"The fact that the camp was in Gettysburg felt very relevant," adds Patton. "This was a key moment for Yoast. He sees that Boone is behaving with honor and dignity, but lie doesn't necessarily agree with how Boone does things. He's not exactly pleased at the prospect of awakening these kids in the middle of the night to run several miles, it seems completely insane, but suddenly, there amongst the graves, listening to Boone's beautiful speech, it begins to dawn on him what Boone is trying to do."
"It was definitely a feat on Herman's part to get the boys to play together and to get them to feel like they were part of the same team," says Yakin. "He taught them to get along, that's where they made their steps."
Yoast agrees. "I could have handled the football," he says. "But what Herman did with those boys, nobody else could have done."
Like their characters, the actors also attended football camp to brush up on the basics of the game. "Camp helped because it had everything to do with the acting and nothing to do with it," says Wood Harris who plays Julius Campbell. "It broke down barriers. It was military conditioning - weight lifting, running, hitting. Some cats had never touched a football. They had to learn to hit and run and catch, but not everyone is athletic. Some of us who were, hadn't played football with pads and a helmet. Suddenly you realize you can't breathe with all that stuff on. And then it rains, and you think, I have to play now? It's not like tennis," he laughs
"We bonded there," Harris continues. "If one person screwed up or did something wrong, 20 people were 'punished' for it. If one person walked when we were supposed to run during our water break, all of us had to do 'up/downs' where you literally drop to the ground and get up as quick as you can, over and over again, as many times as you're instructed. Nobody wanted to do that. Everybody was tired and we all endured it the best we could. We helped each other get through it."
Harris and his counterpart Ryan Hurst who plays defensive linebacker and team captain Gerry Bertier connected in a deeper way as well. The two became fast friends and like many actors in the group spent much of their time together off the set.
"The first day I met Wood, he astounded me," says Hurst. "I told him, 'Dude, you're me, but you're black! If I had some soul, I'd be you,"' he laughs. "We've become the closest of friends."
Hurst describes his character as being a leader among men. "He's a leader throughout the story, but the leadership changes," he explains. "At first Gerry feels an obligation to his white friends, he tries to protect them. Then as the school integrates, he realizes the he was defending other people's fears. He starts taking advantage of the opportunities for friendship the black players offer and unconsciously becomes an example to the rest of the school and the community. When he realizes what's happening, he takes on that responsibility."
Movie Database
In Theaters
