On behalf of Amazon, MGM Studios THE UNDERDOGGS held a Virtual Press Conference on Sunday, Jan. 21. The film arrives only on Prime Video on Jan. 26
Snoop, Tika Sumpter, Kal Penn, some of the Underdoggs cast and director Charles Stone the Third, participated in the panel about the upcoming sports comedy.
Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings (Snoop Dogg) is a washed-up ex-professional football star who has hit rock bottom. When Jaycen is sentenced to community service coaching the Underdoggs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown of Long Beach, California, he sees it as an opportunity to rebuild his public image and turn his life around. As Jaycen works to transform the foul-mouthed Underdoggs into top-notch champions, he reconnects with his past, including an old flame and few of his ex-teammates and rediscovers his love of the game.
Snoop Dogg. Tika Sumpter, Kal Penn, Jonigan Booth, Caleb Dixon, Adan James Carrillo, Alexander Michael Gordon, Kylah Davila, Shamori Washington and director Charles Stone III joined in on the conversation.
The moderator asked the young actors about their experience as “underdogs” in real life, their personalities and getting into acting.
DANIELLE: Are y’all kidding me? All these good curls. I’m so excited to talk about this film. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you, Prime. Let’s get into it. I wanna know from my Underdoggs, do you know what it means to be an underdog, and have you ever, in your short time here on this earth, have you ever been considered one? Anyone?
CALEB: I’ll go.
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:02:03]
DANIELLE: Oh, thank you, love.
CALEB: So, for me what it means to be a underdog is like you’re someone that’s always getting counted out like no one really believes in you. But damn, you know, you know what I’m saying, you show the world, know what I’m saying? You show them what you can really do. And personally, like I would say I’ve been a underdog, but I’m not no more. But yeah.
DANIELLE: Give him some.
SHAMORI: Preach, preach.
DANIELLE: I love that. And I know, like y’all have been working in this industry for some time, and I’m sure throughout your careers you’re experienced it as well. I would love to hear from y’all if you’ve ever been considered an underdog and how you handled that.
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:02:45]
ADAN: I would say I was an underdog when I was —
DANIELLE: I know that’s right. You better jump in.
AUDIENCE: [laugh]
DANIELLE: No, you’re fine, baby. Go ahead.
ADAN: I would say I was an underdog when I first started my acting career ‘cause no one thought I could do it. No one thought I would go anywhere. People just thought it was a silly hobby. But I proved ‘em wrong and kept pushing even through the hate, and not [indiscernible].
Danielle also asked Director Charles Stone III (Drumline, Paid in Full) about his introduction to filmmaking, his career and his thoughts on ‘underdogs.’
CHARLES: But I recall wanting to direct music videos. I had just graduated from art school in 1988, and I sent my work to a management company that managed the band Living Color, the rock band, and I remember the manager saying, “Look, I just can’t give you $60,000 and expect you to have the know how to do it, but we’ll keep you in mind.” And I stayed the course and I continued to create like music video ideas in my head and writing them down and just, you know, mentally staying the course.
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:04:09]
CHARLES: And then six months later, they offered me $10,000 to do a music video for the song called “Funny Vibe” off of the Vivid album Living Color, and that got my feet in the door. You know, and they always say, “Don’t wait. Be prepared so when you do get called, be ready,” like for actors, for all of us, you know, if you love your craft. So, but I was considered an underdog, I thought, back then and had to push through.
DANIELLE: We love it. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, yeah. Snoop, what about you? Any underdog stories from your career?
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:04:42]
SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, a whole lot. Probably with this acting thing in the beginning, you know. You know, sorta kinda like what my nephew was saying. Like they didn’t believe that I could be an actor because I was so focused on rapping and not really like taking the time to think about the structure and the skill and the practice and the things that go into it. So, I had to, you know, prepare myself to get better, but I started off as an underdog where I wouldn’t get roles or they would say nah, he can’t do it, we don’t think. So, I had to go practice, you know. I had to go get better. I had to go do things to make sure that when I do get an opportunity that they couldn’t say no.
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:05:17]
DANIELLE: I love that. That’s a good lesson. Don’t let the no deter you.
TIKA: You’re amazing. Yeah, I mean, I always think about when films like, you know, when films actually end up doing well and studios are like oh my gosh we were so surprised, you know? And I feel like I’ve been in a lot of those kind of films where it’s like whoa! It made this much? And I feel like a lot of the times I just wish, you know, people would invest more in films like this and believe, because there is an audience who wants to not only see themselves, but they wanna see fun.
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:06:01]
TIKA: They wanna see us do different things, so don’t always be surprised when something does really well, studios and everybody else. Yeah, I always think I’m part of films like that a lot where they’re just like whoa, you know. It’s like believe in the product. Put it out there. Believe in the people and people will show up.
DANIELLE: Love that. Yes. Thank you.
SNOOP DOGG: Yes, we will.
DANIELLE: Yeah. And Kal, how about you? Underdog story?
KAL: This just reminded me of the story about when Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle blew up, where for years when I was starting out, I went to drama school. I was trying to get my foot in the door, and I kept getting told, “Well, what part could you possibly play?”
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:06:39]
KAL: Because look at you. Like I could play whatever. Like, you know, my background’s comedy. And this was the late ‘90s, early 2000s so it wasn’t really like that, right, unless people had an idea in their heads of what you’re supposed look like. And I remember seeing, I went to UCLA undergrad, I remember seeing a woman, I can’t remember her name, but I remember at the time she was, I think, the only Black woman on network TV. And people asked her questions in a format like this, and she said, “I know that I need to work harder than anybody else who’s going out for that job, and I know that, you know, that’s why I have an MFA in classical theater and when I walk into that audition room, if they’re sending me home without the job, they know that I know that I was the best person for the job.”
THE UNDERDOGGS – 01_21_24 – PRESS CONFERENCE [00:07:24]
KAL: “So, I’m ready to work a thousand times harder than anybody else.” And I kinda use that philosophy as the underdog. Then Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle comes out, and everybody forgets it tanked at the box office. It did not do well. The title wasn’t great. Okay. And I remember in Hollywood, like what was that, 2004, everyone after it tanked was like see, we told you two Asian American men just can’t open a comedy. And then it comes out on DVD, and people were buying it.
SNOOP DOGG: You can thank the hood for that.
KAL: ‘Cause Indian folks try to take credit. And they did not buy a copy. They gifted each other the DVD. But anyway, sorry, I don’t wanna take up too much time. That movie came out on DVD and people all over the country, not just in the pockets that studios thought, went out and supported it and we got a second and third movie. So, to your point, you know, I wish that there was a little more attention on hey, there are stories that are out there that can do really well. And obviously the last 20 years, we’ve seen that especially with technology like Amazon and streaming.
DANIELLE: Yes, yes.
CHARLES: I gotta, if I can, add, I’m glad you brought that up ‘cause it made me think about Drumline. You know, it’s, one, it’s about marching bands.
Only on Prime Video January 26
Directed by: Charles Stone III
Written by: Danny Segal & Isaac Schamis
Produced by: Kenya Barris, p.g.a., Calvin Broadus, p.g.a., Constance Schwartz-Morini, p.g.a., Mychelle Deschamps, p.g.a., Jonathan Glickman, p.g.a.
Executive Producers: Jeremiah Samuels, Anni Weisband
Music by: Joseph Shirley
Cast: Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, and George Lopez
#PrimeVideo#TheUnderdoggs#RedBandTrailer
#PrimeVideo #TheUnderdoggs #RedBandTrailer
When Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings, a washed-up former pro football star hits rock bottom, he is sentenced to community service coaching an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown, he just may turn his life around and reclaim his love of the game.
Genre: Sports, Comedy
Rated: R for pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking
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