Now playing in theaters is writer Steven Knight and director Edward Zwick‘s great movie Pawn Sacrifice. Tobey Maguire stars as the gifted, yet troubled chess- prodigy Bobby Fischer who takes part in “The Match of the Century,” the 1972 World Chess Championship match between Fisher and the USSR champ, Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber). While it’s hard to believe it now, the ’72 match was the biggest story of the year and it was watched by millions of people, capturing the attention of a world on the brink of war. Pawn Sacrifice also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lily Rabe, and Robin Weigert. For more watch the featurette or trailer.
At the press day for the film I landed an exclusive video interview with Michael Stuhlbarg. He talked about making Pawn Sacrifice, how much of Bobby Fischer’s story he knew before getting involved, his preparation process, how the last few years have treated him well, and a lot more. Watch what he had to say below and you can also watch him talk about Trumbo and Story of Your Life here.
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Michael Stuhlbarg Time Index:
- 0:22 – Comments on how much of Bobby Fischer’s story he knew before getting involved with the movie.
- 1:04 – Reveals how he came onboard Pawn Sacrifice.
- 1:55 – Talks about refining his preparation process over the course of his career.
- 4:15 – Talks about researching and crafting his character versus sticking with the script.
- 5:50 - Reveals more about which parts of Fischer’s story he learned during production.
- 7:50 – Stuhlbarg reflects on recent roles in his career and how they keep him focused.
