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CONDUCT DETRIMENTAL TO THE TEAM.
>>> IN OTHER SPORTS NEWS, THE
PLOT LINE, IT WAS GOING TO BE
NOTHING SHORT OF EPIC.
A CANCER SURVIVOR HOUNDED BY
DETRACTORS DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE.
HE RETURNS TO THE SPORT HE LOVES
AND PROVES THEM ALL WRONG.
CUE THE INSPIRING THEME MUSIC
AND LET THE CREDITS ROLL.
THAT'S THE FILM THAT DIRECTOR
ALEX GIVNEY THOUGHT HE WAS GOING
TO MAKE IN 2009 ABOUT LANCE
ARMSTRONG'S COMEBACK TO THE
WORLD OF CYCLING.
OF COURSE, THE PROJECT CAME TO A
SCREECHING HALT WHEN THE DOPING
SCANDAL FINALLY ENGULFED THE
SPORT'S BIGGEST STAR.
BUT AFTER ARMSTRONG FINALLY
CONFESSED TO HIS SINS, GIVNEY
REOPENED THE PROJECT AND WHAT
BEGAN AS A SORT OF FAN FILM
TURNED INTO AN UNFLINCHING LOOK
AT A SPIRALING WEB OF LIES.
>> LIVING A LIE, I DIDN'T LIVE A
LOT OF LIES BUT I LIVED ONE BIG
ONE.
IT'S DIFFERENT, I GUESS.
>> I CERTAINLY WAS VERY
CONFIDENT THAT I WOULD NEVER BE
CAUGHT.
>> ALEX GIVNEY, WRITER AND
DIRECTOR OF THE ARMSTRONG LIE,
JOINS ME NOW FROM NEW YORK.
ALEX, CONGRATULATIONS.
IT'S A RIVETING DOCUMENTARY,
PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING, WELL,
FASCINATING AND MAYBE EVEN
FRIGHTENING ABOUT HOW MUCH
ARMSTRONG BELIEVED THE LIES HE
WAS TELLING TO THE WORLD.
DO YOU GET ANY SENSE THAT HE'S
SORRY FOR WHAT HE DID OR JUST
SORRY THAT HE GOT CAUGHT?
>> I THINK HE'S SORRY FOR WHAT
HE DID TO AN EXTENT, BUT I THINK
MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT HE'S NOT
SORRY ENOUGH.
I THINK HE HASN'T REALLY
GRAPPLED WITH THE DAMAGE THAT HE
DID OFF THE BIKE.
I THINK THE FURY THAT SERVED HIM
VERY WELL ON THE BIKE TURNED OUT
TO BE VERY DAMAGING OFF THE BIKE
AND ALSO, HE TOLD THIS KIND OF
GRAND STORY THAT DIDN'T NEED TO
BE SO BIG, HE TOLD A LIE THAT
WAS SO ENORMOUS.
HE DIDN'T JUST SAY LOOK, I HAVE
NEVER TESTED POSITIVE.
HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY HOW DARE YOU
SAY THAT I, AS A CANCER
SURVIVOR, WOULD EVER USE
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS AND
THE ENORMITY OF THAT MIRACULOUS
STORY IF IT WERE TRUE CAME
CRASHING DOWN ON HIM BECAUSE SO
MANY PEOPLE WERE DISAPPOINTED.
>> THE FILM MAKES A CLEAR CASE
ARMSTRONG WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY
WITH IT ALL IF HE HADN'T
RETURNED TO THE TOUR de FRANCE
IN 2009.
WHY DID HE COME BACK, ESPECIALLY
WHEN THAT RISK WAS OUT THERE?
>> I THINK THAT'S THE BIG
MYSTERY OF THE STORY.
THAT'S THE MYSTERY THAT HAUNTS
THE STORY.
I ASKED HIM THAT VERY QUESTION.
I SAID DIDN'T YOU THINK THAT
PEOPLE WHO HAD SUSPICIONS ABOUT
DOPING BEFORE WOULD COME BACK
AFTER YOU IF YOU CAME BACK IN
2009?
HE DIDN'T JUST SAY YES.
HE SAID OF COURSE.
I THOUGHT WOW, OF COURSE.
SO HE KNEW THE RISK HE WAS
TAKING AND YET I THINK IT WAS
TOO TANTALIZING TO HIM.
HE HAD BEEN SO CONFIDENT THAT HE
COULD PULL IT OFF IN THE PAST, I
THINK ALSO AS AN ATHLETE HE JUST
COULDN'T STAND BEING AWAY FROM
THE FIELD OF BATTLE.
SO HE WENT BACK RIGHT INTO THE
LION'S DEN.
>> YOU HAD INCREDIBLE ACCESS TO
ARMSTRONG FOR THE FILM.
YOU AGREED TO PAY HIM FOR THAT
ACCESS.
HE WILL STILL GET A CUT OF THE
PROCEEDS OF THE FILM DESPITE THE
TURN THE STORY LINE ULTIMATELY
TOOK.
IS THERE ANY REACTION FROM HIM?
>> I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY REACTION.
BECAUSE HE HASN'T SEEN IT.
YOU KNOW, WE OFFERED HIM THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT, AND HE
SENT HIS REPRESENTATIVES
INSTEAD.
I THINK HE SHOULD SEE IT.
I THINK HE SHOULD SEE IT.
>> WATCHING THE FILM, IT'S CLEAR
YOU HAD A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP
WITH ARMSTRONG, WHO SEEMS
LIKEABLE ON ONE LEVEL.
YOU ADMIT IN THE FILM WAS A TIME
WHEN YOU WERE ROOTING FOR HIM,
YOU WERE A FAN, YOU WANTED HIM
TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE COMEBACK.
HE CALLS YOU ALEX WHEN HE SPEAKS
TO THE CAMERA.
DO YOU PERSONALLY FEEL BETRAYED
AT ALL?
>> YEAH, I FEEL BETRAYED.
I MEAN, I THINK I WAS USED.
THAT MAYBE IS WHAT REALLY PISSED
ME OFF THE MOST.
I UNDERSTOOD THAT PART OF MY
ROLE IN THE 2009 FILM, THE
COMEBACK FILM, WAS TO BE PART OF
THE P.R. MACHINERY AND A GUY WHO
HAD DONE INVESTIGATIVE FILMS
BEFORE NOW WATCHING THIS GREAT
COMEBACK WHICH WOULD THEN
HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, GIVE SOME
COLORATION TO THE MAGIC OF HIS
CAREER AND HELP SOLVE SOME OF
THOSE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAD
RAISED IN THE PAST.
SO THAT'S THE PART I THINK THAT
INFURIATED THE MOST --
INFURIATED ME THE MOST, THAT I
FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN PART OF THE
P.R. CAMPAIGN, THE COVERUP.
>> OF COURSE, THERE WERE ALL
THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN TRYING
TO DROP A DIME AND TELL THE
TRUTH ABOUT HIM AND HE WENT OUT
AND TRIED TO DESTROY THEM.
HOW MUCH DID PEOPLE LIKE SHERYL
CROW AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE
BIG PARTS OF HIS LIFE, HOW MUCH
DID THEY PROTECT HIM KNOWING
WHAT THE LIE WAS?
>> I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
FASCINATING ASPECTS OF THIS
STORY IS THAT THIS WAS A LIE
THAT HID IN PLAIN SIGHT FOR
MANY, MANY YEARS AND THERE ARE
MANY PEOPLE COMPLICIT IN THIS.
THE SPONSORS, THE CYCLING
ORGANIZATION, CELEBRITIES,
PEOPLE CLOSE TO ARMSTRONG,
CYCLISTS WHO HAD THE CODE OF
OMERTA, THE CODE OF SILENCE AND
THE MEDIA, I WOULD ADD, AND US
FANS WHO YOU KNOW, ON THE PODIUM
IN 2005, ARMSTRONG SAID AS HE
WAS LEAVING SEEMINGLY FOR THE
LAST TIME, I'M SORRY FOR YOU WHO
CAN'T DREAM BIG.
I'M SORRY FOR YOU WHO DON'T
BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.
WELL, THIS IS FROM AN ATHEIST
AND YET SOMEHOW, WE WANTED TO
BELIEVE IN THE MIRACLE EVEN
THOUGH WE KNEW BETTER.
AND THERE WAS A HUGE MECHANISM
AROUND ARMSTRONG'S LIE THAT
ENABLED IT TO HAPPEN.
>> I JUST HAVE TO ASK YOU.
NEITHER ONE OF US IS QUALIFIED
AS A PSYCHOLOGIST OR
PSYCHIATRIST BUT HIS LIES JUST
SEEM SO DEEP THAT IT SEEMED
ALMOST SOCIOPATHIC.
THAT'S WHY I THINK SO MANY
PEOPLE ARE SO ANGRY AT HIM,
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN HIM AND
HIS LIES WERE JUST STAGGERING.
I MEAN, I REALLY HONESTLY,
THINKING ABOUT IT, CAN'T THINK
OF A BIGGER LIAR IN THE SPORTS
WORLD.
I KNOW YOU CAN'T DIAGNOSE HIM,
BUT HOW DEEP DO YOU THINK THESE
LIES ARE?
>> HERE'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT
THAT.
I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WORD
SOCIOPATH, BUT I THINK HE WAS
DEEPLY AFFLICTED WITH WHAT THE
POLICE CALL NOBLE CAUSE
CORRUPTION.
THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL BAD COPS
WHO SLIP MARIJUANA CIGARETTES
INTO PEOPLE'S POCKETS BECAUSE
THEY CAN'T GET THEM ANY OTHER
WAY.
I THINK LANCE FELT THAT HIS
STORY WAS SO INSPIRING, SO GOOD,
THAT HE COULD BE BAD.
THAT WAS OKAY.
IT WAS OKAY IF HE WENT AFTER
PEOPLE AND WENT AFTER THEM HARD.
WHY?
BECAUSE HE WAS RAISING MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS FOR CANCER.
YOU KNOW, A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
SAY WE MAY BE HARD-WIRED FOR
SOCIAL MEDIOCRITY.
THE GRANDER HIS STORY BECAME,
THE MORE VICIOUS HE LASHED OUT
AT CRITICS AND THE MORE ABLE HE
WAS TO TELL THE MOST FANTASTIC
LIES STRAIGHT TO OUR FORCES
WITHOUT ANY COMPUNCTION AT ALL.
I THINK THERE WERE TIMES, IN
ORDER TO BE A REALLY GOOD LIAR,
YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE YOUR LIES IN
SOME FUNDAMENTAL WAY, SOME
EMOTIONAL WAY.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT ALLOWED HIM
TO GET AWAY WITH IT.
>> IT'S A BRILLIANT WORK.