Actors who played iconic Olympians on the silver screen

The 2020 Olympics, which were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, began on July 23 this year. Over the years, many athletes have been portrayed on the silver screen to give insights into their journeys to the Olympics. Watching actors step into the shoes of iconic Olympians lets us live their struggles and achievements vicariously.

One such example is Taron Egerton as Eddie Edwards in "Eddie the Eagle", a biopic about a British ski jumper who finished last in both the 70- and 90-meter jumps in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Egerton does a phenomenal job by walking the tightrope of playing Eddie as a very loveable character with quirks, but also as a man who also has unwavering determination. The film offers a refreshing outlook at a famous athlete who emerges as the underdog while wearing thick glasses and struggling with his self-deprecating attitudes.

Taron Egerton played Eddie Edwards in “Eddie the Eagle”, a biopic about a British ski jumper who finished last in both the 70- and 90-meter jumps in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

In "I, Tonya", Margot Robbie delivers a performance rich in sympathy, grace and tenacity, which earned her a well-deserved Oscar nomination. The film is based on the true story of the US figure skater Tonya Harding, who attempted to conceal her ex-husband's assault on her rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. The astounding cinematography flaunts Robbie's skating skills as she accomplishes a feat of portraying Tonya through frizzy hair wigs, and prosthetics.

In 2016, Stephan James starred as the eminent African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the movie, "Race". The title of the film serves as a double entendre because it not only depicts Owens' victories on the track, but also the prejudice against his race. James trained twice a day for three consecutive months and spent time with Owens' family in order to do a convincing job at portraying the four-time Olympic champion. By swinging between being a gritty and a feel-good movie, the plot and James' marvelous acting do justice to Owens' life story.

Stephan James starred as the eminent African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the movie, “Race”.

Jared Leto has a repertoire of going to great lengths in order to fully transform into characters. In preparing for his role as the Olympic long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine in "Prefontaine", he was no different. Leto trained for six weeks to emulate Prefontaine's running techniques, facial expressions, and movements. In fact, his acting was so remarkable that the resemblance between real-life Prefontaine and movie Prefontaine were uncanny.

Jared Leto gave a phenomenal performance in Prefontaine.

Last but not the least, the Oscar-winning movie, "Chariots of Fire", featured Ben Cross and Ian Charleson as iconic Olympians Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, respectively. Despite their racial and social differences at the beginning of the film, Cross and Charleson establish themselves as well-drawn characters that are brought together by their passion for running. The dynamic between Abrahams and Liddell was showcased brilliantly by the actors.

The Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire featured Ben Cross and Ian Charleson as iconic Olympians Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, respectively.

These nuanced and versatile portrayals of enigmatic Olympic athletes are like a temple of hope for us in these fractured times. The months of training and effort to transform into a real-life person really pays off when we see the actors on the silver screen.

The author is a freelance journalist. Email: shanzaychowdhury@gmail.com.