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Prime-Video - The Underdoggs : We were at the virtual press conference

By Mulder, Los Angeles, 19 january 2024

The Underdoggs, an eagerly awaited American sports comedy film directed by Charles Stone III and written by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis, boasts an accomplished ensemble cast featuring Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Andrew Schulz, Mike Epps, and George Lopez. Scheduled for release on January 26, 2024, the film is poised for an exclusive debut on Prime Video through Amazon MGM Studios. Our media representatives were in attendance at the virtual press conference, and we are pleased to present the revised transcription for your review.

Danielle Young : Hello, happy Sunday everybody. I’m Danielle Young, I’m your moderator for The Underdoggs press conference. Are you excited? 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 Dixon : I’ll go. 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 Young : Give him some.

Shamori Washington : Preach, preach.

Danielle Young : 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.

Adan James Carrillo : 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].

Charles Stone III : I guess I could say professionally as an adult in the business, to date myself, when I started directing music videos back in 1989.

Danielle Young : What y’all know about the ‘80s? Nothing.

Charles Stone III : 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. 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 Young : We love it. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, yeah. Snoop, what about you? Any underdog stories from your career?

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.

Danielle Young : I love that. That’s a good lesson. Don’t let the no deter you. Get practice and get ready, right? I love that. Tika, gorgeous Tika, can we just get a little commotion for Tika?

Tika Sumpter : 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. 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 Young : Yeah. And Kal, how about you? Underdog story?

Kal Penn : 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?” 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.” “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 Penn : Did they pay for it?

Snoop Dogg : Yeah, we paid for it. Remember, I told you I bought a couple copies and sold a couple copies. I paid and I re. But you got your street cred. You in there.

Kal Penn : ‘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.

Charles Stone III : 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. Like people go marching bands? And on top of that, specifically historic Black college university style of marching. And as much as I love the story and doing it and stuff, there was a concern that it wasn’t gonna take to the quote, unquote “mainstream,” which seems to be the barometer of success is if all the public takes it. And but sure enough, it did. But there was, you know, they were kind of conservative with the amount of money they wanted to spend on it, ‘cause they were all preparing for what they thought would be a very limited run, you know what I’m saying? And it broke through the ceiling. But there was definitely the underdog mentality applied to that.

Danielle Young : Right. Thank y’all for sharing those stories. What I’m hearing is that you never should just count yourself out, right? You keep working and you keep pushing. So, thank y’all for sharing those gems. I wanna remind the folks here that we have some people watching on Zoom, so Zoom people, please use that Q and A function to submit your questions so that we can ask them within the panel. Okay, moving right along, I’m gonna talk to my Underdoggs here. Can you tell me about your time on set? What was it like working with Snoop, working with Tika, working with Kal, working with Charles? What was it like for y’all?

Jonigan Booth : For me, I thought it was a really great experience to come and meet everyone here like, Charles, Snoop, Tika, and I thought it was really a cool experience to go out and fly out to Atlanta and be able to do many things, not just on set, but also in the city as well. So, I thought it was great.

Danielle Young : Yeah. So, was it your first film like across the board? I know you said you’ve done some stuff. This guy’s been in This is Us before, y’all.

Jonigan Booth : Yeah, I did one thing.

Danielle Young : It’s like it’s a small role.

Danielle Young : But was this your first feature film across the board?

Alexander Michael Gordon : For me, it wasn’t my first, but it’s my first big film ‘cause I’ve done like other little stuff for other people, but this is my first big movie.

Danielle Young : Yes! I love that we’re getting to see that.

Adan James Carrillo : It’s the same for me. This is the first big one that is streaming on Amazon Prime. And before I did one called, About My Father. That one I played a small, little role.

Caleb Dixon : This is like my third thing ever, but this is my first big thing, like this is my big break, kinda.

Danielle Young : Look at him. Give him a round of applause on his big break.

Snoop Dogg : We love it.

Danielle Young : Yeah, we love to see it. I mean listen, this is a good thing to be your first, to have this type of director and this type of cast. What was it like working with Uncle Snoop? Did he give y’all some advice on set?

Jonigan Booth : He’s really a grown kid. On set, like he knows when to be serious, but like sometimes when it was like times where Charles was like saying like what should I do, we was having rap battles. .

Tika Sumpter : Wait. All the kids thought they could out rap Snoop, and I was just staring at them like never gonna happen.

Danielle Young : He’s been rapping longer than you’ve been alive. [laugh]

Charles Stone III : Constant, constant battles.

Tika Sumpter : But they did a good try. It was a good try.

Shamori Washington : No chance. No chance.

Danielle Young : So cute. Very cute.

Tika Sumpter : Very cute.

Danielle Young : But you’re not gonna win.

Jonigan Booth : How do you think of this? Like I don’t, yeah, you can rap for real, like actually.

Snoop Dogg : I had to show them who I was. They failed.

Danielle Young : They didn’t know?

Snoop Dogg : No, they did not know. Remember, they only 13, 14. They don’t know no better, so it’s like they babies, so I had to, you know, show ‘em some karate skills, you know, kick a few people down and show ‘em what it was about. But like he said, I’m a big kid, and I’m loving this right here. This just feels so good. It feel like I’m back in school again. Like I had so much fun working with y’all. That’s what y’all don’t know. Like I had more fun with y’all than y’all had with me. Because like he said, I’m a big kid. I was able to do some things and try some things and then get with y’all before y’all become real big superstars.

Snoop Dogg : This is the beautiful part right here. I can’t wait to see y’all in two or three years when y’all in real big movies and y’all forget who I am.

Danielle Young : They ain’t gonna thank you or nothing.

Tika Sumpter : They never forget.

Danielle Young : Don’t forget to put him in your speeches.

Charles Stone III : It’s also what we’re like, what we’re witnessing right now is what we got to experience in making the film. Part of the agenda was for the movie to feel grounded, to be grounded and feel real for the culture. And, you know, in the casting process of meeting them and then their auditions, it was really strong. But in terms of what he’s talking about here and the back and forth and they playing in between takes and the challenging that these kids would do with you as well as there’s other young folks who play the other football players. And I was amazed, but it’s what kids do when they feel safe and, you know, in an environment that’s supportive, they just let it loose. And they were like coming at you like kids like swore they could like beat him down on the verbals and whatnot, and I was amazed. But again, that’s what was so important for me as a director is to have an environment where that can happen. Because that needed to be real for his character to then activate and interact with it. So, it was a blessing that we got who we got to be in it, and they were fantastic.

Danielle Young : Yes, yes. Solid choices across the board. We love it. I couldn’t help, I know y’all have screened it, so you know what I’m about to talk about, but the potty mouth of it all. I’m not a prude, you know, I don’t have to clutch my pearls or nothing. I know the kids is cool and saying all kinds of stuff. But whew. Y’all were out there. Now, you might not out rap Snoop, but you can out cuss him. No, maybe not. Maybe not. What was that like? I know, you know, the language is one thing, and it definitely adds to the comedy, but as kids, was it --

Snoop Dogg : That’s the answer everybody would’ve said. Didn’t we all wanna cuss as kids in a movie and get away with it?

Danielle Young : I can’t even cuss. I’m 40, and I wouldn’t do that in front of my mama right today.

Caleb Dixon : Personally, that's me. Like, I'ma -- I'ma be respectful, because I don't normally cuss like that. 'Cause, you know, I'm respectful to my mom.

Danielle Young : When you in the room [with you?], but. [laugh]

Caleb Dixon : And my parents. And You know, I want to be professional with, around the directors and the other actors and stuff. But, you know, like, when it's time to do it, it's time to do it.

Jonigan Booth : When I was auditioning, I got a callback. And I was in my mom house. 'Cause I auditioned in my dad house the first time. But when I was in my mom house, I got a callback. I set my camera up ready to curse. And like, I mean, audition. My mama ain't even want to be in the same room. She said, "I can't even be here." She went upstairs. She ain't want to hear me curse or nothing. It was --

Kylah Davila : That kinda reminds me of a time where I also got a callback. But I was on vacation in Catalina. And we were just out walking. And my mom got a call from my manager saying, "Oh, yeah, you have a director's callback." I was like, "We're out, like, doing stuff." So we had to run back to the hotel and do it in the hotel. And I was scared that, like, the people next to us were gonna, like, call the police or something. So I was like, "No, no, we're fine." And, yeah, it was just really funny.

Danielle Young : Well, while you're talking, Kylah, I would love to dig into your role. Because look at you in the middle of all these young men representing for the ladies. Strong women with talent. How did that feel when you saw that part, you know, for your role? And what does it feel like for you to be a character like this?

Kylah Davila : I am honestly very honored. 'Cause when I was a kid, I used to love to play football. Like, I would play flag football all the time. But the boys would always exclude me since I was a girl and they always thought I was weak. But a funny thing is, I'm a gymnast, so.

Kylah Davila : I'm strong. I'm pretty strong. But yeah, I'm very honored to play someone who's, like, gets into that a little bit. She, in this movie, she kinda shows that girls can do anything. Not just be pretty or just buy makeup or shop. She can play football. You know, she can really play. When you guys see this movie, she can -- [makes noise]

Danielle Young : I love that. Well, I would love to know more about the favorite scenes and the favorite moments that y'all had on set. And Tika and Kal and Snoop, you can think about it too. But they seem ready. [laugh] So I'll start at my end over there. Tell me, Shamori, what was something that was fun for you on set?

Shamori Washington : Something that was fun for me on set would have to be, you know, the Bale house scene. [laugh]

Danielle Young : Tell us more. Tell us more.

Shamori Washington : All right, all right. I'ma say, Tre coming in. It was around the time when Tre was at some point where he was, like, deciding, do he want to quit the football team or not, and find out Bale having a party. And Bale all coming down saying, "Is this Tre?"

Snoop Dogg : I'm tripping off that 'cause he was so gangster in the movie. And I'm like, you're a great actor, Cuz, 'cause I believed you. I believed you in the movie, Cuz. I'm like, damn, you are a great actor. Look at, you're just a young, shy kid. I like that. That is dope.

Danielle Young : Love to see that. Okay, anybody else with a fun moment on set?

Caleb Dixon : Let me go. Let me go. All right. So, I already know about half of the people that's sitting here will say the party scene. Listen, the party scene was so crazy. Like, we was playing football. We was, you know, drinking, you know. It wasn't real. But, you know, I'm not gonna say too much, 'cause I know they want to share too, so yeah.

Alexander Michael Gordon : My single favorite moment out of the entire movie, in the party scene, I threw up playing beer pong. Threw up on the table.

Danielle Young : Was that real?

Alexander Michael Gordon : [laugh] No. [overlap] It was completely improv'd in. He liked it so much, he let me keep it in. He went like, "Nah, don't throw up on the floor. Throw up on the table. We want to see that."

Danielle Young : [laugh] Choices. We love that. Acting choices.

Jonigan Booth : Everybody had the same favorite scene. But my favorite part about that scene was that scene wasn't directed. Like, everything we did was directed --

Jonigan Booth : That scene was not directed. Mr. Stone said, "Get in the pool and play." We just played, flipped each other over, throwing footballs in the pool. Like, it wasn't directed. And we just have a fun time while they were just recording us. So that was a amazing time.

Adan James Carrillo : Yeah, it wasn't really planned out how we were gonna play. We just did our thing. And it was fun. We did the football like it was an actual football game. We played around. We shot each other with the water guns, and it was really cool.

Danielle Young : That's cute. Did you want to share too?

Kylah Davila : Oh. Oh. [laugh] Yeah, honestly, one of my favorite parts too was me meeting the dogs.

Kylah Davila : And they were in the mansion scene, but that was honestly one of my favorite parts. And adding onto Jonigan, Charles, he was just like, "Go be kids." Like, "Do whatever you guys do." And, yeah.

Danielle Young : I love that. We're gonna take a few questions from the audience and the folks watching. Let me see what we have here. And, oh, we also have some from the attendees that they submitted as well. So I'm gonna go with, Casey Riger from The Whistle asks Snoop. Who are your top three football, I'm assuming players, to have. Yeah. Top three players to have come through your football program. And what current NFL team, not the Steelers, [laugh] would you want to coach?

Snoop Dogg : Top three kids that came through my football program? Ronnie Hillman. John Ross. And, man, I don't know.

Snoop Dogg : I'ma say C.J. Stroud. 'Cause he's a top-two pick. What was the other question?

Danielle Young : And then, other than the Steelers, what NFL team would you want to coach?

Snoop Dogg : Nobody. [laugh] Just 'cause you tried to bag on me. Nobody. Now what?

Danielle Young : It wasn't me. It wasn't me. That was Casey.

Snoop Dogg : Well, deliver the message, Messenger.

Danielle Young : Casey, whoever you are. [laugh] That's for you. [laugh] Oh my goodness. Okay. And I'm just gonna take one from our viewers on the Zoom. Michael Reich [phonetic] from Germany's Reich Film Kreiten [phonetic]. I didn't say that right.

Snoop Dogg : Let me help you with that. Michael [Crichton's?] Film Kreitent [phonetic].

Danielle Young : Thank you. [laugh] That's exactly what I meant. This is for Tika. Humor is very diverse and usually difficult to put into practice. As you've already been in several comedies, how do you approach a project like this, and what could you contribute as actors to make the audience laugh?

Tika Sumpter : Well, I think first, it has to be in the writing, obviously. It has to be a funny script. And, I mean, I think, again, it's in the casting. You know, Snoop is funny. And it's crazy because Snoop and I have known each other for, [makes noise] my first job was One Life to Live, and he was a guest star on One Life to Live. And, you know, he doesn't it, well, I don't know if he knows this, but they had other actors at first interacting with him. And he was like, "No, she should," you know, and it was another actor on the show. And then Snoop and I have known each other for, like, so long. That was my first job in the industry. So I think it has to do with, like, connection, you know. And, you know, these kids were so easy to be around. Sometimes I had to say, "Go sit down." You know. [laugh] Or I had to say, you know, or I just spoke to them and, like, hung out with them and talk to them. And I don't know, I think it's like collaboration. I think comedy is funny. If you try to set out and say, "Let's try to make everyone laugh," you're not gonna make anybody laugh. But if you are in the moment, have a great director like Charles, and your crew is laughing around you, and you have, you know, amazing actors, and people like Mike Epps as well, and, I mean, it all just works. I always call acting, especially in comedy, it's like a gumbo. And you have all the right ingredients that make the thing work, right? And then hopefully you prepare it and you sit it down on the table and hopefully everybody enjoys it as much as we did.

Charles Stone III : I also want to add that, like, with the Cherise character, there are all these moments where all the crazy stuff is going on around her. 'Cause she's not expecting what's happening. She's already having to wrangle the kids, right? There's that. And also, their cuss words and all that. But there are so many moments, especially the moment where Mike Epps' character is -- Kareem's giving a speech. His speech, 'cause he's now in the role of the main, as the coach. And you just have to cut away to her, 'cause she's trying to handle [laugh] the situation that's already dire because Snoop character is not there for the big game and all that. And here is Kareem doing what Kareem does. And she's trying to like, "It's all good," and then he's saying foul stuff, and she's like, you know. And then you elbow him at one point. 'Cause he goes overboard. And so there's a lot of those moments. Or when he goes his first speech to the kids, and you're sitting there on the bleachers like, "Oh my god, how am I You know what I mean? And it's what make the comedy all the more funny. It’s the other half. It's the yin to the yang of like, he's doing what he's doing, and then she's like trying to handle it and react, and it's great, so.

Danielle Young : I love that. I love that. Well, this'll be the last question, unfortunately. But I would love to take it a little bit more serious. In the idea of this being black-directed film, mostly black cast, black leads, would you consider this to be a black film? And then furthermore, do you think that that is a conversation that folks sorta stray away from in the sense of it being named black this-or-that? Do you know what I mean? Like --

Charles Stone III : [makes noise] As my mother would say, whew, you gonna make me want to smoke a cigarette. Yeah, that's heavy, but very real and very current. Yeah, look, there's a cat from the, ooh, '20s, I guess, and '30s, W. E. B. Du Bois, who had this term, the double consciousness, which that people of color are both known to be black Americans and Americans. So we had this duality that we have to deal with. Now, some choose to, some don't. You know, and in this case, the first answer is that yeah, this is a movie for everybody. But it's also celebrating a culture that is with people of color. That is African American and so on. And Latinx as well, so. But yeah, it's very much, it's both. We just have to unfortunately straddle, and we strive for, we try to do that with the word "woke" but then folks tried to really make that toxic. But I refer to the word "woke" as mindful. So the world needs to be more mindful of the various cultures, and that it's all American. It's not black history, it's American history. So that goes for this movie that it's a universal tale, coming-of-age story about a basically middle-age dude, [laugh] you know what I mean? And that's universal, so. But yes, [indiscernible].

Tika Sumpter : If I could just add, I had a friend, I have a friend who's a writer who is not part of the culture or anything like that. He's like, "Oh, it reminds me of the Bad News Bears." And I was like, "Exactly. Except with more curse words." And it's great. And he's like, "Yeah, everybody should watch that." You know, it wasn't like a thing, right? And I think sometimes we have to constantly, like, tell people, "Oh, it's a black film," or not get enough money for this and that. It's a film with black people and brown people in it. And everybody should see it. And it's about football. And it's culturally relevant, so.

Snoop Dogg : I just think when they say that, when they start saying it's a black movie, that's just trying to limit it. Trying to put it to a certain fanbase. You understand what I'm saying? So when they do things like that and discredit the fact that it's a great picture with great actors and great people no matter what walks of life they come from, because everybody in the movie is not black. Everybody that worked on the movie is not black. But the people who are the leads in certain parts are black, but that doesn't discredit any and everybody. So I feel like it should just be looked at as a great piece of work like any other project that's not black. So stop trying to put us low and say it's a black movie and just say it's a great movie with a couple of black people in it.

Danielle Young : There you go. Exactly that. Thank you for that.

Charles Stone III : A couple.

Danielle Young : A couple of them. Well, thank you all for watching The Underdoggs press conference. Thank you all for joining us for The Underdoggs -- Thank you. Thank you. Y'all heard that, right Prime? Keep hiring your girl. Use your social medias. It's hashtag TheUnderdoggs with two Gs like Snoop, D.O. Double. Don't forget the G.

Snoop Dogg : You could watch it at midnight on the 25th really if you do what I do. You know what I'm saying?

Danielle Young : [overlap] Yeah. Go ahead and get in there early.

Snoop Dogg : I can't wait till the morning. When 12 o'clock hit, or nine o'clock on the East, I mean the West Coast, means it's 12 o'clock on the East Coast, so.

Danielle Young : Yeah, you can watch it early.

Snoop Dogg : 9:01 you can plug and play.

Danielle Young : Well, his checks are clearing. He don't even know how to act no more. He said fly in and fly out. Well, thank you all so much. We're gonna say bye to you all watching.

Synopsis:
After encountering legal troubles, Jaycen Jennings (2 J's), a former NFL star, opts to coach a youth soccer team as an alternative to serving time in prison.

The Underdoggs
Directed by Charles Stone III
Written by Danny Segal, Isaac Schamis
Produced by Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, Jonathan Glickman, Constance Schwartz-Morini, Snoop Dogg
Starring: Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Andrew Schulz, Mike Epps, George Lopez
Edited by Paul Millspaugh
Music by Joseph Shirley
Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Khalabo Ink Society, Death Row Pictures, SMAC Entertainment
Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios
Release date: January 26, 2024 (United States, France)
Running time: 96 minutes