CNN
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The brand new movie “Fantasy Soccer” capitalizes on a few of its stars pure expertise.
Marsai Martin channels a number of girl-boss power enjoying Callie Coleman, a tech-savvy younger lady whose father’s lengthy profession within the NFL lands him with the Atlanta Falcons group.
Her manufacturing firm is behind the family-friendly movie. (Martin, 18, set a Guinness World File in 2020 because the youngest Hollywood government producer to work on a serious manufacturing.)
She and costars Omari Hardwick (Bobby Coleman), Rome Flynn (Anderson Fisher), together with the movie’s director Anton Cropper, just lately spoke with CNN once they appeared at a Falcons recreation held at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
It was acquainted environment because the group shot loads of scenes for his or her film there.
The plot facilities round Callie’s father, performed by Hardwick, seemingly on the finish of his profession when his daughter discovers she will be able to management his strikes through enjoying the Madden soccer online game.
Martin sees the position during which her character additionally makes mates with the robotics membership group members at her new college as extra than simply enjoyable with its constructive message about range in know-how.
“I’ve met so many women who’re in to know-how and STEM (science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic) or are all about Black women coding,” she stated. “It’s essential to shine a light-weight on it as a result of it’s a really large deal. It’s all about illustration.”
For Hardwick, the undertaking gave him the chance to lean into his soccer roots.
Earlier than he turned well-known for his work in roles like James “Ghost” St. Patrick on “Energy,” the Savannah, Georgia native performed as a defensive again on the College of Georgia and later tried out with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent.
“It feels unbelievable to be proper again right here at dwelling,” Hardwick stated. “That is clearly my hometown group…however I by no means received to play for the Falcons. With this movie, I received to do my factor.”
Hardwick additionally identified that it was applicable that they have been attending a recreation during which the Atlanta Falcons have been enjoying the Chicago Bears on condition that Rome Flynn, who performs Bobby Coleman’s rival, the hotshot younger quarterback Anderson Fisher, grew up in Chicago.
Flynn informed CNN that not like their characters, he and Hardwick had no competitors between them as main males.
“It’s all love,” he stated smiling. “We respect one another and we introduced out the perfect in one another.”
“Fantasy Soccer” debuts Friday on Paramount+.