Draft Day Archives - Deepest Dream

Football fans know Arian Foster as one of the most dynamic running backs of the game and a cornerstone of the Houston Texans. Although the squad had a disappointing season, a number one draft pick (hopefully it’s defensive end Jadeveon Clowney) along with continued success from Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson should turn things around.

Foster is also delving into a new chapter in his career playbook, as he plays an athlete waiting to make it to the NFL in the Kevin Costner film “Draft Day.” During a recent press conference, Foster explained why “Any Given Sunday,” a feature which starred Jamie Foxx as talented (and temperamental) quarterback Willie Beamen, is a football film he enjoys.

“Any Given Sunday to me was a very good movie,” said Foster. “It has some stereotypical parts to it but the relationships within the movie are what brings out its essence. The coaches and players relationship and how you butt heads and the players’ dynamic wherein guys really get into fights. That’s real. It’s a very emotional sport. Guys’ jobs are on the line day in and day out. I think the authenticity and the genuine parts of the (story) make it a real movie.”

Arian Foster & Terry Crews (Summit Entertainment, Photo: Dale Robinette)

He may be one of this generation’s NFL greats, but Foster’s went undrafted in 2009. Ironically, the Texans drafted running back Ben Tate in the second round the following year, and Tate has now signed with the Cleveland Browns, the actual team that’s represented in “Draft Day.”

Foster also recounted his own draft day experience and explains why working on the film helped put the NFL Draft Day in perspective. “It was very surreal for me because when you get into character, and you have Terry Crews as your father, and he does an awesome job,” adds Foster. “All those emotions from that day that I never had that I wanted to have came out on that day. That’s what made it so special for me.”

Click on the audio to hear the actor talk about being undrafted in 2009:

“Draft Day,” directed by Ivan Reitman (“No Strings Attached,” “Stripes”) and co-starring Jennifer Garner and Terry Crews, opens April 11.

Starring Kevin Costner, Draft Day is a sports comedy that centers on the NFL Draft, aka one of the most important days of the season. If a team doesn’t do well at building their roster through the draft, their squad is pretty much locked in for a miserable season. Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr., the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, a team that in reality has had way too many losing seasons to count.

Co-star Jennifer Garner is Ali, Sonny’s whip smart girlfriend who is also the Browns’ salary cap manager. To research the role, Garner picked the brain of Megan Rogers, the actual Browns capologist.

“I basically stole everything from her,” said Garner. “From what she carried in her arms. To the way she dressed. To how she comported herself. Megan is someone who never needs to show you that she knows everything. She just holds it inside and if necessary she brings down a hammer. That’s what I loved I loved about Alli.”

Garner has a valid theory on why women excel as high level sports executives. “What makes women so great in these high up positions in sports teams is (that) they can keep their emotions in check and their brains can do a lot of things at once,” adds the actress, who was seen last year in Dallas Buyers Club. “Because if you’re going to a capologist, you’re basically business affairs, plus you’re thinking about the art of football, plus (you’re thinking about) your team’s future, what’s been important in the past. You have to have so much going on in your brains at once and let’s face it, we’re just good at that.”

During the Draft Day press conference, Garner added that although she grew up in West Virginia as a football fan, her domicile is essentially a baseball house. The actress talked about why she loves America’s national pastime, which she describes as a “soap opera.”