1
00:00:02,169 --> 00:00:03,762
BATES:
It's confirmed, sir. Six escaped.
2
00:00:03,921 --> 00:00:05,719
The six of them went out a back exit.
3
00:00:06,256 --> 00:00:08,554
VANCE: Where are they'?
- The Canadian ambassador's house.
4
00:00:08,717 --> 00:00:10,640
Traffic calls them "The Houseguests."
5
00:00:10,969 --> 00:00:13,267
Do they stay put? Are we attempting rescue?
6
00:00:13,430 --> 00:00:15,057
These people die, they die badly.
7
00:00:15,641 --> 00:00:18,521
- The only way out of that city is the airport.
- You have a better plan?
8
00:00:18,602 --> 00:00:20,070
Nobody had any good ideas.
9
00:00:20,229 --> 00:00:22,607
TONY:
There are only bad options.
10
00:00:22,773 --> 00:00:24,116
It's about finding the best one.
11
00:00:24,274 --> 00:00:27,118
Tony Mendez came up
with this crazy plan.
12
00:00:27,277 --> 00:00:30,998
They're a Canadian film crew
on a location scout for a science-fiction movie.
13
00:00:31,156 --> 00:00:33,033
MENDEZ:
When you're planning an exfiltration...
14
00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,579
...you, first of all, figure out who are
these people and where do they come from?
15
00:00:36,745 --> 00:00:38,839
This is what I do. I get people out.
16
00:00:42,084 --> 00:00:44,086
[CROWD CHANTING
IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
17
00:00:47,798 --> 00:00:52,804
CARTER [ON TV]: Actions of Iran
have shocked the civilized world.
18
00:00:53,845 --> 00:00:54,892
ANN:
Oh, my God.
19
00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:56,535
CARTER:
Our embassy has been seized...
20
00:00:56,598 --> 00:01:01,695
...and more than 60 American citizens
continue to be held as hostages.
21
00:01:01,853 --> 00:01:03,730
...If we're going to go, we need to go now.
22
00:01:03,897 --> 00:01:06,025
TONY:
During the takeover, six people escaped.
23
00:01:06,191 --> 00:01:07,943
They're hiding out in Tehran.
24
00:01:08,110 --> 00:01:10,363
- And that's who I'm gonna go get.
- What am I making?
25
00:01:10,529 --> 00:01:12,452
I need you to help me make a fake movie.
26
00:01:12,614 --> 00:01:15,663
Tony Mendez had this idea
that because he was friends...
27
00:01:15,826 --> 00:01:19,797
...with makeup artist John Chambers.
He'd seen all these, you know...
28
00:01:19,955 --> 00:01:23,505
...goofy special effects
and space makeup movies and stuff...
29
00:01:23,667 --> 00:01:25,840
...that that was a viable idea.
30
00:01:26,003 --> 00:01:27,550
John Chambers, makeup!
31
00:01:28,463 --> 00:01:33,890
John Chambers is known for a lot of things
but most famously...
32
00:01:34,052 --> 00:01:35,770
...for the makeup on
Planet of the Apes.
33
00:01:35,929 --> 00:01:38,227
The original makeup on Planet of the Apes.
34
00:01:38,390 --> 00:01:40,609
He also invented Mr. Spock's ears...
35
00:01:40,767 --> 00:01:44,067
...and working for the CIA.
36
00:01:44,229 --> 00:01:48,951
By day, he would be sort of working with stars
on these big Hollywood movies.
37
00:01:49,109 --> 00:01:52,488
But then by night,
he would be inventing prosthetics to help...
38
00:01:52,654 --> 00:01:55,248
...CIA officers disguise themselves
in the Cold War.
39
00:01:55,407 --> 00:01:58,048
AFFLECK: You know, he was a patriot.
He wanted to help his country.
40
00:01:58,118 --> 00:02:04,967
And he made disguises that got people out of
Cambodia, Laos, and you know, Soviet Union.
41
00:02:05,125 --> 00:02:06,422
All kinds of places.
42
00:02:06,585 --> 00:02:11,056
So he was somebody
that Tony was accustomed to relying on.
43
00:02:11,214 --> 00:02:13,895
MENDEZ: I was in the midst of meetings
in Washington and so forth...
44
00:02:14,051 --> 00:02:15,928
...and puzzling this out.
45
00:02:16,094 --> 00:02:17,767
And I remembered...
46
00:02:17,929 --> 00:02:22,230
...that we had just been just been
working with J.C. so I rang him up.
47
00:02:22,392 --> 00:02:24,144
Kevin Harkins.
48
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:26,646
Hey, Tony.
49
00:02:26,813 --> 00:02:31,319
MENDEZ: I said, "J.C., how many people
in a location scouting party?
50
00:02:31,485 --> 00:02:33,704
For scouting a movie."
51
00:02:33,862 --> 00:02:36,832
And he said, "Oh, I read you."
52
00:02:36,990 --> 00:02:39,990
I wanna set up a production company
and build a cover around making a movie.
53
00:02:40,118 --> 00:02:42,496
- That we're not gonna make.
- No.
54
00:02:42,663 --> 00:02:45,007
So you wanna come to Hollywood
and act like a big shot?
55
00:02:45,165 --> 00:02:46,963
- Without actually doing anything?
- No.
56
00:02:47,125 --> 00:02:48,843
You'll fit right in.
57
00:02:49,044 --> 00:02:53,675
The Argo script was sufficiently
sort of nebulous and took place in space...
58
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,764
...and you know,
there was some vague desert component.
59
00:02:56,927 --> 00:03:00,602
And it was called...
“A cosmic war" was the tagline.
60
00:03:00,764 --> 00:03:03,938
And Tony switched it to
“A cosmic conflagration."
61
00:03:04,101 --> 00:03:05,581
He thought that was
better than "war."
62
00:03:05,727 --> 00:03:08,355
He didn't want to have "war" in the title
or on the title page.
63
00:03:08,522 --> 00:03:11,776
"Argo. A science-fantasy adventure."
64
00:03:11,942 --> 00:03:15,037
- it's in turnaround. It's dog shit.
- It's a space movie in the Middle East.
65
00:03:15,195 --> 00:03:16,913
- Does it matter?
- Can we get the option?
66
00:03:17,823 --> 00:03:20,504
TERRIO: Because they needed
to have the fake film look legitimate...
67
00:03:20,659 --> 00:03:24,584
...they had to go... Jump through all these
hoops of taking out ads in the paper...
68
00:03:24,746 --> 00:03:27,670
...and sort of creating buzz
around Hollywood for the fake film.
69
00:03:27,833 --> 00:03:29,210
They set up an office.
70
00:03:29,376 --> 00:03:34,098
MENDEZ: We found a suite of offices
being vacated by Michael Douglas.
71
00:03:34,256 --> 00:03:37,135
He had just wrapped China Syndrome.
72
00:03:37,551 --> 00:03:40,304
And we were able to capture that space.
73
00:03:40,470 --> 00:03:41,813
[RINGS]
74
00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:43,432
Studio Six.
75
00:03:43,598 --> 00:03:46,317
AFFLECK: They made business cards.
They had people answering phones.
76
00:03:46,476 --> 00:03:47,898
They did ads in Variety.
77
00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:51,611
They did all the things in real life
that you see in the movie.
78
00:03:51,773 --> 00:03:54,993
Well, they got a bunch of actors,
they're gonna read from beginning to end.
79
00:03:55,152 --> 00:03:59,578
MENDEZ: As Hollywood reporters got wind
of this, they started snooping around...
80
00:03:59,740 --> 00:04:01,788
...and they found it was J.C.
that was involved.
81
00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:06,456
He had just gotten Oscars and Emmys
so he was top of his game...
82
00:04:06,621 --> 00:04:10,592
...and it lended verisimilitude
to the idea.
83
00:04:10,751 --> 00:04:13,925
You're telling me that there is a movie
company in Hollywood right now...
84
00:04:14,087 --> 00:04:16,010
...that is funded by the CIA?
85
00:04:16,548 --> 00:04:17,595
Yes, sir.
86
00:04:17,758 --> 00:04:19,876
AFFLECK: It seems silly
because it's the movie world.
87
00:04:19,934 --> 00:04:23,955
But when you look at it
from the point of view of building a cover...
88
00:04:24,014 --> 00:04:27,135
...cover's gotta be just as strong
if it's about being in the movie business...
89
00:04:27,267 --> 00:04:29,468
...as it does if you're pretending
to be a watchmaker...
90
00:04:29,603 --> 00:04:31,856
...or making aluminum siding or whatever.
91
00:04:32,022 --> 00:04:34,866
It's about the disguise.
And so they were really thorough.
92
00:04:35,025 --> 00:04:37,824
If I'm doing a fake movie,
it's gonna be a fake hit.
93
00:04:37,986 --> 00:04:42,457
MENDEZ: It was not unusual to have
an association with Hollywood and the CIA...
94
00:04:42,616 --> 00:04:44,994
...because if you look
at what they do in Hollywood...
95
00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,583
...it's a lot like what you do
when you're out spying.
96
00:04:48,371 --> 00:04:49,793
MAN:
And action.
97
00:04:49,956 --> 00:04:52,379
HESLOV:
In both worlds, you're creating fictions.
98
00:04:52,542 --> 00:04:55,216
These sort of fictional situations.
99
00:04:55,378 --> 00:04:59,349
And you're playing dress-up,
and they're forging...
100
00:04:59,508 --> 00:05:01,101
And you know, we're re-creating...
101
00:05:01,259 --> 00:05:04,259
When you make a movie you have
to re-create all the documents of the period.
102
00:05:04,304 --> 00:05:06,773
There's a lot of overlap. It makes sense.
103
00:05:06,932 --> 00:05:10,511
AFFLECK: From the movie, that Carter telex
where he says "The Hollywood option is a go"...
104
00:05:10,577 --> 00:05:14,983
...that's an absolute verbatim copy
of the telex from the White House.
105
00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,738
Copy D.S. Confirm the tickets! Go!
106
00:05:17,901 --> 00:05:19,903
MENDEZ:
You have to hit the ground running.
107
00:05:20,070 --> 00:05:24,746
You gotta be able to move into the area
that you're gonna be working in.
108
00:05:24,908 --> 00:05:26,376
Get set up and get ready to go.
109
00:05:26,535 --> 00:05:29,709
If there's a technical problem
or a logistical problem...
110
00:05:29,871 --> 00:05:32,249
...you gotta figure out
how to solve that problem.
111
00:05:32,415 --> 00:05:35,669
And the people in Hollywood
get very adept at doing that.
112
00:05:35,836 --> 00:05:41,843
And that lends a lot of improvements
in what we did in the intelligence profession.
113
00:05:42,008 --> 00:05:43,726
I'm asking you to trust me.
114
00:05:43,885 --> 00:05:46,229
AFFLECK: They were courageous,
and they were adventurous...
115
00:05:46,388 --> 00:05:51,235
...and they went for this idea
of, you know, pretending to be a movie crew.
116
00:06:09,786 --> 00:06:15,259
The story is so powerful that it just keeps
moving on decade after decade.
117
00:06:15,417 --> 00:06:20,469
There were a number of times when I thought
it was possible we would not get out of Iran.
118
00:06:20,630 --> 00:06:26,012
I looked down and you could see people
climbing over the wall into the embassy.
119
00:06:26,177 --> 00:06:32,105
We made the right decisions just by pure luck,
not from any knowledge of anything.
120
00:06:32,267 --> 00:06:34,645
That was our only chance to get out of there.
121
00:06:34,811 --> 00:06:39,533
Although it seems like fiction,
every word of the story is true.
122
00:06:47,782 --> 00:06:50,331
[CROWD CHANTING]
123
00:06:50,702 --> 00:06:56,050
We saw demonstrations almost every day.
We hardly paid much attention to it.
124
00:06:56,207 --> 00:06:58,050
The carnival's a little bigger today, huh?
125
00:06:58,209 --> 00:07:03,807
The previous takeover of the embassy,
on Valentine's Day of 1979 lasted for 24 hours.
126
00:07:03,965 --> 00:07:07,219
Everyone was released
and so when this attack occurred...
127
00:07:07,385 --> 00:07:11,561
...all of us thought
this would also be a temporary takeover.
128
00:07:11,723 --> 00:07:15,353
We saw this crowd and they had sticks
and rocks and they were men and women.
129
00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,860
It was the first time I had seen
those demonstrators up close.
130
00:07:19,022 --> 00:07:21,183
We had heard the slogans
and things like that before...
131
00:07:21,316 --> 00:07:23,865
...but I had never seen such a mob,
such a crowd.
132
00:07:24,027 --> 00:07:26,450
I actually found myself in a position where...
133
00:07:26,613 --> 00:07:29,958
...I could watch and report to people
inside the compound...
134
00:07:30,116 --> 00:07:32,244
...what was going on,
literally from my office window.
135
00:07:32,410 --> 00:07:33,582
They're over the walls.
136
00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:36,294
ANDERS: We were notified by people
in the chancery...
137
00:07:36,456 --> 00:07:40,256
...that the demonstrators were climbing
over the walls.
138
00:07:40,418 --> 00:07:41,761
So we locked up our building.
139
00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,766
We wanted to believe that
this would be a temporary occupation.
140
00:07:45,924 --> 00:07:48,552
After a few hours though,
this one didn't look that way.
141
00:07:49,761 --> 00:07:54,267
We started thinking, "Let's get out of here.
Let's go find a place to hide.
142
00:07:54,432 --> 00:07:57,276
And let's see how things develop."
143
00:07:57,560 --> 00:07:59,278
[CROWD CLAMORS]
144
00:07:59,604 --> 00:08:02,858
Someone smelled smoke and they thought
they were building a fire on the roof.
145
00:08:03,024 --> 00:08:06,449
There was only one choice,
well, other than surrendering.
146
00:08:06,611 --> 00:08:10,036
CORA:
The marine in charge of security was told...
147
00:08:10,198 --> 00:08:13,327
...that everybody in our building
would move to the chancery.
148
00:08:13,493 --> 00:08:15,621
That it would be safer for everyone
to be together.
149
00:08:15,787 --> 00:08:17,585
Which didn't make sense to us.
150
00:08:17,747 --> 00:08:20,125
We're in the only building
with direct access to the street.
151
00:08:20,291 --> 00:08:22,089
If we're going to go,
then we need to go now.
152
00:08:22,252 --> 00:08:25,005
MARK: My office, and the reason
that we were able to get out...
153
00:08:25,171 --> 00:08:26,969
...is that we had a street entrance...
154
00:08:27,132 --> 00:08:30,432
...which was designed
for the visa applicants to come in...
155
00:08:30,593 --> 00:08:35,099
...but in the actual events of the day,
it was the way we were able to get out.
156
00:08:35,265 --> 00:08:38,269
That was our only chance
to get out of the compound.
157
00:08:38,435 --> 00:08:40,733
CORA:
I don't think I realized until later...
158
00:08:40,895 --> 00:08:45,116
...when I saw video footage of how many
people were actually on the compound.
159
00:08:45,275 --> 00:08:47,403
So I really wasn't afraid, I was still thinking:
160
00:08:47,569 --> 00:08:50,698
"Leave the building, go to safety,
wait till it's over...
161
00:08:50,864 --> 00:08:52,286
...and come back to work tomorrow."
162
00:08:52,449 --> 00:08:57,501
The irony was, there were families
with their young children in the crowd.
163
00:08:57,662 --> 00:09:00,632
They were buying beets,
they were buying dates.
164
00:09:00,790 --> 00:09:02,918
It was kind of the event of the evening.
165
00:09:03,084 --> 00:09:05,178
We knew it was gonna stretch out though...
166
00:09:05,336 --> 00:09:09,682
...when one of the ayatollah showed up
the next day to lead prayers...
167
00:09:09,841 --> 00:09:11,138
...that had gotten a sanction.
168
00:09:11,301 --> 00:09:15,056
Whoever took us in was going to be running
the same risk as we were...
169
00:09:15,221 --> 00:09:16,848
...of ending up as a hostage.
170
00:09:17,015 --> 00:09:20,110
My best non-American friends
were this Canadian couple.
171
00:09:20,268 --> 00:09:23,147
They ended up being our hideout.
172
00:09:23,313 --> 00:09:26,692
STAFFORD: He called John Sheardown,
the counsel general at the Canadian Embassy...
173
00:09:26,858 --> 00:09:29,532
...and said, "We're in trouble now,
this is getting pretty dicey."
174
00:09:29,694 --> 00:09:30,991
He said, "Sure, come on over."
175
00:09:31,154 --> 00:09:34,875
That was such a huge relief.
Just such a generous gesture on his part.
176
00:09:35,033 --> 00:09:37,456
And courageous, because,
you know, he was taking his chances.
177
00:09:37,619 --> 00:09:40,338
KEN: These were our friends,
the diplomats who were there.
178
00:09:40,497 --> 00:09:45,469
I don't think it's trite to say that the U.S.
and Canada have a special relationship.
179
00:09:49,881 --> 00:09:52,976
We leave the six where they are.
I'll go brief the president.
180
00:09:53,134 --> 00:09:55,307
I knew immediately that they were there.
181
00:09:55,470 --> 00:10:00,192
But we kept that fact very secret
because we didn't want the Iranians to know...
182
00:10:00,350 --> 00:10:03,274
...that there were six more American diplomats
whom they hadn't taken.
183
00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:04,653
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
184
00:10:04,813 --> 00:10:06,110
Yeah.
185
00:10:07,273 --> 00:10:08,320
Yes.
186
00:10:08,483 --> 00:10:10,531
I got a memo from the state department...
187
00:10:10,693 --> 00:10:15,995
...and it said that six had been able to escape
and were in the care of the Canadians.
188
00:10:16,157 --> 00:10:19,627
Well, it didn't seem like an urgent matter
until I realized...
189
00:10:19,786 --> 00:10:24,087
...that at least one member of
the International Press Corps in Washington...
190
00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:26,468
...figured out that these six people
were missing.
191
00:10:26,626 --> 00:10:30,130
I called the editors and prevailed on them
not to reveal this secret.
192
00:10:30,296 --> 00:10:33,220
If these people die, they die badly. Publicly.
193
00:10:33,383 --> 00:10:37,809
The Canadians, even before we asked them,
had passed a secret order-in-counsel...
194
00:10:37,971 --> 00:10:41,145
...and had approved the issuance
of six Canadian passports.
195
00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:43,309
The next part of the problem was...
196
00:10:43,476 --> 00:10:46,229
...what are they doing at this time in history
in Iran?
197
00:10:46,396 --> 00:10:51,118
CIA Director Stansfield Turner
kept me informed about all the events.
198
00:10:51,276 --> 00:10:53,779
What we like for this are bicycles.
199
00:10:54,112 --> 00:10:56,535
Deliver the six bikes,
provide them with maps.
200
00:10:56,698 --> 00:11:00,018
Or you could just send in training wheels
and meet them at the border with Gatorade.
201
00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,790
There were some ideas
that hadn't been discredited...
202
00:11:03,955 --> 00:11:06,333
...but nothing that really sounded
like it was gonna work.
203
00:11:06,499 --> 00:11:08,376
But one evening I had this notion.
204
00:11:08,543 --> 00:11:12,093
They're a Canadian film crew
on a location scout for a science-fiction movie.
205
00:11:12,255 --> 00:11:15,725
He came and proposed what would happen
with the rescue mission...
206
00:11:15,884 --> 00:11:18,558
...and of course I considered it very carefully
and I approved it.
207
00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,190
This was a high-risk operation.
About as high as a risk that you wanna take.
208
00:11:22,348 --> 00:11:24,726
There are only bad options.
209
00:11:24,893 --> 00:11:26,520
It's about finding the best one.
210
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:33,155
The Canadians, once they took us in,
basically told their employees:
211
00:11:33,318 --> 00:11:35,787
"This is what we're doing,
if you're uncomfortable, go home."
212
00:11:35,945 --> 00:11:38,545
STAFFORD: Even though the cook
was even a member of the Komiteh...
213
00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:40,120
...he remained loyal
to the Taylors.
214
00:11:40,283 --> 00:11:44,163
He could have turned us in anytime.
And he didn't. He protected us.
215
00:11:44,329 --> 00:11:46,673
We were very sensitive to the danger
we were causing them.
216
00:11:47,081 --> 00:11:51,211
Not one single member
of the embassy staff said to me:
217
00:11:51,377 --> 00:11:53,379
"I've thought about the risk, I want out."
218
00:11:53,546 --> 00:11:57,847
They all said,
“I know the risks, I'm in till we depart."
219
00:11:58,009 --> 00:12:02,105
There's no conceivable way
the Canadian Embassy was gonna be closed...
220
00:12:02,263 --> 00:12:04,357
...and leave these six hanging.
221
00:12:04,515 --> 00:12:07,234
We were at the residence
for almost three months.
222
00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:11,899
What kept us going during the early days was,
well, simply a lack of options.
223
00:12:12,065 --> 00:12:15,160
I mean, we weren't gonna go to the embassy
and turn ourselves in.
224
00:12:15,318 --> 00:12:19,698
Luckily, John was a ferocious reader,
so he had a great collection of books.
225
00:12:19,864 --> 00:12:23,105
STAFFORD: I'm sure that one of the reasons
I was able to go through the airport...
226
00:12:23,243 --> 00:12:26,372
...without being nervous was because
I read every John le Carré book they had.
227
00:12:26,871 --> 00:12:30,842
And so I realized from his books that
if you act like you know what you're doing...
228
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,345
...then other people will think you know
what you're doing and they'll think "fine."
229
00:12:34,504 --> 00:12:41,513
We had plenty to eat and drink and we played
Bridge and Monopoly and Scrabble.
230
00:12:41,719 --> 00:12:45,815
We'd listen to the radio news together.
Unfortunately, rarely was the news any good.
231
00:12:45,974 --> 00:12:49,069
SCHATZ:
What really made it difficult to listen to...
232
00:12:49,227 --> 00:12:52,447
...was that the two sides weren't talking
towards a solution...
233
00:12:52,605 --> 00:12:54,858
...they were talking past each other...
234
00:12:55,024 --> 00:12:57,903
...so we knew that this could extend on
quite a period of time.
235
00:12:58,236 --> 00:13:01,490
KEN: Their concern was that the U.S.
government was paying more attention...
236
00:13:01,656 --> 00:13:04,079
...to the 50 in the compound
rather than the six.
237
00:13:04,242 --> 00:13:08,247
As time went on it got a little more tense.
238
00:13:08,413 --> 00:13:10,507
[MAN SPEAKS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE
THEN GUN CLICKS]
239
00:13:16,546 --> 00:13:17,593
[PHONE RINGS]
240
00:13:17,797 --> 00:13:18,844
Studio Six.
241
00:13:19,007 --> 00:13:21,936
We got a green light. Keep the office
running until you hear otherwise.
242
00:13:22,002 --> 00:13:24,655
STAFFORD: Ken was doing quite a bit more
than just even hosting us.
243
00:13:24,721 --> 00:13:27,402
I didn't understand at the time
when we were sitting on the couch...
244
00:13:27,557 --> 00:13:30,357
...how he would kind of hesitate
when he would think about his answers.
245
00:13:30,518 --> 00:13:32,359
I thought, "Well, just tell us. Just tell us."
246
00:13:32,478 --> 00:13:35,159
But he's trying to figure out
what he can tell us and what he can't.
247
00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:39,786
We were told around the middle of January
that things were gonna start happening.
248
00:13:39,944 --> 00:13:42,948
CORA: Ken said that they had been in touch
with Washington...
249
00:13:43,114 --> 00:13:46,789
...and there were plans to get us out
and someone would be coming.
250
00:13:46,951 --> 00:13:51,707
We got a message back saying
that our exfiltration was being planned.
251
00:13:51,873 --> 00:13:53,716
Was a new word for me anyway.
252
00:13:53,875 --> 00:13:57,971
Well, within a day or two,
Kevin Harkins showed up.
253
00:13:58,963 --> 00:14:00,556
I'm gonna get you home.
254
00:14:00,715 --> 00:14:01,762
That was Tony Mendez.
255
00:14:01,924 --> 00:14:04,803
MENDEZ: When we met the house guests
they were happy to see us.
256
00:14:04,969 --> 00:14:08,394
They were very clearly ready
to get out of there.
257
00:14:08,556 --> 00:14:12,026
He presented us with three scenarios.
258
00:14:12,185 --> 00:14:16,440
The most absurd of which
was a group of American teachers.
259
00:14:16,606 --> 00:14:19,359
Unemployed American teachers
who were looking for work.
260
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:22,278
And it was one of those things,
we looked at each other and we went:
261
00:14:22,445 --> 00:14:27,622
"So how untuned are these people
to think now would be a good time...
262
00:14:27,784 --> 00:14:31,379
...for Americans to come
and try to teach in Iran?"
263
00:14:31,537 --> 00:14:36,509
The second was that we were some kind
of agricultural experts visiting Tehran.
264
00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:40,888
But it was winter so it was not a time
when there's agricultural activities going on.
265
00:14:41,047 --> 00:14:44,017
And then the third plan was this movie plan.
266
00:14:44,175 --> 00:14:46,098
Have you've gotten people out
this way before?
267
00:14:47,303 --> 00:14:48,350
This would be a first.
268
00:14:48,513 --> 00:14:52,063
Who but a Hollywood location scouting team
would come to a country...
269
00:14:52,225 --> 00:14:54,353
...in the midst of a violent revolution...
270
00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:57,068
...and think they could just walk in
and walk out...
271
00:14:57,130 --> 00:14:59,804
...and get all the cooperation they needed
to shoot a movie there?
272
00:14:59,866 --> 00:15:01,793
MENDEZ:
I outlined these things very quickly...
273
00:15:01,859 --> 00:15:04,738
...but obviously I put the emphasis
on the one that I liked.
274
00:15:04,904 --> 00:15:06,326
The one that had the pizzazz.
275
00:15:06,489 --> 00:15:11,666
We had to unanimously agree.
But two of them were pretty much throwaways.
276
00:15:11,828 --> 00:15:16,629
We thought it was a brilliant plan,
that all it needed from us was our belief.
277
00:15:16,791 --> 00:15:18,464
It's suicide.
278
00:15:18,626 --> 00:15:21,095
I'm asking you to trust me.
279
00:15:22,046 --> 00:15:23,298
I don't trust you.
280
00:15:23,464 --> 00:15:27,094
We had five warriors who were ready to go.
281
00:15:27,260 --> 00:15:32,437
We had one reluctant warrior who was saying,
"I'm not really sure this makes sense."
282
00:15:32,498 --> 00:15:34,458
You really believe your
little story's gonna make
283
00:15:34,483 --> 00:15:36,483
a difference when there's
a gun to our heads?
284
00:15:36,686 --> 00:15:39,407
I think my story's the only thing
between you and a gun to your head.
285
00:15:39,564 --> 00:15:44,070
But I don't think it was so much the scenario
as the fact that Joe really felt...
286
00:15:44,235 --> 00:15:49,036
...that we had an obligation to the hostages
to stay until they were released.
287
00:15:49,198 --> 00:15:55,422
Joe had concerns up until hours before we left,
but he did it.
288
00:15:55,580 --> 00:15:58,701
STAFFORD: The night before we left,
I just remember everyone really cramming...
289
00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:02,313
...and trying to learn everything they could
and remember all these things about Canada.
290
00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:04,180
We were having a lot to drink.
291
00:16:04,338 --> 00:16:07,262
I think we were excited about the departure.
292
00:16:07,425 --> 00:16:12,181
And nervous as well
because obviously something might go wrong.
293
00:16:20,271 --> 00:16:21,318
It's time to go.
294
00:16:21,939 --> 00:16:27,617
The Canadian staff took a great deal of pride
in getting to the final day of departure.
295
00:16:27,987 --> 00:16:30,706
Tony had been busy in Washington
and Hollywood...
296
00:16:30,865 --> 00:16:34,039
...but however, during the three months,
it was the Canadian staff...
297
00:16:34,202 --> 00:16:36,796
...who dealt with the
realities of the situation.
298
00:16:36,954 --> 00:16:39,298
STAFFORD:
The drive to the airport was quiet.
299
00:16:39,457 --> 00:16:42,631
You know how that sort of tenseness is
when there's nobody talking at all.
300
00:16:42,793 --> 00:16:45,592
So we were all very conscious
of what we were about to do.
301
00:16:48,841 --> 00:16:51,640
When we stepped into that airport,
boy, it really hit me.
302
00:16:51,802 --> 00:16:54,555
Bright lights, busy people running around.
303
00:16:54,722 --> 00:17:01,105
Tony kept saying from the beginning
that we needed to be confident, be natural...
304
00:17:01,270 --> 00:17:04,069
...be who we were supposed to be
in the scenario.
305
00:17:04,232 --> 00:17:06,735
If there was anything wrong,
Tony was gonna signal...
306
00:17:06,901 --> 00:17:08,699
...and we would just turn around
and go back.
307
00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:14,413
The bus was still waiting there
until we cleared into the departure lounge.
308
00:17:14,575 --> 00:17:20,503
I personally felt that it was such a
perfect plan and it couldn't go wrong.
309
00:17:20,665 --> 00:17:27,014
So the six went through security, customs,
checked in at the airline...
310
00:17:27,171 --> 00:17:30,641
...and altogether were ready to go
to the immigration check point...
311
00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,600
...which was where the thing could come
unraveled if something went wrong.
312
00:17:34,762 --> 00:17:37,460
STAFFORD: I had thought about
what would happen if we were caught...
313
00:17:37,523 --> 00:17:41,499
...but I always had this idea that we would be
taken back and put with the other hostages.
314
00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:45,361
We could see that Lee was having
a conversation with the immigration guy.
315
00:17:45,523 --> 00:17:50,654
So this guy takes my passport, looks at it...
316
00:17:50,820 --> 00:17:52,822
...and steps off into a side room.
317
00:17:52,989 --> 00:17:57,711
Later on, we learned that his mustache
was a different size than in his photo...
318
00:17:57,868 --> 00:18:01,293
...and that this caused a question.
319
00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:04,300
MENDEZ:
So there we were in the departure lounge...
320
00:18:04,458 --> 00:18:06,961
...which is the place
that everybody was most worried about...
321
00:18:07,128 --> 00:18:09,222
...because that's where
the revolutionary guard was.
322
00:18:09,380 --> 00:18:13,476
Komiteh were walking around,
you know, they were hassling Iranians.
323
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:16,057
They weren't bothering
any of the Westerners.
324
00:18:16,220 --> 00:18:20,771
They were mostly concerned about
Iranians taking the country's wealth out.
325
00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:24,904
We get the word that the Swissair aircraft
has a mechanical problem.
326
00:18:25,062 --> 00:18:26,905
It will take three hours to repair.
327
00:18:27,064 --> 00:18:30,443
When we heard the announcement,
your stomach drops. You just think, "Oh, boy."
328
00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:34,285
I definitely got worried
because the longer we sat there...
329
00:18:34,447 --> 00:18:36,127
...the more chance something could happen.
330
00:18:36,282 --> 00:18:39,627
ANDERS: We had reservations
on several different flights, as I recall.
331
00:18:39,785 --> 00:18:41,662
So we thought, "Oh, that doesn't sound good.
332
00:18:41,829 --> 00:18:46,050
Maybe we should try to get on that first flight
that we had alternate reservations."
333
00:18:46,208 --> 00:18:48,608
SCHATZ: Tony said,
“You know, it really wouldn't look good...
334
00:18:48,753 --> 00:18:53,008
...if we walk up and we hand them
another $10,000 worth of plane tickets...
335
00:18:53,174 --> 00:18:55,347
...that we just happened to have
for that morning."
336
00:18:55,509 --> 00:18:58,888
Nobody travels with two sets of tickets,
not even Hollywood people.
337
00:18:59,055 --> 00:19:02,275
And nobody sends their luggage to Zurich
and themselves to London.
338
00:19:02,433 --> 00:19:04,856
CORA:
Tony got us all together, talked with us.
339
00:19:05,019 --> 00:19:08,614
He just said, "Be patient,
you know, we'll be okay. We'll sit it out."
340
00:19:08,773 --> 00:19:11,653
We're here, what are we gonna do?
We don't have any choice. Stick it out.
341
00:19:11,817 --> 00:19:14,661
MARK: As it turned out,
it was only 20 minutes or half an hour...
342
00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:16,914
...before they announced
the flight was ready to go.
343
00:19:17,073 --> 00:19:21,294
I can probably point to at least half a dozen
little twists of fate where...
344
00:19:21,452 --> 00:19:25,252
...you know, a decision one way
or an action one way could have messed us up.
345
00:19:25,414 --> 00:19:26,461
This was one of them.
346
00:19:26,624 --> 00:19:29,628
KEN: The minute one of my colleagues said
that the plane's taken off...
347
00:19:29,794 --> 00:19:31,421
...I started to pack at that time.
348
00:19:32,797 --> 00:19:35,471
We went through
the rigmarole of destroying all our...
349
00:19:35,675 --> 00:19:37,995
- ...communications equipment.
- Get to your plane, Claude.
350
00:19:38,219 --> 00:19:39,311
[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]
351
00:19:39,470 --> 00:19:42,599
Closed the embassy door, put up a sign:
352
00:19:42,765 --> 00:19:45,814
"Canadian Embassy temporarily closed."
353
00:19:45,976 --> 00:19:47,819
it was temporarily closed for eight years...
354
00:19:47,978 --> 00:19:51,482
...but at that time we had no intention
of closing for eight years.
355
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:53,905
[INTERCOM DINGS]
356
00:19:54,068 --> 00:19:56,696
ATTENDANT: Ladies and gentlemen,
it is our pleasure to announce...
357
00:19:56,762 --> 00:19:58,685
...that alcoholic beverages
are now available...
358
00:19:58,747 --> 00:20:01,096
...as we have cleared Iranian airspace.
359
00:20:01,158 --> 00:20:06,039
We felt really good when they announced
that we had finally left Iranian airspace.
360
00:20:06,205 --> 00:20:10,756
It turns out the flight from Tehran
to the Turkish border was not a short trip.
361
00:20:10,918 --> 00:20:12,761
CORA:
Once we got out of Iranian airspace...
362
00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,094
...Tony ordered Bloody Marys for us
and it tasted great.
363
00:20:16,257 --> 00:20:18,476
One of the best Bloody Marys
I've ever had, yeah.
364
00:20:18,634 --> 00:20:21,763
That cocktail over Turkish airspace
was delightful. it was wonderful.
365
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,026
Everyone was, by then,
you know, on quite an adrenaline high.
366
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,860
They were safe and free.
It was a great relief to me.
367
00:20:33,566 --> 00:20:37,742
The U.S. Department of State
hereby honors Joe Stafford...
368
00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:39,701
...Kathy Stafford...
369
00:20:39,864 --> 00:20:43,459
I felt really good about the fact
the Canadians got the credit.
370
00:20:43,617 --> 00:20:44,789
They certainly had earned it.
371
00:20:44,952 --> 00:20:47,626
I am forever indebted to the Canadians.
372
00:20:47,788 --> 00:20:52,168
SCHATZ: The fact that the story
never broke publicly, for 17 years...
373
00:20:52,334 --> 00:20:57,056
...was a function of, when we arrived back,
being asked not to talk about it.
374
00:20:57,214 --> 00:21:00,468
It was strange, always living a lie, in a sense.
375
00:21:00,634 --> 00:21:05,310
CORA: I'm glad that eventually the CIA
did declassify the story...
376
00:21:05,473 --> 00:21:10,946
...and that Tony was able to receive credit
for what he did to help us get out.
377
00:21:11,103 --> 00:21:14,152
MARK: I'm not sure when I finally
broke down and told my family...
378
00:21:14,315 --> 00:21:18,070
...that it wasn't quite the way
we'd been telling the rest of the world.
379
00:21:18,235 --> 00:21:21,114
My mother in particular was mad
we hadn't told her from the beginning.
380
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,533
But she'd be the last person
I would have wanted to tell.
381
00:21:23,699 --> 00:21:26,077
If we wanted applause,
we'd have joined the circus.
382
00:21:27,912 --> 00:21:29,539
- I thought we did.
- Ha!
383
00:21:30,498 --> 00:21:32,341
Carter said you were a great American.
384
00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:38,598
I find it amazing that an individual like Tony
would put himself in harm's way...
385
00:21:38,756 --> 00:21:42,977
...when he doesn't have to,
in very difficult situations.
386
00:21:43,135 --> 00:21:47,140
He was willing to come to Iran when everyone
could see it was such a dangerous place.
387
00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:50,435
If he'd been caught,
he would have been treated very badly.
388
00:21:50,601 --> 00:21:54,981
SCHATZ:
This happened to be only one time...
389
00:21:55,147 --> 00:21:58,742
...that as part of his business as usual...
390
00:21:59,276 --> 00:22:03,122
...he put himself all the way out there
on the line.
391
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,830
ANDERS: Well, he's served his country
and he does things...
392
00:22:06,992 --> 00:22:12,920
...and risked his life not just for us
but many times over his career.
393
00:22:13,082 --> 00:22:16,677
What more could you ask someone?
394
00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:19,385
He's absolutely a real American hero.
395
00:22:19,547 --> 00:22:21,427
Well, I don't think there's any doubt about it.
396
00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:24,719
In fact, he has gone down in CIA history...
397
00:22:24,885 --> 00:22:28,981
...as one of the 50 most important
CIA operatives of all time.
398
00:22:29,139 --> 00:22:31,858
MENDEZ: I'm not sure what
an American hero is all about.
399
00:22:32,017 --> 00:22:34,019
I would say this about that...
400
00:22:34,186 --> 00:22:39,568
...that my wife at the time,
who put up with my 25-year career...
401
00:22:39,733 --> 00:22:41,656
...not that she was enamored of it...
402
00:22:41,819 --> 00:22:44,288
...but she said to me
when I came back from Iran:
403
00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:46,119
"You're a national hero."
404
00:22:46,282 --> 00:22:48,751
She never said that before.
405
00:22:59,128 --> 00:23:02,007
The way I approached it was to say,
“Everything's just gotta be real."
406
00:23:05,175 --> 00:23:08,475
A huge amount of what we were doing,
what I want to do, is replication.
407
00:23:12,683 --> 00:23:16,654
So when the Production Department came in
and the Art Department...
408
00:23:16,812 --> 00:23:18,359
...and Camera Department, everybody...
409
00:23:18,522 --> 00:23:21,150
...I wanted them to see
what I expected it to look like.
410
00:23:27,948 --> 00:23:32,124
So we had a gigantic amount
of photographs.
411
00:23:32,286 --> 00:23:34,539
That's one of the most fun,
the most interesting parts...
412
00:23:34,705 --> 00:23:36,173
...is when we're doing the research.
413
00:23:36,332 --> 00:23:38,881
Once he puts his mind to it
and he gets involved in a project...
414
00:23:39,043 --> 00:23:41,443
...it's because he knows every aspect
of what he wants to do.
415
00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:43,555
Authenticity, it's his vision.
416
00:23:43,714 --> 00:23:48,561
AFFLECK: I have a really high standard for
what I think should go into design, and dress...
417
00:23:48,719 --> 00:23:50,642
...and background,
and, like, creating the world.
418
00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:53,853
I really wanted to root the audience
in the period.
419
00:23:57,394 --> 00:24:02,070
You guys hear helicopters all the time,
but this one is like right above...
420
00:24:02,232 --> 00:24:04,326
...staying above kind of the house.
421
00:24:04,485 --> 00:24:07,238
AFFLECK: I was in college before
Clinton declassified this mission...
422
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:09,372
...so I didn't know about this at all.
423
00:24:09,531 --> 00:24:11,283
I was a Middle Eastern Studies major...
424
00:24:11,450 --> 00:24:15,580
...and I took a couple classes
on the Islamic Revolution...
425
00:24:15,746 --> 00:24:18,966
...in Iran and sort of had details
from college classes that would pop up...
426
00:24:19,124 --> 00:24:22,469
...and that I would try to access
to make the movie more interesting.
427
00:24:22,628 --> 00:24:24,268
CARTER:
We kind of did our homework first.
428
00:24:24,421 --> 00:24:27,265
Ben picked out a ton of books.
Bunch of books.
429
00:24:27,549 --> 00:24:31,520
AFFLECK: I read all the major books
on the takeover of the embassy.
430
00:24:31,679 --> 00:24:35,775
I watched all the movies, all the documentaries,
and then I read the articles...
431
00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:38,106
...and the interviews with the house guests.
432
00:24:38,268 --> 00:24:42,193
There weren't too many of those,
and so I went directly to many of them.
433
00:24:42,564 --> 00:24:45,613
The real people know more about it
because they lived it.
434
00:24:45,776 --> 00:24:51,909
I talked to them about their experiences, really
to build the first 10 minutes of the movie.
435
00:24:52,074 --> 00:24:55,034
DONOVAN: Going, "The lamb is delicious."
And you're like, "Yes, excellent."
436
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:56,286
[LAUGHS]
437
00:24:56,453 --> 00:24:59,252
DONOVAN: You had like a molecule of bread
in your mouth.
438
00:24:59,415 --> 00:25:00,837
It was very unusual...
439
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,469
...what Ben had us do to prepare for this.
440
00:25:03,627 --> 00:25:06,676
For rehearsal,
it was mandatory that if we took the job...
441
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:09,262
...we had to go live in this house
for six days.
442
00:25:09,425 --> 00:25:12,053
AFFLECK:
I wanted the house guests to live together.
443
00:25:12,219 --> 00:25:15,974
And I wanted them to live together
in the location with the set dressing...
444
00:25:16,140 --> 00:25:19,235
...in the environment as close to
what it would be when they were there.
445
00:25:19,393 --> 00:25:22,613
They sat in the same chairs
that they then sat in as the characters.
446
00:25:22,771 --> 00:25:26,446
We put in period movies
and put in period music and record players...
447
00:25:26,608 --> 00:25:30,784
...and magazines from that time,
and books that were popular in that era...
448
00:25:30,946 --> 00:25:33,187
...so they lived as those characters
in that environment.
449
00:25:33,323 --> 00:25:35,576
We had no cell phones,
we had no computers, no Internet.
450
00:25:35,743 --> 00:25:39,122
COCHRANE: If you picked up a newspaper
lying around it was from 1979.
451
00:25:39,288 --> 00:25:44,015
The irony is a lot of stories in the newspapers
are the same things that are going on today.
452
00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:46,524
AFFLECK: I wanted them to get comfortable
with one another...
453
00:25:46,587 --> 00:25:49,431
...so that when we were shooting scenes
where they're supposed to be...
454
00:25:49,590 --> 00:25:52,070
...comfortable with one another,
or at one another's throats...
455
00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:55,471
...that that felt real, it didn't feel forced.
It's very hard to act familiarity.
456
00:25:55,637 --> 00:25:59,483
KERRY: It was a great way
to get some texture and depth...
457
00:25:59,641 --> 00:26:03,521
...and not necessarily
only the political perspective.
458
00:26:03,687 --> 00:26:05,689
It was a great experience to have.
459
00:26:05,856 --> 00:26:08,634
AFFLECK: Well, you can give the same effect
if you're a little closer.
460
00:26:08,700 --> 00:26:11,720
AFFLECK: I went to the CIA and I researched
what it was really like there...
461
00:26:11,779 --> 00:26:14,540
...and talked to the director
and talked to people who worked there...
462
00:26:14,698 --> 00:26:16,917
...and, you know, walked the halls
and spent time there.
463
00:26:17,076 --> 00:26:18,828
It really mattered to me that it feel real.
464
00:26:18,994 --> 00:26:22,749
SEYMOUR: The CIA doesn't typically offer
any sort of public access.
465
00:26:22,915 --> 00:26:29,048
I think that if this movie was not about
an American hero who was a CIA operative...
466
00:26:29,213 --> 00:26:31,093
...we would not have gotten
into the CIA at all.
467
00:26:31,215 --> 00:26:35,265
When the CIA said they'd let us shoot there,
we certainly weren't gonna not shoot there.
468
00:26:35,427 --> 00:26:39,057
The thrill for me of that was just
to be in the hallway, to go over the seal...
469
00:26:39,223 --> 00:26:42,227
...and to see the stars on the wall.
That's why I designed a specific shot.
470
00:26:42,392 --> 00:26:44,065
I'm pushing, pushing.
471
00:26:44,228 --> 00:26:46,651
AFFLECK: Tony goes by
and we hold on the stars on the wall...
472
00:26:46,814 --> 00:26:50,239
...and we had to use computer effects
to take down the number of stars...
473
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,950
...because far fewer people had been killed,
of course, at that point...
474
00:26:54,113 --> 00:26:56,866
...than have now, in the service
of the Central Intelligence Agency.
475
00:26:57,032 --> 00:26:59,626
But still I wanted people to see that.
476
00:27:04,748 --> 00:27:09,754
One of the biggest challenges of the film
is we can't shoot in Iran. So that's tough.
477
00:27:10,087 --> 00:27:15,184
AFFLECK: We went all over the world
scouting places. Jordan, Morocco, Bulgaria.
478
00:27:15,342 --> 00:27:19,097
I mean, we scouted everything.
And ultimately, Turkey just by far was the best.
479
00:27:19,263 --> 00:27:24,144
Istanbul's pretty convincing as Tehran.
Some of the architecture is similar...
480
00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:26,820
- ...in this part of the city.
- It really looks authentic.
481
00:27:27,312 --> 00:27:29,781
[CROWD CLAMORING]
482
00:27:31,525 --> 00:27:34,419
AFFLECK: With the overthrow of the embassy,
the challenges were twofold.
483
00:27:34,478 --> 00:27:38,724
One, successfully reproducing things
that actually happened.
484
00:27:38,782 --> 00:27:42,207
We couldn't shoot it for four hours, naturally,
so we had to compress some stuff...
485
00:27:42,369 --> 00:27:47,717
...and collapse some things, but keeping it true
to the integrity of the real events.
486
00:27:47,875 --> 00:27:50,219
Two, executing it as a filmmaker.
487
00:27:50,377 --> 00:27:52,926
Making it good, frankly,
with the limited time that we had.
488
00:27:53,088 --> 00:27:54,209
Getting the shots we need...
489
00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:56,762
...making sure the shots were interesting
and told the story.
490
00:27:56,925 --> 00:27:58,726
Three, and this was by far the biggest thing.
491
00:27:58,886 --> 00:28:01,355
We had 2000 extras,
more than I've ever worked with by far...
492
00:28:01,513 --> 00:28:06,485
...who I needed to be frantic and rabid
with anger, and they had to learn Farsi chants.
493
00:28:06,643 --> 00:28:08,566
It just was a really difficult sequence.
494
00:28:08,729 --> 00:28:10,527
TERRIO:
it looks exactly like that footage...
495
00:28:10,689 --> 00:28:14,910
...and so you get a sense of the scale
of the protest and of the movement.
496
00:28:15,068 --> 00:28:18,072
Pull him up and in front of the crowd,
as a thing...
497
00:28:18,238 --> 00:28:20,866
...the crowd's gonna see
that he gets blindfolded as a symbol.
498
00:28:21,033 --> 00:28:24,879
AFFLECK: So the pressure was definitely on,
but it worked out wonderfully.
499
00:28:25,037 --> 00:28:26,630
We got lucky. Lucky with the weather.
500
00:28:26,788 --> 00:28:31,089
The weather today in Istanbul
is actually exactly the weather...
501
00:28:31,251 --> 00:28:33,128
...that they had on November 4th, 1979.
502
00:28:33,295 --> 00:28:35,639
It was sort of a drizzly day. It was overcast.
503
00:28:35,797 --> 00:28:39,017
The people still turned out in throngs
to the gates of the embassy.
504
00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:42,228
MAN:
And action.
505
00:28:45,474 --> 00:28:50,856
We're in the Grand Bazaar. One of the reasons
that we chose to film in Turkey as our Tehran...
506
00:28:51,188 --> 00:28:53,941
...was that this bazaar was so fantastic.
507
00:28:54,107 --> 00:28:57,361
The bazaar in Tehran
is one of the oldest bazaars in the world...
508
00:28:57,527 --> 00:29:00,121
...and it's gorgeous and complex
and multi-layered.
509
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,035
And this we felt had the most of that flavor.
510
00:29:04,201 --> 00:29:07,546
It's an amazing experience
to be inside this building...
511
00:29:08,163 --> 00:29:10,336
...that's shut down essentially for us.
512
00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:12,219
And to be surrounded by all these extras...
513
00:29:12,376 --> 00:29:16,097
...that sense of claustrophobia
and that reality of being surrounded...
514
00:29:16,255 --> 00:29:18,599
...and chased by these people
is pretty overwhelming.
515
00:29:18,757 --> 00:29:22,682
Our timing worked out really well
for a giant holiday, Bayram.
516
00:29:22,844 --> 00:29:26,314
And the bazaar is actually closed Saturday,
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday...
517
00:29:26,473 --> 00:29:28,066
...which is just unheard of.
518
00:29:28,225 --> 00:29:31,354
DONOVAN:
They've set-dressed this to 1979...
519
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,241
...and put all these extras,
like, 250 extras in 1979 clothes.
520
00:29:35,399 --> 00:29:38,778
And it's fantastic.
It makes it very easy to act.
521
00:29:38,944 --> 00:29:40,871
WEST:
We made all the clothes for the mullahs...
522
00:29:40,937 --> 00:29:44,592
...you don't find those here,
they're not in costume houses.
523
00:29:44,658 --> 00:29:48,913
We made 500 chadors,
the long black cloak that women wear.
524
00:29:49,079 --> 00:29:51,582
AFFLECK:
Jackie West is an actual genius.
525
00:29:51,748 --> 00:29:56,970
She's so amazing that she does all your work
for you, just by finding clothes for people.
526
00:29:57,129 --> 00:30:02,260
When you look at the research from Iran,
all the student rebels, people on the street...
527
00:30:02,426 --> 00:30:07,273
...very early 70s in their dress,
a lot of big collars and fat ties.
528
00:30:07,431 --> 00:30:10,059
[CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
529
00:30:10,851 --> 00:30:15,448
When you look at the followers
of the Ayatollah or the student revolution...
530
00:30:15,605 --> 00:30:16,857
...you see no ties.
531
00:30:17,024 --> 00:30:23,623
They quit wearing ties because ties stood for
capitalism and the shah and Western culture.
532
00:30:23,780 --> 00:30:27,284
Everything's perfect. Everything's more
inspired than you thought it would be.
533
00:30:27,451 --> 00:30:29,624
Nothing's pushed, nothing's exaggerated.
534
00:30:29,786 --> 00:30:33,381
That was so great,
to be able to create all that stuff.
535
00:30:33,874 --> 00:30:36,548
HESLOV:
Somehow it feels subtle the way she did it...
536
00:30:36,710 --> 00:30:40,135
...and it feels like of the period
and not sort of, like, "of the period."
537
00:30:40,547 --> 00:30:41,764
it feels very real.
538
00:30:47,804 --> 00:30:50,307
We get to shoot at the Hagia Sophia
and the Blue Mosque...
539
00:30:50,474 --> 00:30:53,603
...and those are just beautiful.
World heritage sites.
540
00:30:53,769 --> 00:30:55,612
CARTER:
We're in the Blue Mosque right now.
541
00:30:55,771 --> 00:30:57,899
It's kind of a rare opportunity,
there's no one here.
542
00:30:58,065 --> 00:31:00,067
It's been shut down this morning
for us to film in.
543
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,494
It's really very, very old.
544
00:31:02,652 --> 00:31:05,952
Maybe the oldest building I've ever been in.
It's beautiful.
545
00:31:06,114 --> 00:31:07,457
The Blue Mosque is, you know...
546
00:31:07,616 --> 00:31:10,335
...one of the most important pieces
of architecture in Istanbul.
547
00:31:10,494 --> 00:31:13,714
I wanted to put the exterior of that
and the interior of the Hagia Sophia in.
548
00:31:13,872 --> 00:31:18,048
It's a little bit of a cheat because it sort of
suggests that they're both the same thing...
549
00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:20,178
...but they're next to one another.
550
00:31:20,337 --> 00:31:25,685
The Hagia Sophia is incredible because
it's been a church, it's been a mosque...
551
00:31:25,842 --> 00:31:30,188
...it's now a museum,
it's at the crossroads of all these cultures...
552
00:31:30,347 --> 00:31:34,102
...and it is the actual embodiment
of that intersection.
553
00:31:34,267 --> 00:31:37,862
They had these really ugly light bulbs in there
that were energy efficient...
554
00:31:38,021 --> 00:31:41,195
...so in order for us to shoot,
we needed to change the light bulbs, we did.
555
00:31:41,358 --> 00:31:43,031
And there were 4000 light bulbs.
556
00:31:43,193 --> 00:31:45,696
They had eight gentlemen over one night.
557
00:31:45,862 --> 00:31:48,143
Each fixture, of course,
has to be individually changed...
558
00:31:48,281 --> 00:31:50,534
...with the lid popping off
and changing the bulb.
559
00:31:50,700 --> 00:31:53,874
It's quite a big deal.
But it's a nice sparkly natural look...
560
00:31:54,037 --> 00:31:58,133
...clear bulb like it would have been
in the time we're shooting in 1979.
561
00:31:58,291 --> 00:31:59,338
[SQUAWKS]
562
00:32:02,212 --> 00:32:05,512
We needed the airport
to look like an airport in Tehran.
563
00:32:05,674 --> 00:32:07,035
That was the most important thing.
564
00:32:07,175 --> 00:32:09,143
HESLOV:
The Ontario airport, it's the same period.
565
00:32:09,302 --> 00:32:12,602
And I should say that we used
an old piece of the Ontario airport...
566
00:32:12,764 --> 00:32:13,936
...that's now no longer used.
567
00:32:14,099 --> 00:32:17,399
I really wanted to dig deep,
I wanted to shoot close-ups on posters.
568
00:32:17,561 --> 00:32:19,881
I never subscribed to this idea that
you shoot the actor...
569
00:32:20,021 --> 00:32:22,399
...and everything, as it gets further away
from the actor...
570
00:32:22,566 --> 00:32:25,086
...it starts to be increasingly less relevant,
I wanted details.
571
00:32:25,235 --> 00:32:28,785
SEYMOUR: We had extensive research,
so because this is a historical piece...
572
00:32:28,947 --> 00:32:34,044
...we based as much as we could
on actual propaganda, slogans, signage.
573
00:32:34,202 --> 00:32:37,547
The Mehrabad International Airport
is directly a copy.
574
00:32:37,706 --> 00:32:41,381
We were well aware that the country
was blanketed with Khomeinis...
575
00:32:41,543 --> 00:32:47,516
...so we bought some Khomeini photographs
and then we had artists interpret them.
576
00:32:47,674 --> 00:32:51,929
AFFLECK: When we're in the airport, a lot of
the Persian extras came up to us and said:
577
00:32:52,095 --> 00:32:54,348
"Gosh, this is bringing me back 30 years."
578
00:32:54,514 --> 00:32:57,267
And I think they were triggered
by seeing these big posters...
579
00:32:57,434 --> 00:33:01,029
...and not just the big Khomeini posters,
but little posters with the writing on it...
580
00:33:01,188 --> 00:33:05,694
...and propaganda and sort of being stuck
into the middle of this whole world...
581
00:33:05,859 --> 00:33:07,736
...including extras,
including guys with guns.
582
00:33:07,903 --> 00:33:11,658
The most amazing part is really
the exterior shot when they drive in.
583
00:33:13,950 --> 00:33:18,581
The sequence in front of the airport with
taxi cabs, cop cars, all the background stuff...
584
00:33:18,747 --> 00:33:21,216
...totaled up to about 47 cars, 48 cars.
585
00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:27,381
We were able to go out and score old
Mavericks, Granadas, Fiats, Peugeots...
586
00:33:27,547 --> 00:33:31,802
...some VW busses, and so we had
a lot of fun finding the stuff and building it.
587
00:33:31,968 --> 00:33:34,729
With all that background,
I don't think anybody would ever question...
588
00:33:34,888 --> 00:33:36,856
...that it wasn't the airport in Tehran.
589
00:33:37,557 --> 00:33:39,309
Okay, going into the toast was great...
590
00:33:39,476 --> 00:33:43,071
...and I wish we had cameras on everybody
because we would be finished.
591
00:33:43,396 --> 00:33:45,148
KING:
I think when you're making a film...
592
00:33:45,315 --> 00:33:48,660
...especially a drama, you have to stick
to the facts as much as possible.
593
00:33:48,818 --> 00:33:50,686
You have to bring people into that world.
594
00:33:50,746 --> 00:33:52,673
- It's a subtle adjustment, I think.
MAN: Yeah.
595
00:33:52,739 --> 00:33:54,100
KING:
Ben has a great eye for that.
596
00:33:54,241 --> 00:33:56,835
You can't fake it.
We never allowed it to be okay...
597
00:33:56,993 --> 00:34:00,167
...to say, "it'll be all right."
"Well, it doesn't look like it, but it's fine."
598
00:34:00,330 --> 00:34:01,451
Let me see the ending again.
599
00:34:01,581 --> 00:34:04,585
And so together,
I think we got to something that...
600
00:34:04,751 --> 00:34:08,005
...you know, we were all much happier with
at the end.