director Bill Bindley had several actors in mind for playing the lead role of McCormick. Caviezel was recommended to him by an agent representing actor Bill Pullman (“Twister”). Caviezel, however, was at first unable to commit to the project because he was being considered for a role in a Robert Redford movie. When another actor won the part, Caviezel took the job and offered to waive his fee. At that point, Bindley had only three weeks to scout locations and hire a cast before filming began.
Caviezel worked with fellow actors Jake Lloyd (as Mike McCormick), Mary McCormack (as Bonnie McCormick) and Bruce Dern (as engine specialist Harry Volpi), Paul Dooley and Chelcie Ross.
Tony Steinhardt, the real-life Miss Madison team manager in 1971 who is portrayed by actor Brent Briscoe, said Caviezel nailed the part of McCormick. “He was compassionate and competitive, similar to McCormick.”
Steinhardt said Caviezel had never seen a hydroplane race boat before. “We talked a lot about Jim’s mannerisms, how he would react to certain situations. Jim Caviezel was a pleasant individual to work with and be around. He was inquisitive and wanted to know all he could about the man he was portraying.”
Briscoe, 43, an actor and screenwriter, called Caviezel’s performance “impressive.
He’s a great guy, and when you watch him on the screen, it’s amazing how much you can see through his eyes. He was perfect for the role.”
Frank Knapp, an actor from Nashville, Tenn., who plays real-life team member Bobby Humphrey, said working with Caviezel “was a pleasure. I learned from him and Bruce Dern and Chelcie Ross. Jim is very comfortable to be around.”
In a March interview, Mark Fauser, an actor and screenwriter who plays “Travis,” recalled an encounter he had with Caviezel on the set in between filming. Travis is a mentally challenged race team member created by the screenwriters, and after the cameras stopped rolling one day, Fauser began speaking to Caviezel out of character.

Photo by Michael Heitz Bruce Dern as Harry Volpi makes a point on camera with Jim Caviezel as Jim McCormick.

“My character is a little off. He wears these funky glasses and a hat. I’d walk around the set and be this guy,” said Fauser, who lives in Marion, Ind. “Jim was shocked when I started talking to him in my normal voice one day. He thought I was really like that (mentally challenged). I considered that a compliment.”
Caviezel could not say in March whether he would be able to attend the movie premiere in Madison. “Right now, I’m committed to another film (“Unknown,” an independently financed thriller directed by Simon Brand), and my schedule is dictated by that commitment. Tell all the folks in Madison I said hello.”
Caviezel attended both the January 2001 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Madison” and the Heartland Film Festival showing in October 2001 in Indianapolis.
He was the guest of honor at the 2002 Indianapolis 500. A private screening of the movie was held in Indianapolis during the week leading up to the race.

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• For more information, visit the official movie website: www.madisonthemovie.com. To view the movie trailer and message board, visit RoundAbout’s “Madison” movie web page at: www.roundaboutmadison.com.

• Editor’s Note: You can view the movie trailer in its entirety online at:
www.madisonthemovie.com/madison.html. Click on “Madison.”

“Madison” Movie Credits
Made in USA, 2001
Release Date: Late Summer 2004
Distributors: MGM
Runtime: 94 min.
Executive Producers: Carl Amari, Chris Dennis, Steve Salutric, Roy Millonzi
Producers: Martin Wiley, William Bindley
Co-Producer: Lisa Lloyd
Screenwriters: William Bindley, Scott Bindley
Director: William Bindley (Credits: “The Eighteenth Angel,” “Judicial Consent”)
Principal Cast: Jim Caviezel (Jim McCormick), Jake Lloyd (Mike McCormick), Mary McCormack (Bonnie McCormick), Bruce Dern (Harry Volpi), Paul Dooley (Mayor Don Vaughn), Brent Briscoe (Tony Steinhardt).
Additional Cast: Frank Knapp (Bobby Humphrey), Kristina Anapau (Tami), James Andelin (Merle), Reed Diamond (Skip), Mark Fauser (Travis), Richard Lee Jackson (Buddy), Matthew Letscher (Owen Henderson), Cody McMains (Bobby Epperson), William Shockley (Rick Winston), Vincent Ventresca (Walker Grief), John M. Watson Sr. (Walter).
Storyline: A somewhat fictionalized account of a true story about an Unlimited hydroplane driver’s surprise victory in the 1971 Gold Cup at Madison, Ind.
Official website: http://www.madisonthemovie.com

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