My ranking on the best Classic F1 drivers acting in films
Disclaimer: I'm only counting drivers who have more than one scene in a film or a couple of minutes amount of speaking time. So I'm not going to include all the drivers in the team meeting for Grand Prix 66, but I am including a couple of the drivers who had a bigger role in that film.
I debated if I should include Jo Bonnier because he doesn't speak in the film, but he is in a couple of scenes including standing in a group with some of the main characters when they are arguing. But unlike Graham Hill who reacts to whats happening, Jo is just...there. I think the directors wanted another F1 driver and Graham just grabbed Jo Bonnier and made him stand with him. Still good effort Jo!
Usually I try to finish films when I watch them, but this was an exception. The only saving thing about this film is that it has Jack Brabham and Sid James in it. Brabham's role however was very small, and though he tried there wasn't a ton of dialogue and the whole scene felt extremely awkward.
Niki has a couple of film credits under his name, but the film Top Kids is the main one, which he features in for roughly half of it. The film production was all over the place and they changed the plot a couple of times so the film didn't make sense. Niki had a lot of scenes and dialogue however everything was very...stiff. He was saying the lines, not acting them. However with the plot of him being AI in the final film it does work in his favour. He was committed to the role, including running in a fake war zone, and he got to drive a load of different cars which I am sure he enjoyed, but yeah overall acting was quite rough. Still love Niki and the film though <3
Phil Hill helped out with the production which is why they created a whole character for him in the film, yet unless you are really paying attention he will completely slip by without you noticing. He's only in a couple of scenes, and the film doesn't really explain who he is, but Phil is acting well, concerned for his drivers and interacting with the other characters in the scene. He's a believable actor and was let down by the lack of footage there was of him in the film.
I've included both of these films because they are two mini films made by the same person in the same style. The films are British comedy, replicating silent film humour in a more modern setting. Many famous British comedy actors were in these, such as Erik Sykes, Frankie Howerd, Bernard Cribbins and more. James only have a small part in both, but he does well, using his body language and facial expressions to express the characters feelings. Him shaking his fist sitting in a van is one of my favourite clips. Really solid effort from James.
I also shouldn't include them as they are not films but his acting in the adverts he does for Texaco are also great.
Graham Hill was hilarious, he had a good grasp on comedy even from giving speeches so it was no surprise he was going to do well acting in a film. He's the other other driver aside from Phil Hill who's given a character rather than playing himself. In his scenes he's actively reacting to everything around him, speaking confidently and having a blast. One of my favourite scenes is in the canteen where two characters are arguing and Graham is in the background shaking his head and glaring at a character. He's first in line to speak to another character and shake his hand and be at the front of a celebration scene where you'll see him in the background chucking a drink. He only had a limited screen time but he made sure to use all his charm and humor and make a great character.
If I went into that film not knowing Ricardo was a F1 driver, I would genuinely think he's a trained actor just playing a driver. He's utterly convincing in his role, reacting to the situations, spot on facial expressions and expressing his lines. It helps that he is one of the main characters in the film and he gets his own side plot line and romance story. They had faith in him and he delivered. It's the best acting I've seen of a driver in any type of media and I'm so glad this film was made so that we have clear footage of him.
