Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2014

When Ron Howard recently visited Tokyo for the Japanese premiere of his latest directorial effort Rush, it was something of a second homecoming for the film. The drama focuses on the intense friendship and rivalry between ’70s racing drivers Niki Lauda (played by German actor Daniel Brühl) and James Hunt (Aussie Chris Hemsworth) with the climactic scene set at the rain-soaked Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka. “We were shooting the races in England and we had very limited time when we could be on these Formula One tracks,” Howard recalled. “Fortunately it was England and there was a lot of rain and I would say, ‘we’re not going home guys, we’re going to Japan’ and we would work on those scenes.” Mount Fuji was digitally added in the background to complete the look. The director says the sequence is his favorite in the film and the fact that the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix is so well known, especially among Japanese fans, provided a special challenge. “There was the combination of the demands of recreating that mythic race and also linking these complex characters emotionally in the outcome of that race.” Filming high-speed car races in real rain is something most directors wouldn’t even attempt. But after over a half century in the business, Howard says, “I am at the point in my career when I want some challenges.”