00:04I'm still processing it. It was surreal. I thought I was prepared for it, but when I got a tour
00:12of the Oval Office, I met with the vice president, I walked around those hallowed grounds, and it was just
00:18so humbling.
00:20And to be a part of a story about these young kids trying to transcend racism in the 50s, and
00:29to see one of those guys be at the White House and screen a film that tells his story, it
00:36was really, really surreal.
00:38And I had to, at times, sit back and sort of take it in to make sure I'm fully processing
00:44it and understanding how important it is and how special it was.
00:49So, yeah, it was a beautiful thing. It was so lovely to see that group, and particularly there were a
00:54lot of young kids, too, at the screening, to know that there is really no ceiling to what they can
01:03achieve.
01:04And I think that that is an important message, particularly now in a time where it's so politically divided, and
01:11there's a lot of negative imagery and stereotypes about our community.
01:16I think a story that's hopeful like this and positive and nostalgic and just cinematic, I think that it's really,
01:25it's kind of the perfect moment for this film.
01:31So, playing real-life individuals is a complex thing, and there's a lot of things that go into that.
01:39You know, trying to understand the guy and get in his head and understand the time and what he wanted
01:44to do with himself and what he wanted to give his wife and what he aspired to, I think, was
01:51acceptance.
01:52You know, I mean, the guy served his country and still wasn't good enough.
01:55You know, he was still the other, and he had this thing in his head where he thought that if
02:01I can just be a member of this club, then I'll finally be accepted by this community.
02:06And I think he realized through the process and through these boys that it was bigger than that and bigger
02:11than him as an individual.
02:16And he thought he was teaching these young boys something, but really these young boys taught him what it meant
02:23to understand, you know, sort of self and, you know, have a sense of dignity restored.
02:32And that comes from an internal place, not an external place.
02:35It's not about wearing a badge of some sort, whether it's a fancy car or a nice watch or being
02:41a member of a country club.
02:42It comes from here, right?
02:45And these young boys had to teach him that.
02:47It was pretty – I thought the story was beautiful.
02:53Dennis is a nut.
02:54I love him.
02:56He's like this quixotic old legend of the business.
03:02And, I mean, I'll give you two of them.
03:04And the rookie, you know, obviously lots of fun on set, just kind of – it's like going to practice.
03:11It was just like being in a high school team.
03:13It was no different.
03:15But he also is a musician, so his night job was – he has a band, and I remember he
03:22performed at – I think it was Antone's back in the day.
03:25And I remember seeing him perform, and he was like – he had no shoes on, and the women were
03:31going wild, and he was doing his thing.
03:32It was another performance, but a very – I saw him in a very different line.
03:36I'm like, this guy's a rock star, you know?
03:38This guy's such a badass.
03:40So that was really cool.
03:41And on the long game, he is an avid golfer.
03:46He loves golf more than – probably more than movies.
03:50And so we – it was like wrangling cats to get Dennis to focus on the scene because all he
03:57sees is golf courses and holes, and he's got a – you know, he's just like chipping balls into –
04:02under the greens.
04:04And we were trying to shoot something or block a scene, and he was like, you know, half a mile
04:09down the course, like, seeing off or something.
04:12You know, it was always – it was always like we had to try to wrangle Dennis to get him
04:16ready for the scene.
04:21Being a Cuban-American, being a Dominican-American, being a Honduran, being a Mexican-American, you know, you're going to
04:27see those stories through that lens.
04:28And if you just tell an honest story and make a good film, that's the secret sauce.
04:34You know what I mean?
04:35It's not – there's nothing, you know, beyond that.
04:39I think it's just make a good story, tell a good story, make a good film.
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