Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort reveals why all his stunt driving sessions weren’t for naught

ANSEL Elgort, the star of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, underwent intensive training behind the wheel for his new role as a tinnitus-suffering getaway driver.

WITH our cinemas inundated by super heroes, robots, and rehashed ’90s TV shows, an old school, energetic car-chase caper is a welcome relief.

A heist movie with a twist, Baby Driver stars Ansel Elgort (The Divergent Series, The Fault in Our Stars) in the titular role as a talented young getaway driver who works for a robbery syndicate. ‘Baby’ suffers from tinnitus. To combat the constant ringing in his ears, he listens to music, which, quite literally, amplifies his driving skills. Armed with ear buds in place, he can execute death-defying manouevres at dizzying speeds.

Written and directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), the music in the film is as integral a component of Baby Driver as it was to La La Land. Brimming with kinetic energy, each moment of every scene is choreographed to music. Some of the tracks include Bellbottoms by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Golden Earring’s Radar Love. Says Wright, “We choreographed everything, even when it looks like it wasn’t choreographed.”

Elgort says of landing the much coveted lead role: “I met Edgar before I had read the script and we ended up just talking about music. We talked, talked, talked, and finally he said, ‘Read the script’. It was then that I understood why we talked about music the entire time. And then I auditioned.” He smiles. “A lot.”

‘Baby’ suffers from tinnitus. Picture: Wilson Webb/Sony/TriStar via AP

Even with a small budget of $US34 million, Wright managed to assemble a stellar cast, including Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Elza Gonzalez, and Downton Abbey’s Lily James. Elgort says, “When I realised I got the part I was sitting there going, ‘That’s crazy. Holy sh--, I’m in a movie starring with these guys!”

Says Wright, “I wrote the script with some of the characters in mind, but some of the actors weren’t born yet when the idea came to me. People say to me, ‘Why did it take you so long to make Baby Driver?’ and I say, ‘I was waiting for Ansel Elgort to grow up to be a leading man’.”

Elgort underwent extensive training behind the wheel.

“I worked with the stunt team, which was a dream come true because everybody wants to learn how to do all the tricks with the car. I got really into that and I was really excited. But then once I was on set, I kept saying, ‘Am I going to do any driving today?’ And I’d hear, ‘No, not today.’ This happened every day and by the end of the first week, I realised I am going to be doing very few stunts. So I probably did like four or five in total.”

Elgort is a gun behind the wheel. Picture: Wilson Webb/Sony/TriStar Pictures via AP

Elgort was, in fact, attached to a rig most of the time. “I did the training so that being on the rig wouldn’t be disconcerting and I would feel connected to the car, even with the rig.” To help achieve the you-are-there audience experience, Wright shot a lot of the scenes strapped to the hood of the car. “Some things seem like a good idea at the time,” laughs Wright. “But actually it was better to be there on the car than back at the monitors. It was a crazy thing to do, but it worked when I had to communicate with Ansel because I was right there with him.”

But it’s not all car chases and robberies; there’s a love story between Baby and Debra (James), a waitress who he feels can help him escape the world of crime, a realm from which he is desperate to leave.

“The love story element is important to the film because when he meets Debra, the emptiness that he’s feeling gets filled very quickly,” says James. “He realises very quickly that this is important, that she needs to be taken care of and protected.”

Young love. Picture: Wilson Webb/Sony/TriStar via AP

James most recently starred in Cinderella (2015) as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).

“This was my first American role. I love working with Ansel. He’s so all-American, so it was really useful because he really tuned me in, I think, to the accent and also to a kind of naturalism and subtlety,” she says.

Elgort’s driving efforts may not be on the screen, but his car training sessions weren’t for naught.
“It has definitely made me a better driver. I didn’t know how to drive stick before this, because Americans don’t know how to drive stick,” he explains. “I also learned about being relaxed behind the wheel.” He grins. “I’m now driving the Subaru from the movie. I kept asking them every day for months whether they’d sell me the car,” he says.
“The studio told me I wasn’t going to be able to buy it. Finally it was my birthday, and they said, ‘We have a surprise for you!’”

BABY DRIVER OPENS THURSDAY

Originally published as Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort reveals why all his stunt driving sessions weren’t for naught