Secretariat may be a movie about a horse, but it is actress Diane Lane who steals the show.
Released in theaters across the United States on Friday, Oct. 8, Secretariat is based on the true-life story of the 1973 winner of the U.S. Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery, a housewife handed down a horse from her father, who is on his deathbed. She realizes the horse from Meadow Stables could be quite a winner, but taking on the male-dominated horse racing industry is a different story altogether.
The task of taking over the horse and grooming it to be a winning champion was “the work I was meant to do,” Penny Chenery is reported to have said in the 1970s.
Diane Lane’s character teams up with a veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), and the rest is history as Secretariat becomes the first horse in a quarter-century to win the Triple Crown.
Despite Malkovich’s strong character, Diane Lane’s performance shines through, even though the veteran actress was not much of a horse-person before the movie. The Under the Tuscan Sun star had to learn all about racehorses during the making of the film.
What attracted her to being part of the film? Apparently, Lane was fascinated with the character that she was to portray.
“I have to admit that, first of all, Penny Chenery is a historic figure for a reason. She is a great lady,” Lane said in an interview with the Early Show host Harry Smith.
“This film, if anything is anti-cynical, it’s a breath of fresh air,” she added.
Lane’s fascination and admiration for Penny Chenery comes through in spades in the film, even as Secretariat is the winner of the race at the end.
Released in theaters across the United States on Friday, Oct. 8, Secretariat is based on the true-life story of the 1973 winner of the U.S. Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery, a housewife handed down a horse from her father, who is on his deathbed. She realizes the horse from Meadow Stables could be quite a winner, but taking on the male-dominated horse racing industry is a different story altogether.
The task of taking over the horse and grooming it to be a winning champion was “the work I was meant to do,” Penny Chenery is reported to have said in the 1970s.
Diane Lane’s character teams up with a veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), and the rest is history as Secretariat becomes the first horse in a quarter-century to win the Triple Crown.
Despite Malkovich’s strong character, Diane Lane’s performance shines through, even though the veteran actress was not much of a horse-person before the movie. The Under the Tuscan Sun star had to learn all about racehorses during the making of the film.
What attracted her to being part of the film? Apparently, Lane was fascinated with the character that she was to portray.
“I have to admit that, first of all, Penny Chenery is a historic figure for a reason. She is a great lady,” Lane said in an interview with the Early Show host Harry Smith.
“This film, if anything is anti-cynical, it’s a breath of fresh air,” she added.
Lane’s fascination and admiration for Penny Chenery comes through in spades in the film, even as Secretariat is the winner of the race at the end.
