- Title: Borg attends Borg-McEnroe rivalry movie premiere
- Date: 4th September 2017
- Summary: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (SEPTEMBER 4, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ***WARNING CONTAINS PROFANITY*** FORMER SWEDISH TENNIS PLAYER BJORN BORG AND WIFE PATRICIA OSTFELDT AND SON LEO BORG, WHO IS ALSO IN THE MOVIE, ARRIVE FOR GALA PREMIERE PHOTOGRAPHERS BORG FAMILY POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS BORG POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS ACTOR SVERRIR GUDNASON, WHO PLAYS BORG, BEING INTERVIEWED BORG SURROUNDED BY MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER SWEDISH TENNIS PLAYER BJORN BORG, SAYING: "I thought the movie was very good. I think the actors they did a great job and it's strange to see yourself on the screen though but I'm really happy with the movie." BORG AND GUDNASON POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER SWEDISH TENNIS PLAYER BJORN BORG, SAYING: "I was surprised when they did the movie when they started to make the movie because you never know how it's going to turn out. But when I saw it a couple of weeks ago I was very happy, I was very pleased because you never know but it's because of Janus (Metz Pedersen), he did a good job and the actors they really played their parts very well." THE MOVIE'S ACTORS POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS ACTOR SHIA LABEOUF, WHO PLAYS JOHN MCENROE ON THE RIGHT, ACTOR STELLAN SKARSGARD, WHO PLAYS BORG'S COACH LENNART BERGELIN, BORG, LEO BORG, GUDNASON AND ACTRESS TUVA NOVOTNY, WHO PLAYS BORG'S EX-WIFE MARIANA BORG NOVOTNY WALKING PAST VARIOUS OF BJORN BORG'S EX-WIFE MARIANA SIMIONESCU TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) BJORN BORG'S EX-WIFE MARIANA SIMIONESCU, SAYING: "Emotion, very much emotion really (reporter asking: were they good years?) Yes of course, especially these kinds of emotions when he won in 1980 so it's good."/ WALKS AWAY VARIOUS OF DIRECTOR, JANUS METZ PEDERSEN, TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, JANUS METZ PEDERSEN, SAYING: "You know he's one of the greatest icons in Sweden and all Swedes have a relationship to Bjorn Borg. It's a story that's well known to everyone so obviously that's kind of awe inspiring and you know I've tried to approach this film with as little fear as I possibly could because that's the only way you can make a movie of this sort and it's the only way you can try to make it true because if you worry too much about the little Bjorn Borgs and John McEnroes sitting on your shoulder, then you can only fail." SKARSGARD BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR STELLAN SKARSGARD, SAYING: "I mean it's a role, it's another job but it was a very good script because it was not the average sports movie which is about who's going to succeed, who's going to come out on top and there was no bad guy and good guy and all that bullshit. It was about people, and there was a lot of humanity involved in the script that was beyond the pure sports events, so I like the script a lot."
- Embargoed: 18th September 2017 19:58
- Keywords: Bjorn Borg John McEnroe tennis rivalry Wimbledon Borg movie premiere
- Location: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
- City: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: Sweden
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA0016X6MKP9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: PROFANITY IN SHOT 18
Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg attended the gala premiere of the movie "Borg McEnroe" on Monday (September 4).
The movie, starring Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason as Borg and American Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe, centres on the battle between tennis greats Borg and John McEnroe on and off the court in the 1980 Wimbledon men's singles final.
That hard-fought duel, which was won by Borg in the fifth and final set, is widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches in history.
Borg and McEnroe were often seen as polar opposites in terms of on-court personality. While Sweden's Borg always remained calm and focused, his fiery American rival was famed for his on-court tantrums and tirades at tournament umpires.
"I think the actors did a great job," Borg told Reuters at the premiere in Stockholm. "It's strange to see yourself on the screen, but I'm really happy with the movie."
The film opens to the general public in Sweden on Friday (September 8) and will be screened at the Toronto Film Festival this week.
Veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard also stars as Borg's coach Lennart Bergelin, while Borg's son Leo plays his father as a boy.
In the Nordic region the film's title will be simply "Borg", a spokeswoman for the distributor said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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