James Hansen, the only person to have been given the opportunity to write a biography of Neil Armstrong, spoke with students, alumni and community members Friday afternoon in the Alumni Center.
"First Man," the biography, will be released as a motion picture in October. Hansen, professor emeritus in the College of Liberal Arts, shared the process of turning his book into a Universal picture.
As a co-producer of the film, Hansen was able to be directly involved with the the motion picture by helping fact check as well as having a small cameo.
“I felt such a responsibility to Armstrong, given I was his only authorized biographer,” Hansen said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to try to keep it authentic.”
Hansen was able to work closely with directors, screen writers, actors and producers to bring Armstrong’s story to the big screen.
“Something over 75 percent of the population today of the world, they weren’t alive in 1969, so the moon landing to them might as well be the Wars of the Roses,” Hansen said. “I mean it's medieval history.”
Audience members were shown behind the scene photos, heard stories from both early and late production and learned about the special effects of making a movie realistic.
Some of the experiences Hansen shared with the crowd included showing pilots to the star of the movie, Ryan Gosling, learning the correct switches to flip when creating a replica cabin and even having each book in the background of a scene checked for the date it was published.
“All the elements, historical elements, are there, but it’s really a personal story of Armstrong,” Hansen said.
Hansen was invited to speak as part of the Auburn Family Friday Speaker Series, which is held each Friday at 3 p.m. before home football games in the Alumni Center.
Lucy LaMar, director of marketing and creative services for Auburn University, said these events are not just alumni based, but rather they are open to all students and community members as well.
“[The events] share the good work that Auburn faculty, Auburn students, Auburn alumni or folks that have a tie to the University (for attendees) to learn more about it,” LaMar said.
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