Steering a Star: Central Catholic grad Cesar Flores trains Matthew McConaughey for The Lost Bus

San Antonio native Cesar Flores, right, poses with star Matthew McConaughey. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Cesar Flores

San Antonio native Cesar Flores never thought his role as the director of transportation at a school district would put him on a path to Hollywood.

Although he currently works for New Braunfels ISD, Flores was the director of transportation for Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico when location scouts from Hollywood showed up to his office asking if they could shoot a film there.

“I told them about the schedule that our school buses run and that it was going to be hard to film a movie in between the hours we’re not running buses,” Flores, 42, told the Current during a recent interview.

Instead, the production crew used Flores’ transportation office as a model to create their own set for the survival drama The Lost Bus.

“They took pictures of everything,” Flores said. “Once they got a good feel of how everything looked, they built their own set and made it look as authentic as possible.”

Set during the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, The Lost Bus tells the true story of Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), a driver who navigates a bus carrying 22 children and their teacher to safety through the deadliest fire in California history.

Flores, a 2001 graduate of Central Catholic High School, thought his brush with Hollywood was over once the production crew took photos and asked a few questions. But they had one more question for Flores.

“They asked if I would be willing to train one of their actors,” Flores said. “And, of course, I said, ‘Sure!’”

Flores said the production team couldn’t tell him at the time who the actor was that he would be training, but were able to tell him his initials were M.M.

“My team and I started joking around about who it could be,” Flores said. “I said, ‘Maybe it’s Matthew McConaughey.’ One of the [studio reps] heard us talking and said, ‘All right, all right, all right.’ So, at that point, we knew it was Matthew McConaughey.”

During our interview, Flores talked about getting McConaughey behind the wheel of a school bus and about how he ended up in the movie too. The Lost Bus, directed by Academy Award-nominated director Paul Greengrass (United 93), is available on Apple TV.

What was it like when Matthew McConaughey showed up at your office for training?

Well, at first we were like, “We’ll believe it when we see it,” but he showed up. It was cool seeing him in the flesh and getting to work with him and telling him everything we do. He was a very humble [and] a nice guy. He listened to everything and took everything in. It was cool to see his process of developing his character.

What did the training entail?

First, we did the hands-on stuff. We walked around the bus, and I showed him how everything worked and made sure he was comfortable driving it. Then, we talked in my office for probably two hours and answered all his questions. He tried to learn everything he could. He was absorbing everything.

Was he a natural behind the wheel of a school bus, or did it takes some time to get it right?

We were surprised how easy it was for him to jump on the bus and drive it. We thought he was going to be nervous about activating the lights and the door. But he took to it immediately. He told us he had driven a camper across the country before and that he had a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) already. He didn’t need a whole lot of coaching in that respect.

It must have felt good to know they were making a movie about a hero bus driver.

Yeah, because you don’t see that every day. It’s a great story about the heroics of a bus driver who saved those children from the wildfire. I think it’s something any of our bus drivers would do. They’re always trying to do what they can to take care of their kids. I think it shows the compassion they have. It was neat to see that in a movie.

Not only did you serve as a technical advisor, but you are also in the film too, yes?

Yes, I was in the film. They asked if I wanted to be a background character, and I agreed. But the producers and the director started asking me how different characters should say certain lines. They were asking how they should use the radio and how they should look something up on the computer. Eventually, they’re like, “Hey, let’s just do that line with Cesar.” Before I knew it, I had some lines in the movie.

What surprised you about how movies are made?

Well, I knew it was hard work, but I didn’t know exactly how much went into it. It was truly amazing. The hard work that all these people put into it was just astounding. We work long days in the transportation department, but it was cool to see just how much effort and dedication they have and how much it really takes to make a film. It’s something I will hold onto forever.

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Steering a Star: Central Catholic grad Cesar Flores trains Matthew McConaughey for The Lost Bus

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