Interview: Sacha Pfeiffer on Real-Life Power of SPOTLIGHT

At first blush, the idea to dramatize the investigation into the Catholic Church's widespread sexual abuse SCANDAL in Boston seems like a daunting, unpleasant proposition; and while the subject matter is both frustrating and sickening, the final product, the Academy Award-nominated SPOTLIGHT, has become a reminder for many of the importance of a very specific type of journalism.

"When we were first approached years ago about the idea of this movie, I initially thought it was a really bad idea," said Sacha Pfeiffer, a member of the real-life Boston Globe Spotlight team. "Part of the way that we were persuaded to do it is that Tom (McCarthy) and Josh (Singer) said, 'Look, we're trying to do a story about the importance of journalism, at a time when journalism is in peril,' and that was persuasive to us."

As newspapers are regularly ceasing publication around the world, and staffs are being slashed in those that remain, Pfeiffer, who is played by Rachel McAdams in the film, agreed to be involved in hopes of celebrating her profession, but a part of her never believed that the film would actually get off the ground.

"One of the reasons that I agreed to do it is I was convinced the movie would never get made," she said. "I figured, too many financing hurdles, too grim of a topic, and by the way, our jobs aren't very cinematic. How do you make data entry and document review interesting?"

The film obviously did get made, and is one of the most publically and critically acclaimed movies of the year, including being up for six Academy Awards on Sunday, including Best Picture. Pfeiffer credits director Tom McCarthy and writer Josh Singer, for not only crafting a captivating film, but also presenting the often laborious work of investigative journalism truthfully.

"It's interesting to watch them take their filmmaking skills and accurately portray what we do, but make it interesting and watchable," she said. "It shows the sometimes tedious, painstaking process of document review, data entry, making phone calls, slowly developing sources... There's that scene where we create this database, it's maybe this two-minute montage of us entering data and running rulers down a page, but in real-life, that was three and a half boring weeks of work. Yet, somehow they made it cinematic. That's an amazing testament to their skill as filmmakers."

By focusing on this group of reporters' professional dedication to uncovering the truth, Pfeiffer believes that the film serves to remind audiences of how in-depth reporting, like the work done by the Spotlight team, can impact their daily lives.

"I think this is a great movie in terms of reminding people of the importance of high-quality, responsible journalists," she said. "When you have committed, experienced people, this is what you need in order to take on powerful institutions that need to be held in account. And then if you don't have teams like this, then you can end up with this kind of tragedy. Whether it's a government agency, a non-profit, a company, a religious organization, you need people to ask tough questions of powerful institutions, and I think this movie is a real celebration of strong, high-quality journalism."

Much like her real-life counterpart, McAdams, who was nominated for her first Academy Award for playing Pfeiffer, did an incredible amount of research in order to prepare for the role. McAdams and Pfeiffer spent a lot of time together and had conversations over the phone and email for months, many of which had nothing to do with the investigation into Boston Archdiocese.

"She would ask questions not just about what I looked like in 2001, but what I thought, and my religious background, and my relationship with my family," Pfeiffer said. "It was like she totally, physically, and psychologically became me, and I don't think most people get to see that process. I think she did a really beautiful job."

While Pfeiffer, who still works at the Globe, has spent her professional life asking in-depth, personal questions, as McAdams and the rest of the SPOTLIGHT crew began to turn the tables, she found that it was even more uncomfortable than she imagined.

"It was very weird," she admitted. "Even before we met the actors, Tom and Josh had been interviewing us. It was very uncomfortable to be asked all of these personal questions. When we reflect on how often we do that to other people, I think it was kind of a good thing to get a taste of our own medicine, and it might even make us better, more sensitive reporters."

Similarly, Pfeiffer has approached the attention that the film's success has brought through a reporter's lens as well. With the rest of her Spotlight colleagues, Pfeiffer will be in attendance at Sunday's Academy Awards, and while it is not exactly a world that she ever imagined being a part of, she is not going to let opportunities like this pass her by.

"It's very weird, very surreal; nothing we ever expected to happen," she said. "I consider myself fairly private, and it's strange to be in this situation, but I think for me, it's kind of fascinating to be able to go, because I approach it like a reporter... That's what you get to do as a reporter, you get access to really interesting people and places that a lot of other people never get access to. I feel like this movie is now giving me an inside look at Hollywood, and as a reporter, I find that so interesting and so fascinating."

Win or lose on Sunday, SPOTLIGHT has already earned a place in the public imagination that few could have anticipated. A film about an unbelievably offensive conspiracy has become, for many, a call to serve in one of the most democratic ways possible.

"I love it when people come out inspired," Pfeiffer said. "They come out realizing that investigative reporting is important, and a small group of persistent people can make positive change, and I love it when people have that reaction."

SPOTLIGHT is available now on Blu-Ray and Digital HD.

Will you be rooting for Rachel McAdams, Sacha Pfeiffer, and SPOTLIGHT on Sunday night? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter@BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image: Sacha Pfeiffer. Photo Credit: Open Road Films