Marty Baron: Spotlight Got Everything Right About Boston Globe‘s Newsroom

Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron did not coach Liev Schreiber, who plays him in the just-released film Spotlight. The film centers on Baron’s time as top editor of the Boston Globe. “The idea that I’m going to coach a professional actor to play me is preposterous,” Baron says. Schreiber “asked me a bunch of questions and we had a conversation, and then he went and played me.”

Baron says he’s “not the person to ask” but everyone he knows who’s seen the movie says that Schreiber “nailed” the portrayal. He got to see one day of filming in person, and got a lot of questions about his wardrobe. “They got everything right about the newsroom, the set and what people wore and how they looked,” Baron says. “Their basic mannerisms, things like that.” Among the questions: “what kind of shoes I wore, and what kind of pants I wore, and where I shopped, and what shirts, and all that.”

“I’m not the model of high fashion,” Baron adds.

Andrew Beaujon

Senior editor

Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. His book A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War was published in 2018. He lives in Del Ray.