Bouris Starring for Ninjas and Hollywood
May 15, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
New Haven Ninjas News Release
New Haven, Conn. - They say that movie stars want to be athletes and athletes want to be movie stars. In the case of New Haven Ninja lineman Eric Bouris, he's a little of both. Well, an athlete for sure. How much of a movie star he is will be seen May 31 when Tom Clancy's "Sum of All Fears" is released in theatres. The movie features Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, and James Cromwell.
Because of a scene where terrorists attempt to blow up the Super Bowl, the studio was looking for extras for the football scenes between the fictional Chicago Patriots and the Gators. Shot in Montreal in May of 2001, the studio primarily used the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts players, but also used other Canadian Football League players as well. At the time, Bouris was with the Edmonton Eskimos.
"The casting agency got my name from my university coach Gerry McGrath and gave me a call," said Bouris. "I was in the area and jumped at the chance."
The chance, however, was not all the glamour he expected from movie life.
"I was in several action scenes as well as some sidelines sequences," said Bouris, who wore 99 for the Patriots in the movie. "We had to be there at 5:30 in the morning and spend 13 hours on the set, most of which we spent standing around waiting. All that and I still may end up on the cutting room floor."
His time in New Haven, however, has been much more productive. Since joining the Ninjas, the team is 2-1 and has allowed just one sack in the last two games. Bouris also scored a touchdown in the Ninjas' first victory of the season, a 51-38 defeat of the Mohegan Wolves, when he pounced on a blocked field goal in the end zone. The 6-8, 300-pounder had spent the first two weeks of the af2T season with the Charleston Swamp Foxes.
While Bouris' future as a movie star may not be certain, his future with the Ninjas appears to be.
"Eric has been a big part of our line's turn around. We've been able to give the quarterback more time as well as run the ball with more effectiveness," said Ninja Head Coach Rick Buffington. "I guess one team's trash is another team's treasure."
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