Good afternoon, 12s. Here's a look at what's out there today – Wednesday, August 23 – about your Seattle Seahawks.
Marshawn Lynch Is Earning Rave Reviews For Role In Upcoming Comedy "Bottoms"
Former NFL star to …. movie star? While Marshawn Lynch has had his fair share of acting roles in shows like "Brooklyn 99," "The League," "80 for Brady" and the Netflix show "Murderville" none of these previous roles were him playing a character other than a version of himself. In "Bottoms," Lynch stars in the movie in an integral role, as an actual character not just a cameo.
The SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing, so Lynch hasn't been able to do interviews but the raving comments about his acting skills and role in this movie have been high praises.
Director Emma Seligman sat down with GQ Sports to talk about how the idea of bringing Lynch on as an actor came to life and how he thrived in the role.
The film is a teen comedy that plays off the woes of being a teenager like body shaming, issues with parents and the long-standing storyline of teenagers trying to have sex.
In the role, Lynch plays a history teacher, Mr. G, who heads up a fight club ran by two students in their senior year.
Playing a part in this movie meant a lot more to Lynch than just screen time. The two main characters of the movie are queer, and Lynch's sister is lesbian, and as he explained in an interview filmed prior to the start of the strike, he saw this role as a way to help right a wrong.
"This was a good opportunity for me, because when I was in high school, my sister had came out as being a lesbian," Lynch said. "I did not handle it right. As a 16-year-old boy, I didn't handle it the way that I feel I probably should have. So I told her it was giving me an opportunity to correct my wrongs. To rewrite one of my mistakes."
"In our first conversation, he told me that his sister is queer and when they were in high school, he didn't necessarily handle it super well," Seligman said in the GQ interview. "He felt like this movie coming into his hands was the universe giving him a chance to right his wrongs. That's what he said. He walked her down the aisle. He felt like they were all good, you know? But his sister thought it'd be really cool if he did this. We had a couple more conversations about it, and eventually he said yes!"
While the 12s may know Lynch as an incredible football player, his skills, comedic nature and will to be great is why the director saw him as a great candidate for the movie.
"The scene where he's going off on Ayo and Rachel in the gym, I was shocked by his confidence, especially because he told us how nervous he was," Seligman said. "He was one of the greatest NFL players. People worship him—and he was nervous about getting his lines right! I was shocked by how much care he had and how much detail he wanted to put into it. There's so much on the cutting room floor, too.
"There's one point where he's getting mad at the girls where he says they were 42 faking for the bacon. I didn't get it, but a handful of the guys behind the camera had to stifle their laughter. It was cute. He was one of the best improvisers I've ever worked with. I'm not overstating that. He improvised most of his stuff in the movie that ended up in the final cut! We couldn't ever write something that would be as funny as what he gave us."
See Lynch in action below, though be warned, there is definitely some adult language in the clip:
Social Post Of The Day
This past Spring the Seahawks sent a group of students on a tour to visit Historic Black Colleges and Universities. A full documentary of the trip will be released tomorrow!
More from Around The Web
Gregg Bell of Tacoma News Tribune on Seattle’s wide receiver room.
Corbin Smith of Sports Illustrated on Jacob Syke's productivity through camp.
Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic on Derick Hall and Boye Mafe.
Larry Brown Jr. of USA Today on Clint Hurtt and the Seahawks defense.
Seahawks.com on Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s wrist injury.
