The Program: See three new clips from the upcoming Lance Armstrong biopic

Image

Stephen Frears’ upcoming Lance Armstrong biopic The Program depicts the downfall of the infamous Tour de France champ. The film, which will close out the Austin Film Festival next month, stars Ben Foster as the shamed cyclist alongside Jesse Plemons, Chris O’Dowd, and Dustin Hoffman.

In the latest clip, above, the “most tested athlete on the face of the planet” remains firm during a press conference that he will pass any drug test thrown his way. “Will they say Lance Armstrong tested positive? No,” he says. “Because I have never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.”

Foster took on the role with the help of a vigorous diet, research, and some experimentation with performance-enhancing drugs, which he revealed back in September. “But this particular job offered an opportunity to faithfully explore this world, and I did a contained version of what Lance and his teammates went through,” Foster told EW during a recent interview. “And as I said before, the drugs work. Doesn’t mean I can win the Tour de France, but the drugs work. It shapes your body. You don’t stop when ordinarily you would, you don’t gas out. But the fallout of not taking the drugs when you’re done is when it’s most hazardous. Your body no longer produces [that amount of oxygen], so you’re in that deficit position and getting those levels back to normal is a bit tricky. It’s not something I recommend, to other actors or anybody not under very, very severe doctor’s supervision.”

Two additional clips (available below) arrived online as well, which provide a better look into Plemons’ portrayal of fellow cyclist Floyd Landis. The Program is set to debut in the U.S. in 2016.

Related Articles