Foxcatcher Page #9

The photographer takes his place behind the camera as the

assistants finish with the baby oil and clear away.

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Good! Now. Mark. You’re winning the

gold medal! And you are humbled!

Mark raises his arms and glances down. FLASH. FLASH.

50.

PHOTOGRAPHER (CONT’D)

Good! And again!

JUMP TO:
Du Pont, in his Foxcatcher sweatsuit, is now in

front of the scrim with Mark (still in his singlet.) Mark

starts to hug du Pont for a photo

DU PONT:

I think you were below me by a

couple of steps when you hugged me

at the Worlds.

PHOTOGRAPHER:

It’s true.

DU PONT:

Maybe if you kneeled.

MARK:

Kneeled now? On the floor.

(unsure)

Really? It won’t look...

DU PONT:

No. No. You should kneel.

Mark kneels in front of du Pont. Hugs him. FLASH. FLASH.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

I think you were crying.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOXCATCHER LAWN - TWILIGHT

Mark and John, wearing TUXEDOS, board a large helicopter.

It’s cold out.

CUT TO:

INT. HELICOPTER (AIRBORNE) - EVENING

Mark and John are flown southwest toward Washington DC by

Larry the pilot.

John takes a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket,

hands it to Mark.

DU PONT:

Brandon and I prepared some

remarks.

51.

Mark takes the paper and reads it over. He looks worried.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

Don’t be nervous. You’ll do great.

Mark’s not so sure. Then he HEARS a SNIFF. He looks over at

du Pont:
he’s got a COCAINE BULLET in one nostril. Du Pont

inhales, then OFFERS the bullet to Mark. Mark’s frozen

DU PONT (CONT’D)

What? You’ve never done this?

(Mark shakes his head)

It helps put everything in

perspective. Trust me....

Mark. It’s just cocaine. Trust me.

Mark takes the coke bullet, examines it for several moments,

then holds it to one nostril. He INHALES.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

Nice. You brought the medals?

(Mark nods)

Good. Try the speech.

MARK:

Read it?

DU PONT:

Read the speech.

MARK:

(reading)

John Eagle du Pont, highly

respected ornithologist, author,

world explorer, phil... phila...

DU PONT:

Philatelist.

The helicopter nears the LIT UP city of WASHINGTON D.C.

CUT TO:

INT. HILTON HOTEL, DC/COCKTAIL AREA - NIGHT

LARGE SIGN on an EASEL by the entrance reads: “CITIZENS’

DEFENSE OF PATRIOTS FUND - 1st ANNUAL GALA AND AUCTION”.

Loads of tuxedoed Republicans and their wives or mistresses

mill about. Small talk, hearty laughter, awarding of defense

contracts, gallons of martinis.

CUT TO:

52.

INT. HILTON HOTEL, DC/COCKTAIL AREA - LATER/NIGHT

DU PONT (O.C.)

That’s the one! That’s the one I

need!

A FINGER is jabbing at a military photograph of an M-113

ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER (APC).

We’re in a corner of the reception. Du Pont stands with Steve

Graham, looking at a set of PHOTOS. Mark’s nearby, chewing

vigorously on a straw.

STEVE:

In that case, the Grand Old Party

wants to help find you one.

Graham calls over to the 3-star GENERAL in full dress uniform

who’s chewing on a cigar and drinking gin with a Senator.

STEVE (CONT’D)

General, any of these models

available?

GENERAL:

Which? We might have a couple of

those left on the lot.

(to du Pont)

You gonna need financing?

Everyone laughs. Du Pont smiles.

DU PONT:

What I need is the gun turret.

Don’t send me one without that MK19

mounted on top.

GENERAL:

Uh... I don’t know there, son.

Civilians don’t usually get 40mm

blowback grenade launchers.

STEVE:

General, John du Pont is hardly

your usual civilian.

The General turns back to the Senator, grumbling

GENERAL:

Am I supposed to get him a 12-pack

of live f***ing grenades, too?

CUT TO:

53.

INT. HILTON HOTEL, DC/BANQUET HALL - NIGHT

Mark’s on stage, at the podium, READING from his Brandon-

prepared remarks with - shall we say - some vigor...

MARK:

... highly respected ornithologist,

author, world explorer, phil...

phila...

Du Pont watches from the wings, whispers:

DU PONT:

Philatelist.

Mark looks over at him blankly - he has no idea what du Pont

just said.

DU PONT (CONT’D)

Philatelist.

(Mark just looks at him)

Philat-

(giving up)

Stamp collector.

MARK:

Stamp collector, and former

pentathlete.

Jean, in the audience, in her wheelchair, almost

imperceptibly shakes her head.

MARK (CONT’D)

Mr. Du Pont will be making his

return to competitive sports in the

over-50 category at the Masters’

League du Pont Wrestling

Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona

this March.

Scattered applause, though no one has any idea what he’s

talking about. Du Pont watches from the wings. Mark reads.

MARK (CONT’D)

I’m so proud to introduce my

mentor. He has the ability to look

at me and see where I am in life.

He knows how to motivate me. I feel

his love for me as an athlete and

as a human being. My mother and

father were divorced when I was two

years old. I spent a lifetime

looking for a father...

(MORE)

54.

MARK (CONT’D)

and I found one in the Golden,

uh... the Gold Eagle of America -

John du Pont.

Applause as du Pont strides onstage, hugs Mark. Du Pont

turns, beaming (and a little hopped-up) to the audience

DU PONT:

Mark Schultz. Thank you, son.

(waves to Jean in

audience)

Hello, Mother.

(to them all)

The gold medal Mark won in 1984 was

tarnished. Tarnished by Jimmy

Carter. Tarnished by the

unpatriotic acts of that democrat

administration. He caused the

entire Eastern bloc to boycott our

Los Angeles Games. Mark will have

an opportunity to shine up that

medal at the World Championships in

just a few short weeks. To prove

his worth in front of the assembled

nations of the globe...

CUT TO:

EXT. FOXCATCHER ESTATE - ESTABLISHING/LATE AFTERNOON

Some time has passed. Lights are on in the windows of the

Field House Gym.

CUT TO:

INT. FOXCATCHER GYM - LATE AFTERNOON

Mark kneels on the mat with du Pont, holding him in the

starting position. Mark is talking du Pont through the moves

for an escape.

We get the sense that this is not the first of these lessons.

MARK:

Ready? Go.

Du Pont clumsily attempts the escape. Mark is incredibly

gentle with him, even tender, easing him through the moves.

55.

MARK (CONT’D)

Okay. Let’s try it again.

CUT TO:

INT. THE CHALET - NIGHT

Mark’s HAIR IS NOW CUT SHORT AND BLEACHED WHITE. He’s in

shorts - no shirt - on the phone. He’s sipping a beer,

walking around the living room

MARK (ON PHONE)

Yeah. I’m good. Yeah.... All good.

INTERCUT with Dave in the U of W gym office, looking out over

a wrestling team night practice.

DAVE (ON PHONE)

You working hard?

MARK (ON PHONE)

Yeah. No, I’m kind of giving myself

a bit of a break right now. I’ll

ramp it up again as the trials come

closer.

DAVE (ON PHONE)

All right. How close?

There a KNOCK on Mark’s window. Mark looks over and sees du

Pont standing outside, an eager look on his face. He beckons

to Mark and moves TWO FINGERS as if cutting his own hair.

MARK:

(to du Pont)

Just a sec...

DAVE (ON PHONE)

What’s that?

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