Opening this week in theaters is writer Steven Knight and director Edward Zwick‘s great new 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 Los Angeles press day I sat down with Tobey Maguire for an extended video interview. He talked about why he wanted to make the film (which has been a project of his for years), how he prepares for a role, the global attention on Fischer’s world championship match, producing, his thoughts on going method for a role, how he came to be an extra in The Wizard, and a lot more. Here’s what he had to say:

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Tobey Maguire:

• :13 – What is it about the story that compelled him to make the film?
• 1:44 – Talks about the global attention on Fischer’s world championship match.
• 2:34 – How does he prepare for a role? Says he has a bit of a routine.
• 4:13 – Talks about Method acting.
• 5:53 – On producing more in the future.
• 6:45 – Reminisces about The Wizard and how he came to be an extra in the film. Talks about meeting Jenny Lewis on the movie.
• 8:30 – What films do people want to talk about the most with him?
• 9:13 – Does he rewatch his older work?