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ERICSON CORE:
“I thought Vince’s journey was so heroic – it’s not that he set out to change the world, but what he did was so courageous and bold that it raised the hopes of people all around him and that was something huge. The story reminded me more of Rocky than any other sports movie I can think of, because it’s about more than sports – it’s about the human spirit and rooting for characters because you understand what drives them, because you really get to know and care about them.”
MARK WAHLBERG:
“I spent a lot of time together with Vince. He likes to hang out. He likes to talk [he laughs]). He’s a really great guy. He’s so enthusiastic, so energetic and passionate. He’s a heroic guy in what he accomplished on the field, but who he is away from the field is what I’m really impressed with.”
GREG KINNEAR:
“I hung out with Dick Vermeil for about three days up in training camp. I really liked the guy immensely. He just doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about his legacy, and a little Hollywood movie. He genuinely is so fixated in the moment, and I think that’s probably the mark of any good coach.”
WAHLBERG:
“I came in saying I wanted to be one of the guys trying to make the team like Vince was, so every [part of my body] was bruised and banged up. The bigger hits in the movie were actually the ones that didn’t hurt as much. I [felt] I had to earn the respect of the real football players and just tough it out.”
KINNEAR:
“I would have to tip my hat to Mark on this movie. I think that he showed up, there were plenty of places where he could have passed the ball off to a stunt double, or they could have CGI’d certain neck twisting events, and it would have been just fine, and he was out there more often than not. Never complained, it was unbearably hot, and he really was out there taking [the hits]. Who the hell was insuring this movie?!”
WAHLBERG:
“I [ended up becoming] an Eagles’ fan, and the reason behind that was because they are so loyal, so passionate about their team. And that’s who Vince Papale was. He was a fan of the Eagles, so when he went out there, he played hard because he was trying to help the Eagles win. He wasn’t trying to make the team for himself; he was trying to make the Eagles better. He didn’t understand why the other guys in camp weren’t working as hard, and eventually it rubbed off, which was why he was named captain of special teams, which had never happened before.”
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THE CONCEPT:
