If you’re lucky, something truly amazing might happen in your lifetime that will affect your entire community. That is exactly what happened to the small town of McFarland, CA in 1987 when the high school cross country team surprised everyone by becoming state champions. But perhaps even more surprising is that almost thirty years later, Walt Disney Pictures decided to make a film about it and shoot it in the real McFarland, a town that couldn’t feel farther away from the glamour of Hollywood.
Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) was attracted to the project because the people of McFarland were inspiring to her. She was in awe of their Mexican American culture and lifestyle, which for kids often means getting up before sunrise to work in the fields, then go to school, then back to the fields before returning home for dinner and homework. She was also attracted to the possibility of filming in the real McFarland. She fully immersed herself in the culture, buying a low-rider car to fit in. Looking back on this whole experience, she referred to it as being “deeply satisfying.”
Like any film made by a major studio, you need a star. Enter Kevin Costner, a legend of the sports film genre. Caro sought him out based on his work in Bull Durham, which is one of her favorite films. For Costner, this story hit close to home because he went to high school not far from McFarland. He remembers driving down these roads in his youth and seeing pickers in the fields and making friends with some of them. Costner thinks his character Jim White represents the best of the best. He’s a coach that is able to reach out to these kids at a time when their parents won’t be able to get through to them. Regarding directing Costner, Caro said “It was nothing but a privilege and a pleasure and I’d do it again tomorrow.”
Casting the runners took over a year of auditioning young actors and athletes for the team. Surprisingly, two of the young men chosen had no previous acting experience and grew up in McFarland. Romero Rodriguez was one of them and felt less pressure when the production provided an acting coach. But since the inexperienced actors were doing so well, the acting coach was let go after a few weeks. Sergio Avelar also grew up in McFarland and was a runner in high school. He went to the audition at the request of his family and still can’t believe he got the part. Training consisted of a solid month of running five to six miles every day, but Romero only received one week of training since his character typically comes in last place.
In the film, coach White forms a strong bond with the members of his cross country team. A similar bond was formed in real life between Kevin Costner and the young actors. He became a real coach to them, guiding them through their first major motion picture with great enthusiasm and interest. Hector Duran described Costner as being so humble that he literally offered the coat off his back when Duran was cold. Niki Caro says this friendship between the actors is the reason why the film works so well, but Costner counteracted and said Caro’s trust in everybody, including the community of McFarland, is the reason everything worked.
Because they were making a film based on a true story in the real location, the actors had full access to the real-life characters they were playing. Each of the boys met the original running team and felt more at ease with the roles as a result. The real coach Jim White was ecstatic that Kevin Costner was cast to play him and said the only way it could have been better would be if they cast Clint Eastwood (White’s nickname is Clint because he’s such a big fan). White’s only complaint is the portrayal of his wife Cheryl, whose role in the team’s success is underplayed on screen. Looking back on the finished film, Danny Diaz was so happy to see Disney portraying them the way they really were. He feels like it’s the first time an authentic Mexican American life has been portrayed in a family film.
McFarland, USA is a very inspirational film and it’s the character’s journeys that make it interesting, not so much the sports. Kevin Costner had a few words of wisdom that may surprise fans of his sports films: “If you want to make a great sports movie, don’t put too much sports in it.” That’s exactly what this film does, treating cross country as a backdrop and placing the characters in the center. But more importantly, McFarland, USA is a very American film. “This is as American a story as you can possibly have,” remarked Costner. “There is no more American a story than parents willing to do anything for their children.”