From British to American football
Daniel Ezra talks real-life inspiration for new role
It’s been seven years since the much-loved TV drama Friday Night Lights dimmed its floodlights for the final time. With All American debuting Wednesday on The CW and W Network, high school football is once again in the TV spotlight.
Based on the true story of NFL linebacker Spencer Paysinger, the series centres on a player named Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) who lives in South Central Los Angeles but is recruited to play for a school in Beverly Hills. What follows is a clash of cultures that’s different in rules, expectations, economic status and bias.
Ezra, known for such British miniseries as Undercover and Prime Suspect 1973, spoke about All American and being a fish out of water himself.
Q What do you make of the comparisons between All American and Friday Night Lights? A
To me, that’s only a compliment. I was quite late to the Friday Night Lights thing, but having watched it now, I think it’s a special show. It’s a show that spoke to when it was made. And to me, having that comparison is only a good thing.
Q You’re from the United Kingdom — how familiar were you with American football? A
I had to learn pretty much from the ground up. Being from the U.K., we know American football, and we’re aware of it, but soccer really is our sport. I grew up playing basketball and some soccer, and was somewhat athletic, but never American football. So I had to train and had doubles helping me make it look good.
Q Was Spencer around during filming? A
He was on set pretty much everyday. He was very generous and always around for me to ask questions and pick his brain. It definitely made me work harder and feel a bit more pressure in good ways, to tell the stories as truthfully and authentically as possible.
Q What about his story could you relate to? A
I know what it is to be a kid with a dream that many would consider unrealistic. He probably had, like myself, a lot of people saying he probably should have a backup. I related to him just being able to put the blinders on and go for it. The drive it takes to be a kid trying to break out of a difficult environment and make something of himself.
Q What message do you want people to take away from the show? A
My hope for All American is to show that we’re not as different as we’re made to believe. South Central L.A., Beverly Hills — those are very different worlds socially, economically and culturally, but part of it is just people trying to live their lives and watching this kid trying to walk the line between these two worlds and the people he meets on either side of it. We all love and feel and hurt in the same way. There’s more that connects us than separates us.