Before his current career as a stuntman, voice-over artist and actor, Laith Wallschleger was a defensive end at the University of Delaware. That college football experience came in especially handy this year, when Wallschleger portrayed onscreen versions of the tight ends Rob Gronkowksi and Travis Kelce, who have seven Super Bowl rings between them.
Wallschleger drew praise, including from the actual Gronk, for his exaggerated capturing of Gronkowski’s jolly, party-loving demeanor in a few brief scenes in “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” the Ryan Murphy dramatization series on FX and Hulu about Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who was convicted of murder.
This week, Wallschleger will star in a Lifetime movie, “Christmas in the Spotlight,” as a fictional football player who is courting a pop singer. The film was loosely inspired by the real-life events surrounding the subtle but then not-so-subtle start of Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift.
Wallschleger, 32, minored in theater in college and has known the Gronkowksi family for more than 10 years. In an interview, he discussed what it was like to play both athletes and how he hoped Swift’s passionate fan base would respond to his performance as a pretend Kelce.
Excerpts from the conversation have been edited for length and clarity.
How did you prepare to portray Gronkowski given that you guys already have a personal friendship?
Being such close friends over the years, we’ve spent a lot of time together, so I’ve seen a hyped-up Gronk, chill Gronk, maybe even moody Gronk and all the different shades. I listened to a lot of podcasts that he was on just to get the voice and the mannerisms down. He’s got an interesting voice. It’s like a cross between a Buffalo and New York twang, and he’s got a little bit of a lazy tongue, too, so it was tricky trying to get that down.
Did you call him to get any pointers?
I didn’t do that. Scene-wise, they were just so quick. You want to get in and get out, and you want to just establish his energy and come in hot.
How was it being a comedic relief for a series that is somewhat serious in nature?
I know Gronk, even on a sad day, is still very happy. So I knew it was a really good time for that comedic release, and it just give everybody a break.
They didn’t make you grow a beard to play fake Kelce?
I had a bit more of a free rein to make character choices how I saw fit. I feel like everybody knows that story, and if I was to try and do an impression of him, even though it’s not really him, the waters get a little muddy. So I just took the role and went my own way with it.
The Swifties are very intense. Are you hopeful they’ll still like the movie even if you made creative choices that are different than what actually happened?
The biggest form of flattery is imitation, right? We’re not trying to be Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce. We’re just saying, ‘Hey, we appreciate these two people, what they’ve done, how they’ve come together, and this is just like a homage to them.’ We just hope that people enjoy the story and see it for what it is. It’s a fun holiday movie.
Which role did you enjoy the most?
Gronk was really great, but it was so quick and such small scenes. You would have liked to do a little more. But having the opportunity to lead a movie like I did with Lifetime, you learn so much on the job, so that was such a big learning experience for me.
Are you scared that these two projects are going to limit you to being selected for just football player roles in the future?
This is generally how it goes in Hollywood. You have to play to your typecast and do that and establish yourself, and then you can go off and do your thing. Even looking at these two characters, yes, they might be two football players, but they’re two totally different guys, so there’s a wide spectrum there.
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