Moneyball co-stars Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill were thrilled by the response to the movie from the baseball experts they portray in the film as they were desperate for the pair's approval.
The two stars got to know Billy Beane, former general manager of California's Oakland Athletics baseball team, and statistics expert Paul DePodesta while researching the film about sporting sabermetrics and they all became friends.
When the movie was released in America earlier this year (11), Pitt and Hill were just as keen to impress Beane and DePodesta as they were film critics.
Pitt says, "Billy didn't have to leave the country, which he was afraid he would have to. We had several meetings throughout the years... and he felt comfortable, as much as you can be with someone you give your life rights to."
Hill was also happy when DePodesta gave his performance the thumbs up, even though the statistics whizz refused to let him use his name in the film.
Pitt explains, "When Paul wasn't sure about selling his life rights we thought it would be easier to make the jump (and change the name of Hill's character to Peter Brand)."
Hill adds, "We got to spend time with Paul; I'm pretty close to him... He saw the movie and he enjoyed it... We got to hang with him and he's a great guy. Paul was so cool."