had one simple message for Award-winning mainstay when he was set to suit up in a helmet and pads for his latest movie: “ is hard.”
Chiklis learned that the hard way as a fullback and linebacker in high school, but now all these years later he’s getting a chance to show the world just how “hard” football is in his new movie “ ” He stars as Mike Flynt, the former strength coach who made headlines when he utilized the final year of college eligibility he had in 2007 to join the Division III Sul Ross State University football team at 59 years old.
“This movie is very much like a ‘ ,’” Chiklis exuberantly told and on the latest episode of . Chiklis fell in love with the story when he saw it back in 2007 and he was not alone. “ , this caught his imagination as the oldest player in the league. He saw the incredible story and felt compelled to right the forward to the book.”
That story got Chiklis back on the football field for the role, and with that return brought back the locker room camaraderie everybody loves from sports. “The locker room and the camaraderie is the greatest thing about the sport,” added Leinart. “And that is something that is so cool about the movie, and you can see it come across.”
Now at 62 years old, that role on the team is very different. “I ended up being like a playing coach to these boys,” he said of the host of D1 and D2 athletes that play supporting roles in the film. But that comraderies and teamwork is what made the film special to Chiklis as well. “The thing that makes a difference, and it always has, is the chemistry of the team,” he said, likening a cast and crew to some of his favorite teams as a massive Boston sports fan like the 2004 . “I love making films and television because it’s a team sport.”
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