'Lean on Pete' stars 15-year-old Charlie Plummer as the lead and an American Quarter Horse named ‘Starsky’. Image by Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo.
A boy-and-horse movie with a difference. Nothing is conventional about Lean on Pete, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin.
‘LEAN ON PETE’ – 2018
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Starring Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny and Steve Buscemi
‘Lean on Pete’ was released in 2018 and was directed by Andrew Haigh.
“For much of the trip
across Oregon, Idaho, Colorado
and Wyoming, ‘Pete’ is
Charley’s only companion….”
Directed by British-born Andrew Haigh – who admitted to being scared of horses – Lean on Pete starred 15-year-old Charlie Plummer as the lead (Charley Thompson) and an American Quarter Horse named ‘Starsky’.
The film begins with the boy arriving in Portland, Oregon, with his single father keen for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. Charley finds acceptance at a local quarter horse racetrack where he lands a job caring for an ageing ‘Lean on Pete’. He’s befriended by the horse’s owner, played by Steve Buscemi, and his jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) who help Charley fill the void of his father’s continued absence – all there is at home are empty rooms and beer and cereal in the fridge!
Then the boy discovers ‘Pete’ is bound for the abattoir, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare the horse’s life. Charley takes him away and they head out into the great unknown, embarking across the American frontier in search of a loving aunt the boy hasn’t seen in years. For much of the trip across Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming, Pete’ is Charley’s only companion. He sleeps beside him and talks to him, revealing his secrets and heartaches.
The two experience adventure and sadness together but never lose hope as they pursue the dream of finding a place to call home.
The film’s producer, Tristan Goligher, declared: “It was a very challenging shoot. We were dealing with 20 horses, three races, and our lead was a minor. The geography was unpredictable, and the desert weather meant it could be 92 degrees [33C] during the day and absolutely freezing at night.”
The horses were supplied by Lauren Henry and Roland Sonnenberg of Talented Animals, whose headquarters are in Oregon.
“The synergy was
really amazing…”
The film stars Charlie Plummer (as Charley Thompson) and Chloë Sevigny (as jockey Bonnie). Image by Entertainment Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo.
“The main horse was played by one we have at home named Starsky,” explains Lauren. “He’s a registered Quarter Horse. We had presented pictures and videos of 30 different horses and in the end it came down to nine. The director wanted to meet them in person.
“He came out to our ranch and when he drove up and saw Starsky he was still in the car when he announced that he was the one to play Pete; there was no need to look at the others.”
Lauren considers the horse a true actor in that he puts himself out there. “In sequences between Charlie and Starsky they could pull out the feelings from each scene because they were both so vulnerable. This wasn’t a horse who’d stand with the same stoney face each day. Instead Starsky was like, ‘I’m going to check in with what Charlie’s up to and be there’. The synergy was really amazing.”
The film’s other equine cast members included 20 racing Thoroughbreds and six trained movie horses who, among other things, could show pain, paw the ground and lie down on command.
Before making this picture the young lead, who is in almost every frame, had never spent time around horses. During pre-production he began working with trainers to learn his way around a stable.
“I was nervous the first day I showed up,” he admits, “because horses are big animals. They can push you around and step on your feet; you have to be really aware at all times.”
But almost immediately he bonded with Starsky who he described as a “big puppy”. “And he had these huge, beautiful eyes and a lot of personality.” An unmistakable chemistry developed between the two. “After getting to know him I knew it was going to be difficult saying goodbye when filming finished. He’s smart and compassionate and, hopefully, that shows up on the screen.”
“There are no close-up shots of the horse’s eyes looking at Charley. It’s not about trying to create a fake connection between the two of them. Charley needs that horse for his own purposes, but the horse is always just a horse. This isn’t ‘Black Beauty’.” – Andrew Haigh, director.
Charlie and Starsky bonded quickly on set. Image by Landmark Media/Alamy Stock Photo.
Chloë Sevigny, playing the jockey, travelled to Portland to work with the trainers practising leg-ups on the lead horse and on another named High Pockets. She also worked on her role in Los Angeles, watched docos like Buck (about Buck Brannaman) and learned about equine vernacular and horse handling to help overcome her fear of being with the large animals. “You must learn a lot of sensitivity when you’re around them because every environment they go into is different to them,” she says. “And you get to know where they like to be stroked.”
A particular challenge for Haigh and his director of photography was the filming of the race sequences, many of which had to be shot in a single take, making it all even more stressful. “We couldn’t afford to run more than one set of horses and we had to mix professionals like Starsky with actual racehorses. Luckily, we had very few problems with the animals. Starsky, in particular, had been incredibly well trained by his handlers.”
Slate magazine praised the movie’s storyline: “The film slowly becomes a riveting chronicle of survival and captures moments that are observational, stoic, but also quietly tender.”
Mark Kermode, writing in The Observer, saw a big future for the young star. “At times, there’s a touch of James Dean in Plummer’s plaintive delivery, along with echoes of Jon Voight’s marooned hustler in Midnight Cowboy,” he wrote. “In Lean on Pete, having recently appeared in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, this rising star proves his mettle in a role for which he is simply perfect.”
Rotten Tomatoes agreed: “Lean on Pete avoids mawkish melodrama, offering an empathetic yet clear-eyed portrayal of a young man at a crossroads that confirms Charlie Plummer as a major talent.”
At the Venice International Film Festival Charlie Plummer won the Marcello Mastroianni Award, established in 1998 to recognise an emerging actor or actress.
This film can be viewed on DVD or Blu-ray, possibly with tissues or a strong drink handy!
Next time in Horses & Movies: ‘Nope’ (2022) a sci-fi thriller about two wranglers in California; and working in the movies with Greg Smith, who was featured in the December 2024 issue of Equestrian Life. EQ
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