Day 18

Winnipeg, Manitoba - It is the eighteenth day of our twenty day production schedule.

This shooting plan calls for me to be in nearly every scene. It comes with the territory. You don't make a movie about Bobby Knight without him being in most of the scenes. I can't remember the last movie in which I had anywhere near this much dialogue or appeared in as many scenes.

But today I catch a break.

The first half of the day, the scenes are at a campus pizza parlor where the students and athletes hang out. These are the few moments in the film where we get to see Knight's players speaking candidly about the experience of practicing and playing for The General. These are the rare opportunities to see how Alford, Harris, Thomas, Brooks and others feel about playing under the Knight system.

So, I got to sleep in today.

The local Bloomington pizza place was created inside a Rotary Club hall in downtown Winnipeg. Those art department magicians I mentioned in yesterday's diary entry transformed a big, empty room into an '80s Midwest pool hall and eating establishment. Seated at a large table were Hoosier players Steve Alford, Daryl Thomas, Andre Harris, Delray Brooks, Todd Jadlow and Stew Robinson.

I've eaten up a fair amount of cyberspace talking about the many characters in this film. With only a few days left, it's only right that I give my fellow actors their due. These young men playing the Hoosier basketball team are terrific. If you've been keeping up with this diary, I spoke about James Lafferty, who plays Steve Alford, in my Day 6 entry. But he's not the only gifted actor/athlete in this picture.

Al Thompson plays Delray Brooks, who is on the wrong end of Knight's frustration and eventually leaves the team in the middle of the season. Thompson has a quiet, sympathetic style. He's been acting and producing films in New York for quite a while and brought a sad-eyed look to his portrayal of the ever-bewildered Brooks. Before you get to see him in A SEASON ON THE BRINK, you can find him in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums.

Director Bob Mandel and Executive Producer Stan Brooks looked all over North America for the right combination of acting and athletic skills to cast as the IU players. James Lafferty (Alford) is from Los Angeles, Al Thompson is from Manhattan, Yorick Patrick (Andre Harris) is from Toronto. There are also cast members from Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Michael James Johnson, who plays Daryl Thomas, was also a Los Angeles actor who grew up playing basketball. In the role of Thomas, he has to bear the repeated brunt of Knight's scrimmage and locker room tirades. He had to find that balance between showing his humiliation and pain and remaining strong in the face of his teammates. Thomas pulled it off. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him.

There is also a nice debut performance from Yorick Parke (Harris) and strong supporting work from Patrick Williams (Stew Robinson).

That's who was working the first half of the day. When I came to work they moved across the street for a few scenes with the IU Assistant Coaches. These were scenes in the back room of "Smitty's," a local restaurant in Bloomington where Knight held court during the season. Not one of the assistants ever ate a breadstick until Coach arrived.

I'll talk more about those Assistant Coaches tomorrow.

Past Diaries

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17