Sept. 14, 2007

We got a chance to catch up with Joe Norman, former Texas Tech football player and current cast member of Disney's The Game Plan. He plays "Kassir," a member of the fictional Boston Rebels and teammate of the main character, "Joe Kingman," played by The Rock. This will be Norman's fourth time on the silver screen after appearances in Friday Night Lights, Invincible, and We are Marshall. He took some time away with us to discuss making movies, his time at Tech and his general philosophy on life.

What was your role in "The Game Plan?"

"My character is a football player that does stunts. Speaking was not part of the job requirements. It was just getting hit, stripped and blind-sided on whatever play they designed for me. It was not necessarily a role where I got a lot of camera time, but it was just fun being a part of it."

How did the movie turn out?

It seems like they have done a good job putting it together. It's cool seeing the previews now. It looks like a great movie and it is going to be really funny. I'm excited to go see it."

How did you get involved in making movies?

"After I left Tech in 2003, there was an open casting call for Friday Night Lights. It was going to be filmed in Odessa and Houston, and I'm from Midland, so that's home to me. I drove to Austin for the audition and we did a three-week boot camp. Out of 500 guys, I made it. I continued on doing that production for the next three months."

"After that, I moved back to Midland and worked for my dad. Then I got a call out of the blue saying, 'We got a production called Invincible staring Mark Wahlberg and we want you to audition.' I drove to Philadelphia and auditioned for that and I got it. I stayed there for the next three months, and after that I went back to Midland. Then I got another call from the guys making We Are Marshall so I drove to Atlanta and worked there for three months. Then, I came back to Midland again and I got another call saying, 'We're in Boston filming The Game Plan.' It just went on from there."

What is the coolest part about being on set?

"The coolest thing about being on set and making a movie is that you get to eat all day. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. You can snack all day. A lot of people don't realize this, but there is a lot of down time. You can be sitting around for ten hours strait and at 2:00 in the morning they bring you in and say, 'Ok, you have to run this play right here and this is the play where you are getting blind-sided.' This usually happens after you've been eating hot dogs all day."

"Also, a great part is being around superstars all day like The Rock, and seeing the aura that goes around them and how everybody respects them. It's pretty interesting to see how people react to someone of that stature."

"Hollywood is really interesting. I love it. I've met a lot of great people and I really can't complain. I have been so blessed and so fortunate the last few years."

Who is the most interesting celebrity that you have met so far?

"Mark Wahlberg, because he was just cool. He was like having another brother. He would invite you into his life with his people, just like you were another friend. Everyday after filming Invincible, he would have his personal chef cook us food. I'm talking about 40 football players he would fed and have a tub of beer on the side. He is the coolest person I have met so far."

Besides working as an actor and stunt man, what else are you doing?

"Right now I've been working in real estate and mortgage, growing a new business in Sacramento with my uncle. It is a consulting firm called The Luminary Firm. Our main business philosophy is to help people become successful. Growing my business right now is my main focus, but I have had offers to do commercials and to star in plays. I have had to decline due to time conflicts, but I am keeping that option open. Acting is my passion along with football, it's just that business got in the way."

Norman was a two-time letter winner for the Red Raiders.

How has your experience playing football at Texas Tech helped you?

"Texas Tech prepared me for the real life. When I was young, playing football in high school was more of a thing to do. I'm from Midland and we ended up wining two state championships while I was there. Playing football was the thing to do in Midland. When I got to Tech, the thing to do was go to school and play football. I forgot one of those things; I forgot going to school was the number one objective. Being at Tech, there was a conflict of interest because me myself being immature, not knowing my direction in life hampered my football experiences."

"The bond that I got at Texas Tech with some of the other players and coaches and some of the lessons that I learned, going up to the stadium at the middle of the night doing Midnight Maneuvers and fighting to earn the chance to wear that double T on Saturdays, there was a bond there that can't be broken. It was an experience for me just becoming a man in college."

"I will never forget what one of my coaches said. Coach Ruffin McNeil told me this and I will never forget it; 'The only thing a man has in this world is his word and what he is known for.' If that is the only thing that I took from Texas Tech University, then I appreciate that time there because that is the type of man that I want to be."

How physically demanding is it to portray a football player on the big screen?

"It is not as bad as one would think, but when you have to do that one play where you are getting blindsided at 2 a.m. in the morning, that is when it gets rough. It's pretty relaxing as far as athletics go, especially after playing Division One ball at Texas Tech. You are still surrounded by excellent players. There are ex-pro football playrs, ex-arena league players and all these other professional athletes in choreography together. In real football it is an opposition thing. You have a defense reacting to what an offense is doing. In the movies, you have to work with the offense and the defense in order for the choreography to work out. If you have great players doing that then it will result in a successful movie."

What does the future hold for you?

"Abundance. All I have to say is that God is in control of my life and it's time for abundance. Because he has given us something that is so powerful that no man can take away. If we realize it, we can accomplish anything we want."