When Patrick Schwarzenegger was promoted American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez,“The most exciting feeling is what I’m learning. This may come as a surprise, considering that Schwarzenegger is playing with one of the most famous and controversial figures in modern football, Tim Tebow.
“Any kind of nervousness or fear[that I felt]probably came from my friends who love football and how they criticize me,” Schwarzenegger told TheWrap. “I’m so excited to be a part of the disco, and to work with other great actors and directors and producers like Ryan Murphy and to play a character like Tebow, so we’re a great guy.”
Tim Tebow and Aaron Hernandez play football together at the University of Florida. According to the New York PostAt a certain height, coach Urban Meyer wanted to fire Hernandez from time to time for using Maconha, but Thibaut had no idea. A kind of friendship developed between the two of them, which was depicted in the third episode of “Pray the Gay Away” of the series “American Sports Story.”
Schwarzenegger stressed that his character is just a “fatia” who gives Hernandez a broader life. “I really didn't have a conversation with Tim about his relationship with Aaron or anything like that,” Schwarzenegger said. However, he did use what he knew about Thibaut as a person to build his portrayal of the soccer icon and his relationship with Hernandez's Josh Rivera.
“Because I knew Tim was the kind of person he was, and that’s what he was. He tended to be a light in anybody’s life no matter how troubled or busy they were. There’s no end to the story, he’s an altruistic person who always tries to do what’s best for the team and what’s best for everybody,” Schwarzenegger said.
Of course, Schwarzenegger was the only one on the long-running FX series to tackle the difficult portrayal of a real-life player. One of the most complicated aspects of the Hernandez case has always been the deceased Hernandez himself. Empora was portrayed in the media as a delinquent and criminal, with an unsportsmanlike duality, and was often described by his friends as “unconstrained,” “twelve,” and “kick.” To channel these different sides of Hernandez’s character, Rivera experimented with “gatilhos,” which altered his character’s humor and disposition.
“I tried to find anchor points with this information, but then there’s a central core that I would like to change,” Rivera told TheWrap.
There’s also the physical cost of playing a complex role. For about three months during pre-production, Rivera worked with his personal trainer, Brian Kane. “He was eating a lot and doing bad things every day,” Rivera said. “The phrase I used was, ‘You look stupid.’”
Getting Hernandez fit right also meant committing to a lot of tattoos. The team had a full tattoo schedule for Hernandez to make sure the series was as accurate as possible. “The whole process was a big deal,” Rivera said. “I had to check in three hours before anyone else. Every time it was jacket day, he was so excited. They’d say, ‘Aaron’s got a dirty jacket on.’ I’d say, ‘That’s weird.’ No sleeves.”
Depois There was football in Yes. Getting the dinners right was crucial, because Hernandez’s on-field performances were what made him a celebrity. To film the actual football dinners, FX worked with a company called Game Changing Films, which hires matchmakers or former pro players for football dinners. Empora Rivera has played guard and linebacker before, so he had to learn how to be tough in “American Sports Story.”
“They taught me a lot about how to play and how to look natural. Obviously, I also have the best doubles to make me legal,” Rivera added.
“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” will air on the 3rd at 10pm ET/PT on FX and will stream the following day on Hulu.
