Courtesy of When The Game Stands Tall
Michael Chiklis (left), Jim Caviezel (right)
by Trish Hoffman
Follow @TrishaHoffmanLA
When you think of things that have inspired you to be what you are today, you may, like many people, look back to your high school sports years for that answer.
And, that’s exactly what award-winning actor Michael Chiklis told me during a recent interview for his role in the upcoming Sony Pictures film When The Game Stands Tall that will be released on August 22nd. The film, that could be considered a faith-based film, will go mainstream because of the power of the story that is executed perfectly by the stars of the film.
The 50 year old Chiklis, who plays De La Salle High School (Concord, California) assistant coach Terry Eidson in the film, lettered in three sports during his career at Andover High School in Massachusetts, which included being a co-captain for his high school football team. Chiklis played fullback and linebacker during his high school days. Without me asking a direct question about the role of high school sports in his life, he talked about how team sports inspired him and served as a catalyst moving forward in his life.
He believes being a team player isn’t just for sports but is key for everything you do in life.
“I absolutely learned from team sports how to become a leader,” said Chiklis, who has had starring roles in the television series The Commish and The Shield. “How to be #1 on a call sheet, which I’ve been a number of times in television and in films. Through sports you learn how to motivate people, how to get people behind you and also to be motivating for them. You learn to collaborate.”
Chiklis added the similarities between sports and acting is the same, because there are many other people involved in making a great television show or film and everyone has to count on each other. This was one of the themes in the movie When The Game Stands Tall. The film focuses on De La Salle High School’s legendary head coach Bob Ladouceur (played by Jim Caviezel), and how the coaches, team and families dealt with life after their 151 game winning streak came to an end.
Michael Chiklis plays De La Salle assistant coach Terry Eidson in When the Game Stands Tall.
Courtesy of When The Game Stands Tall
Chiklis does a great job of portraying Eidson, who was key to the De La Salle support system and development of the team, having been Ladouceur’s assistant for over 30 years. His sense of humor and dedication to his players, coaches and school was enhanced by that sense of humor that shows up even on the sidelines. Eidson, in the film, keeps the player’s spirits high after losing for the first time in 12 years. Other moments of strength from Eidson in When The Game Stands Tall come after Coach Lad’s heart attack that caused his temporary absence from the team and how everyone came together after the tragic murder of Terrence Kelly, who was two days away from going to the University of Oregon to begin his college football career.
“These are all incredible life lessons,” said Chiklis, who won an Emmy in 2002 for his performance in The Shield. “I always say making a television series is kind of tantamount to asking 150 cooks go into a kitchen and make a meatloaf…how is that meatloaf ever going to taste good? Well by mutual respect, restraint: oh you get the salt and I’ll get the pepper…give and take. Learning how to be a team, being collaborative and showing mutual respect.”
When Jeff and I spoke with Chiklis at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills last week, we also interviewed Coach Eidson himself. It was a first for me to meet the actor AND the person being portrayed. Chiklis nailed Coach Eidson’s sense of humor, his strength of selflessness and love for his team.
After watching this film, I walked away with such clarity about how Ladouceur and Eidson led their team as a family and encouraged them each to be the best they could be in whatever they did. It was never about winning the games; it was about walking hand-in-hand with the spirit of the next guy, who you could call your friend.
Editor’s Note: To hear more about the film listen to High School Football America’s radio show from August 7th that featured Caviezel and Chiklis, plus the real men behind the story – Bob Ladouceur and Terry Eidson.
