Prior to making the film, the actors had no rowing experience. They were given a physio and a trainer to prepare for the physicality of rowing. They trained every day for months, rowing for four hours a day, every day, and then an hour after filming. George Clooney deliberately shot the film in order "so by the time we got to the race in Germany, our kids could stay in the game." The actors' goal was to get to 46 strokes per minute while working on the film, which they achieved, matching the strokes per minute of the original crew in the Olympics.
In a scene during the Olympics, there is mention of Ran Laurie in the British boat. Ran Laurie was the father of actor Hugh Laurie.
Members of various boat clubs in the area, such as, St Hugh's Boat Club, Merton College Boat Club and Oriel College Boat Club from the University of Oxford, were recruited as rowers for various national teams in the Olympics.
Director George Clooney said "It was really important to us that that the rowing community actually had a film that captured the thrill of what that is, and the speed."
Based on the best-selling, non-fiction book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.