In the first of Spike Lee’s Lil Joints for ESPN’s 30 for 30 division, Spike Lee reminisces on his landmark film He Got Game with its star (and active NBA player) Ray Allen as he plays a game wearing the jersey with Jesus Shuttlesworth, his character’s name, on the back. One of the greatest sports movies is He Got Game, because it’s not just a sports film – it’s also a focused deconstruction on the relationship between sports, race and class as well as a powerful story of the struggles between a father and his son. Just a few weeks ago I included two scenes from it in a list of Spike Lee’s greatest scenes, and I honestly could have included a few more from it – that’s how great it is. In this brief short, it’s great to watch these two talk about the impact this film has had since its release, how hard Ray Allen worked at his performance to become one of the only athletes who can also act, and what it was like to shoot the pickup game scene between Denzel Washington and Ray Allen off script resulting in a powerful scene. Check out the video below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFZtcD5mFg&w=560&h=315]
9 years ago
