Movie "Invincible" to feature faces familiar to Pred fans
August 17, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Orlando Predators News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. -- When the movie "Invincible" opens on August 25, Orlando Predators fans may recognize more than a few familiar faces. That's because seven current or former members of the team appear in the film as football-playing extras.
In all, around 50 current or former Arena Football League players worked on the movie, which tells the unlikely story of a down-on-his luck teacher and part-time bartender Vince Papali (Played by Mark Wahlberg), who earned a roster spot on the Philadelphia Eagles after attending an open tryout.
Current Preds WR/LB Clif Dell and former OS Travis McGriff had the biggest roles -- serving as stunt doubles for Wahlberg. They replaced Wahlberg in practically all the football scenes. Dell also appears in the movie as a rec league flag football player in the film's early scenes.
Other players with Orlando Predators connections who worked on the movie include current FB/LB Kevin Nagle, as well as former Preds players Matt Storm, Robert Gordon, Chris Sanders, and Lamont Moore.
Dell worked on filming the movie from July through October of 2005. "It was a great experience, just seeing how a movie is made and working on the set." Dell added it also required hard work. "Let's face it, there's only one way to make a violent tackle look realistic and that is to actually do it," Dell said.
Dell noted that dealing with Wahlberg was a pleasure. "You might think he's a big-time movie star and would be unapproachable, but he never came across that way. He hung around us after shooting ended for the day and hosted barbecues for the players. He just acted like one of the guys."
The involvement of Dell, McGriff and the other AFL players came about because of former Predators quarterback Pat O'Hara, who works for a company called Reel Sports, a company based in South Carolina who recruits athletes, provides choreography and consulting services on sports movies.
"I met a gentleman named Mark Ellis when working on the movie "Waterboy." Mark was then working for a different company and was in charge of recruiting players for the movie" O'Hara said. "He then formed "Reel Sports" and hired me to serve as football coordinator."
O'Hara's job involves recruiting athletes with football playing experience. Once shooting begins, O'Hara assists with choreographing the football scenes to make them look realistic. He says the Arena Football League is the ideal recruiting grounds for football films.
"First of all, these movies generally can't hire NFL players for these things because of cost issues and what the player contracts would permit. In hiring AFL players, they are getting professional football players and that's something that makes the learning curve a lot quicker. Since most of the AFL players go on both offense and defense, it makes them more versatile. This enables the film's producers to get by with fewer players."
O'Hara added that AFL players tend to be easier to work with than actors who are trying to play athletes. "They are more 'blue collar' and appreciate the opportunity to work in the off-season," O'Hara said. "You don't have to deal with a lot of big egos."
For next project, O'Hara is working on a movie entitled "Game Plan," starring former WWE wrestler and Miami Hurricane football player Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. "The film is going to resume shooting in Boston in a month or so," O'Hara said. "I contacted several other Predators players including Jim Sodano and Greg Krause to get involved in that project."
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from August 17, 2006
- Gatewood Reaches Donation Goal at MDA "Lockup" - Arizona Rattlers
- Movie "Invincible" to feature faces familiar to Pred fans - Orlando Predators
- Autographed Jerseys Up For Bid - Philadelphia Soul
- Rampage To Hold Open Tryout Saturday - Grand Rapids Rampage
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
