(gentle music) - This was really.
for me, a journey into discovery of not only the historical figure, but also the man.
To take someone that we've seen in black and white footage or photographs and turn them into a living breathing person.
That was the challenge for me with FDR.
- When I found out that Kyle MacLachlan would do FDR, I was super happy and fascinated and curious.
We met in Prague before the shooting, and he was trying things on in order to make him FDR.
He's in a wheelchair, an old wheelchair, and how he transformed into FDR in front of my eyes.
I was impressed before and now I'm beyond impressed of Kyle.
- I was very pleased to see how extremely well-prepared Kyle was when he arrived in the Czech Republic.
He had already done his own research.
- Taking on the physicality of Roosevelt was challenging.
And I had a real partner-in-crime with the director Alexander, who encouraged me to really dig deep and gather as much information and as much knowledge as possible.
He was crippled with polio.
And I did a lot of work into the reality of the brace that he wore.
They came up with this contraption that was really ingenious because he could control when he needed to sit and when he needed to stand.
He could actually click into place metal devices to make it rigid if he needed to stand or to actually give it some flexibility if he needed to bend his knees.
And it was very important that he could stand and present himself to the public in that way, in a stronger way.
He's very conscious of the way he was viewed.
He was a man who enjoyed having people around him.
He was a born entertainer.
I think a lot of that had to do with the day-to-day pain, to be honest, the physical pain that he was experiencing was mitigated, I think, by the comfort of people around him and the ability to engage with them in conversation that took his mind off his infirmity.
He had a tremendous compassion and understanding.
The understanding of what it's like to be the underdog.
This is not about doing the right thing.
It's about doing what is absolutely necessary.
Taking on Roosevelt comes with a tremendous responsibility to do right by the man.
And I was really happy there was such an openness to my interpretation of FDR from both Sofia and Alex, that they really appreciated the effort and the work that I put into it, and that's all you can really hope for.
(dramatic music)
