In the third and fourth episodes, you'll get an inside look at the Yankees' success in the 2000s and their rivalry with the Red Sox. It was 0: 30.
Two years ago, Spike Lee called Randy Wilkins and asked him who his favorite baseball player was. Wilkins, a lifelong Yankees fan who was born in the Bronx, had datememe datememe datememe. Wilkins wasn't sure. He was called out of the blue by his mentor in the middle of the week.
Lee told Wilkins that his favorite Yankee was doing a documentary series about his life and career. Wilkins was asked to direct the project by the legendary filmmakers. The documentary "86-32" chronicled the light-middleweight gold medal boxing match between Roy Jones Jr. and Park Si-Hun at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
A five-time World Series champion, the most popular and admired player in baseball, and one of the great sports superstars of any age, was the face of the Yankees, and he was also one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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After a few weeks, Wilkins hopped on a call with Jeter and the project began.
Wilkins says that it changed his career immediately.
The first episode of "The Captain" was broadcast on July 18 after the Home Run Derby, and new episodes of the seven-part series are airing on Thursdays through August.
Wilkins talked about how he came up with the idea for "The Captain" and his experience working with a famous sports figure.
During his career, he was very private. How did you prepare to tell the story of a person who doesn't want to be known?
He told me many times that he was ready to speak and that he was comfortable sharing his thoughts with the world. He mentioned that he wanted to make a record for his daughters because they weren't around when he played. He began sharing things that he didn't know with me. He was telling me stories. I was confident that we could make this money.
I had all the confidence in the world that we would be able to break through the perception that the outside world had of us.
How did you balance the public perception of a person and how they talk about who they are?
We've tried to challenge and break the perception. Some people are looking at it as noise. I thought it was a guidepost to tell the story. People think this is what they think. I know from talking to him that it's not completely accurate. Let's take a look at that. Things that break the perception are discussed.
We did it for the story. We aren't doing it to change perception. His story should be told. I think part of his story is trying to change people's perception of him. The chance to surprise and engage people was there because they already have one thought of him.
The shooting and reporting process of this documentary surprised you, what did you think?
Wilkins: It's not hard to see how intense he is. He's a great competitor. He's at the level of some of the greatest athletes of all time. When he needs to turn it on, he's an incredibly intense man. A lot of people don't realize that he has a presence until they talk to him.
You see the smile, you see him joking around, you see him having fun, but there is an edge that you can't pick up unless you are around him. He's charming but he's really intense. It was clear to me that that is a strong part of his personality.
Spike Lee gave you advice throughout the project.
Wilkins is going to do your thing. He had faith in me. I've been with him for close to two decades and he knows what I can do. I got a small amount of notes from him after sharing the episodes with him. He told you to keep doing what you're doing. He liked it very much. Spike was aware that he didn't have to give me pointers. I was his editor for many years. After graduating from NYU film school, you were able to work for Spike for many years. He was aware of that.
How did you manage the egos and agendas that people might have through a film like this, where there are a lot of big personalities?
Wilkins said that you have to demand that the people around you are honest. They are not a one-way street. In creating an environment, you have to command respect. There are specific reasons why people look at things in a certain way and you need to understand that.
It's true collaboration, where you're respectful of other people's perspectives and feelings and try to incorporate them as much as you can as long as it fits in your own vision. I think there is a limit to collaboration. If you want to stay true to your story, you should not cross that line as a film maker. It's up to you to stick to that core vision.
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