AUSTIN, Texas — Everyone wants a piece of Marshawn Lynch. In the past few years alone, the all-time great former Seattle Seahawks running back — known for stealing opposing teams’ dreams just as he does scenes in everything from the acclaimed comedy “Bottoms” to the upcoming third season of “Euphoria” — has been everywhere.
He’s appeared in shows like “Westworld” and “Murderville” and films such as “Freaky Tales,” “Love Hurts” and “Signing Tony Raymond,” making him one of the more prolific athletes-turned-actors of his generation. It’s easy to see why: Lynch, even in small parts, has charisma and presence to spare, ensuring he always leaps off the screen with the same flair with which he was once able to fly high over a defensive line to score a touchdown.
To Lynch, the two experiences, acting and football, may seem like separate skill sets, but they aren’t all that different to him. He also doesn’t like to watch himself doing either, preferring either a director or a coach take a look at his work, and then connect back with him.
“I got this thing when it comes to watching playback,” Lynch said, referring to the footage the director, crew and cast watch to assess a scene. “When it comes to watching the work, I like to let the folks see it and have a conversation with me. Then I’ll go back and watch it.”
In a recent interview atop a rooftop bar in Austin, Texas, where Lynch was at the SXSW Film & TV Festival with his upcoming film, “He Bled Neon,” he recalled going through similar experiences after a big game. He said that while the work is different, his feelings about it remain the same.
“With watching game footage, we’ll come in after Sunday on that Monday to go back through the film. It’s more for teaching purposes. That was a lot of the time when I would get my rest. I’d sleep through meetings. I probably shouldn’t be saying that,” Lynch said with a laugh.
With acting, Lynch said he’s always looking to learn from each new collaborator. This started when working with director Emma Seligman on her queer sex comedy “Bottoms,” which gave him his first major role as a teacher-turned-adviser for an after-school fight club, and extended to working with creator Sam Levinson on “Euphoria.” In all his projects, Lynch said, he wants those directing to give feedback to him straight so he can learn for the next take.
“If I’m doing some (expletive) and it don’t read, and I (expletive) up, then they say, ‘This is what I’m looking for,’ it’s like, OK then, I’ll go and watch it now, I got you. That way I can fix my mistakes,” Lynch said. “I come from a background of taking accountability for what you do. So if I’m out there and I’m giving a piss-poor performance, let me know, so that way I can go and fix it.”
Lynch said he first talked about this with Seligman, whom he told directly he wanted to be treated like any other actor rather than like a former football player. Their collaboration resulted in Lynch giving a comedic performance that went toe-to-toe with comedy heavyweights like stars Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott.
“I don’t want you to look at me as an athlete. I want you to handle me as if I’m any of the other actors. I make that clear before we even get started on a project,” Lynch said. “Then we are going to have a great working relationship and I’m going to be able to be on top of my game.”
Since then, Lynch has leapt into more physical roles, such as the action film “Love Hurts,” where he traded blows with recent Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan and made short work of a kitchen while offering comedic commentary throughout. For Lynch, it was a new challenge, but it also played to some of his strengths as an athlete.
“The physical element, I wouldn’t say it was easy, but that’s in the field of play for me. I’m really familiar with my body. Mentally and physically, I’ve put my body through just about anything when it comes to training,” Lynch said. “That’s my will, that’s how I move.”
Lynch said he is now hoping to hone his cadence and the way he delivers dialogue in films. He said he’s glad to not only have gotten the opportunity to be just another actor in “Euphoria” and “He Bled Neon,” but to also get his first executive producer credit on the latter. Beyond those two upcoming projects, which lean into what are often much darker tones, he said he’d be open to taking on something like a romantic comedy, but that he is also still looking to further explore who it is that Marshawn Lynch the actor can be.
“In this type of environment and where I’m at in the space, if the right opportunity comes around, then I’m up for anything,” Lynch said. “I don’t know if I’ve got an ideal, perfect dream role. Right now, as I’m getting my feet wet and finding my lane, what I like and don’t like, it’s more the projects that come to me, and I identify that can build my skills. I never met a challenge that I wasn’t built for.”
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