Behind the Scenes: On the Set of We Are Marshall

Taking Flight

Interestingly enough, director McG has a terrible fear a flying -- a phobia that reportedly lost him the job of directing Superman Returns because it filmed in Australia. So what was it like flying into and out of Huntington's teeny tiny airport, where the plane crash took place?

"It was very surreal," he told iVillage. "I have a long history of being afraid of flying. It was just such a personal statement for me to be able to fly into that airport. I've probably flown in there about six times at this point. You know, you can still see the burn marks on the hill where the plane made the impact. It's very ethereal and haunting and makes you reflect.

"I went to Huntington twice before I agreed to do the picture to covertly take in the vibe of the community and make sure I was the right guy to be the arbiter of the story. I didn't want to just go there and bully my way around and not really understand what was going on. So I walked the campus, looked at the memorial, went to the student center, went to the obelesque where there are six unmarked graves [housing the bodies of unidentified football players], went to the crash site where you have to hike up the hills - sat there and just reflected and thought if I could do it justice, cause I don't want to look at those people who asked me to tell the story and do it wrong. I want to hold my head high and know we told it cleanly and honorably, and hopefully we've done that."

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