William Goldenberg is known as the editor behind some of the biggest hit films of the last 25 years, from The Insider and Zero Dark Thirty to National Treasure and Argo, for which he won the Oscar for Best Editing. But now he’s taking to the directing chair, bringing his directorial debut Unstoppable—a stirring sports drama about a wrestler defying the odds, starring Jherrel Jerome of Moonlight—to the Chicago International Film Festival, with star Jerome and subject Anthony Robles joining in-person on Oct. 17 at the Music Box Theatre. We chatted with William about his favorite sports movies, his career as an editor, and the classic Chicago film he got his start on.
This is your directorial debut. What about this inspiring autobiography initially drew you in?
When I heard about Anthony’s story and then had the pleasure of reading his book, I thought this is a man people should know more about. I was looking for a project to direct and his story was one I couldn’t stop thinking about. How was it possible that he could have accomplished all that he did and go through what he did, it seemed like he was too good to be true? Then I met Anthony and I found out he was all that and more. I have never met anyone like him, he radiates grace, goodness and generosity. I thought that the world could learn a lot from Anthony Robles and I am so honored he and his family have trusted me with their story.
You’ve spent most of your career as an editor. What about the editing process trained you well to make your directorial debut?
Being an editor for a long as I have has prepared me to direct in a number of ways. Most importantly, editing has taught me a tremendous amount about storytelling and that is at the heart of what we all strive to do in making films – tell great stories. It helped in other ways as well, from where to put the camera to what coverage I needed for each scene to tell the story I wanted to tell. The thing that it didn’t prepare me for was talking to the actors. However, I decided to talk to the actors the way I like directors to talk to me as an editor. Editors, actors and all crew members are all trying to interpret what the director wants in a given scene so I used the knowledge I’ve gained from working with the incredibly talented directors that I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with throughout my editing career. Also, I went to several acting and directing classes because I thought it would be helpful to observe these skills in a classroom setting. This combination of past observation experience on sets and classes worked well for me.
You’ve worked on films related to sports in the past – Seabiscuit, Unbroken, Air. What about sports movies speak to you? And what are some of your favorites and/or inspirations?
Sports films speak to me on a number of levels. Most sports films are stories about underdogs overcoming great odds to become a champion and that basic idea speaks to most people. Who doesn’t like seeing an underdog defeat the defending champion or the unbeatable foe? As an ex-athlete, I played ice hockey in high school, college and most of my adult life. I feel comfortable in the sports world, whether it’s the camaraderie of being a part of a team or the incredible hard work it takes to become great at something. Some of my favorites aside from the ones that I have worked on are Rudy, Miracle, Hoosiers, Raging Bull, and Bull Durham.
How was Anthony Robles involved in the production?
Anthony was involved in every aspect of the production from the writing to the post production. When co-writer John Hindman and I were working on the screenplay we were constantly calling Anthony and asking questions about how something really happened or what he was feeling at any given time in his life. The insights we gained from him during the writing process were invaluable, most of the time what really happened was so much more cinematic than anything we could have imagined. Anthony is such a gifted wrestler and there isn’t anyone who can move on a mat like he does, and I felt it was important for the authenticity of the film to have him do the more difficult wrestling. He and Judy were on set most of the time and it was an inspiration it was for me and the rest of the crew. In post-production he went over all the cuts of the wrestling scenes to make sure that they were as authentic as possible. It was a whole new world for him working on a film set and he handled it like the champion that he is.
There are so many iconic portrayals that have come out of Chicago—from Ferris Bueller to the Blues Brothers—do you have a favorite Windy City feature?
There are so many films set in Chicago that I love so it’s very hard to choose, but I would pick The Breakfast Club. The first reason is because I worked on it as an apprentice editor, where I had the pleasure of working with the great editor Dede Allen. More importantly, it was one of the first films that I saw that really spoke to me, where I saw kids experience what I did when I was growing up. The first time I saw the film put together I knew that it would have a lasting effect for years to come. To this day when I mention that I worked on it, the response is always the same. People shriek with joy and envy “you worked on The Breakfast Club!!”
Unstoppable will screen Thursday, October 17, at the Music Box Theatre with a Q&A to follow featuring actor Jharrel Jerome and producer/film subject Anthony Robles. The film will screen again on Friday, October 18, at AMC NEWCITY 14.
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