In the opening minutes of “Young Washington,” on the rolling hills of King George County, Virginia, George Washington (William Franklyn-Miller) — still a boy — begins to learn that the world is often neither fair nor kind.
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Sitting on the outskirts of his father’s funeral service, his head between his knees, Washington asks his older half-brother, Lawrence (John Foss), whether the men in their family are cursed to die young.
A curse of early death is never confirmed, but young Washington must confront a different kind of curse — one rooted in social class, denying him the education, wealth and connections required to become a gentleman.
Refused the advantages of a higher social class, Washington is left with a future as a tenant farmer. After being turned away from school, he spends his spare hours under Lawrence’s mentorship, steadily clearing social barriers that limit his ambitions.
As young Washington jumps, ducks and bypasses hurdles blocking his path, audiences are offered a cinematic glimpse into a chapter of his life rarely portrayed on screen — a story that typically begins during the Revolutionary War, decades later.
The film traces Washington’s journey from an ambitious surveyor to military officer. As he endures devastating personal losses, military setbacks and the consequences of inadvertently helping spark the French and Indian war, he confronts his limitations and learns from failure, gradually developing the qualities that would define his leadership.
Director Jon Erwin took a personal interest in Washington about a decade ago. With no initial intention of turning his fascination with the first president’s early history into a film, Erwin immersed himself in countless books about Washington.
Erwin took a strong interest in Washington’s early life and found himself “awestruck” by events from his formative years — events which shaped Washington into the man now emblazoned on the $1 bill and carved into Mount Rushmore.
“Washington was forged in things that we all identify with, but few of us endured through,” Erwin said. “He was forged in failure and hardship and grit and adventure and risk, and yet he kept going.”
“The idea that your failures don’t have to define you, and they can actually be your great teacher to what you will become, was very meaningful to me,” he continued. “I wanted to give that experience to the audience.”
With the approach of the nation’s 250th anniversary, Washington’s origin story, which has been told cinematically a rare handful of times, makes its timely arrival on July 3.
The biopic is backed with an impressive cast, including Kelsey Grammer, Ben Kingsley, Mary-Louise Parker, Andy Serkis, Joel Smallbone and up-and-comer Franklyn-Miller.
It didn’t require much effort to bring Grammer on board. Best known for “Frasier” and “Cheers,” he plays Lord Fairfax, an early mentor and first employer of Washington who helps elevate his standing in Virginia society.
“I would do anything John (Erwin) wants me to do. If I’m invited, I’ll go,” said Grammer, who previously worked with the director on “Jesus Revolution.”
Erwin then butted in, “He can do anything that I’m doing.”
Grammer also joined the project because he has been a lifelong fan of American history and its first president.
“I have reveled at his substance and his significance throughout my lifetime. He is the towering example of what it is to be an American,” Grammer said.
“He is a man of fortitude, of commitment, of courage, the greatest of all virtues. And he is a man who believes in perseverance,” he continued. “He will not quit … and that’s the lesson we need to have today, and we come from greatness.”
Then, as his voice trembled with emotion, Grammer added, “This country was born of greatness, great imagination, great sacrifice. … Something was watching over him when he goes through that battle and lives. It was like something just dropped the whole creation on his head and said, ‘You are meant to do something extraordinary.’”
Now on the cusp of the nation’s semiquincentennial, Erwin said he has often reflected on what Washington would think of how America looks today.
“It’s not perfect, but we’re trying to make it more perfect together,” Erwin said. “I think he would be blown away by what the country has become, and I also think, as he was in his farewell address, he would be cautious and fearful of the merit of it breaking apart.”
“What we have accomplished together as a people should be celebrated 250 years in, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, and I hope that this movie is a catalyst to that,” he added. “I hope that on our 250th anniversary we can set aside our disagreements for a moment and celebrate what this nation is together.”
When does ‘Young Washington’ come out?
“Young Washington” will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, July 3. It is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong war violence and some bloody images.