Over a quiet coffee a decade ago I turned to my dad and asked him, “If you could trade places with anyone in the world, who would it be?” Without taking a second to ponder he replied, “Paul Newman.”

“Why?” I asked.

“He’s a good actor, good looking, great race car driver, and his salad dressing has raised hundreds of millions for charity.”

Like most conversations with Dad, it ended soon after it began (he’s the opposite of chatty), but I was most satisfied with his response, and it comes to mind often.

paulnewmanincar

Living 2791 miles away from Dad, Paul Newman quickly grew to become a warm touchpoint that I’d brush with often. (Like every time I walked down the salad dressing aisle.)

Dad’s fascination with Newman increased my fascination with Dad, both elusive characters who love cars and driving. But while Newman was into speed, Dad has always been more of a distance man whose passion for car rallying has taken him through the deserts of Kazahkstan, the high altitudes of Chile, from Peking to Paris and around the world in a 1938 Packard Super 8. My dad does cool stuff.

DadPackard1

Dad making his way around the world in a 1938 Packard.

When I received the press release for Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, I wished so badly that I could take my dad. It seemed like the absolute perfect way to spend Father’s Day, but he lives in Whistler, and it’s only screening in Toronto. Instead, I requested a review copy and spent an evening falling deep into the dreamy eyes of Paul Newman, studying his subtle body movements, listening to his quiet, but sharp, sense of humour, learning about his life away from Hollywood, and reminiscing about my childhood.
paulnewmancar

Watching Newman zip around tracks and test out cars transported me back to the 80s. The hum of F1 cars was often the soundtrack to my childhood. I would be eating cereal on a Saturday morning, playing with dolls, and Dad would be transfixed to the TV, watching the Indiannapolis 500 or Monaco Grand Prix. I would watch as he’d get get visibly tense, watching the freakishly fast tire changes, or the deathly neck-in-neck final laps. The noise of a car race is deafening and irritating to most, but to me, it’s comfort and nostalgia.

Dad, Happy Father’s Day. You may not be Butch Cassidy, but your worldly adventures are equally as impressive.

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman opens on June 19 in Toronto at ​Cineplex Cinemas Yonge Dundas & VIP. Watch the trailer now.