The Boys in the Boat, a film about the University of Washington rowing team’s inspiring journey to winning a gold medal at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, comes to theaters on Dec. 25. Directed by Oscar winner George Clooney, the movie is all about the challenges that the young men faced trying to row and go to school in the middle of the Great Depression.
The film is based on Daniel James Brown’s bestselling book by the same name. To write the book, Brown spent time with the rowers who were still alive, especially Joe Rantz, who is played by Callum Turner and whose love story is depicted in the new film. In the conversation below, Brown talks with TIME about what parts of the movie are based on real history and what the team members went on to do in life after their big win.
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