Johnson had discussed RIM's history with Wandel, who even offered diaries that he kept as they developed the BlackBerry smartphone. Wandel worked at the company from 1993 to 2007. Johnson claims that his portrayal of Fregin is partially based on Matthias Wandel, another of RIM's early employees ( The Associated Press). Instead of drawing from what little he knew about the real Fregin, Johnson instead portrayed Fregin as a 'kind of mascot figure who is tying the culture of the office together.' Director and co-star Matt Johnson, who portrays Doug Fregin in the film, said that he is a 'true cipher,' pointing out that Fregin has never sat down for a recorded interview. As elaborated on in the next question, a BlackBerry fact-check reveals that Matt Johnson's character in the movie bears no resemblance to the real Doug Fregin, who never wore tank tops and headbands to the office.ĭoes BlackBerry portray Doug Fregin accurately? Like in the movie, the rise and fall of the Canadian company Research in Motion unfolded in Waterloo, Ontario.
