The producers and cast all credit Fickman with creating a fun, family atmosphere on the set. “First of all, he’s got boundless energy,” Ewan Leslie states. “Whether it was 5:00 a.m. or the end of the day, he was ready to go. He created a really positive set, and everybody loved and respected him.”
Shuler Donner adds, “This is the most fun I’ve had producing a movie, and I’ve produced a lot of them. Andy was a joy in that he knows what he’s doing, and he has a great time doing it. That joy carried over to every member of the cast and crew.”
“Andy was so great,” Amanda Bynes attests. “He was there for everyone, and it’s not every day that you have a director who is always in such a good mood. We were all having so much fun together, I didn’t want it to end.”
To foster that feeling of fun and camaraderie, Fickman brought the cast together for two weeks of rehearsals prior to the start of filming. James Kirk recalls, “We all came in for rehearsals and really got to know each other before we started shooting. We totally bonded. I think that approach came from Andy’s theatre background because, in theatre, the relationships are built during rehearsals, whereas, in filming a movie, you’re usually put on the spot with total strangers. This way, we all warmed up to each other and the comfort zone was there, which made it so easy on the set.”
“We spent a lot of time together on and off the set, which made it very family-like,” Channing Tatum agrees. “Andy has a way of bringing that side out of everybody. It was the best because, when you were doing a scene with someone who’s supposed to be your best friend, it wasn’t hard to imagine.”
In addition to rehearsals, several members of the cast were enrolled in “soccer camp” so they would look like seasoned players onscreen. The filmmakers brought in soccer coach Bob Moles and soccer choreographer Dan Metcalfe to work with the cast and get them ready to take the field. Moles was also responsible for recruiting local soccer players to join the cast as members of the Illyria and Cornwall teams.
Collaborating with Fickman, Metcalfe designed the soccer plays and also worked closely with the cast to teach them all the right moves. Tatum asserts, “I had played soccer before but nowhere near this level. In the beginning, I thought I was pretty physically fit, but on the first day of soccer training, I was dead,” he laughs. “We never stopped running. I learned a few tricks, though, like the bicycle kick, so it was cool.” “Channing’s a stud,” Metcalfe says. “He’ll do anything for you and gives 100% all the time. He’s just a natural athlete. I was glad to find they really did pick actors who had an innate athletic ability, like Robert Hoffman, who actually has an extensive dance background. We decided to make him a goal keeper because we thought he’d be able to make those diving saves and make them look really dramatic. He’s also a wild and crazy guy, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Hoffman remarks, “The most difficult thing about my role was having to dive for the ball over and over again. In between takes, the guys would drill me—they’d be shooting ball after ball and I’d be diving, hip, diving, hip, diving, hip… I’d go home and I’d be dying. I woke up in so much pain, but I couldn’t wait to get back out there.”
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