Sean Payton is synonymous with Football, specifically the New Orleans Saints, who he’s coached for 16 years. There have been some amazing moments and some challenges along the way as well, including when Payton was suspended for a year. Thing is that ended up paving the way for a rebirth of sorts, as Sean had the chance to establish a relationship with his son Connor, and that’s where Netflix’s Home Team takes place. Payton is brought to life by Kevin James whileConnor’s Football coach Troy Lambert is played delightfully by Taylor Lautner, and Comicbook.com had the chance to talk to James and Lautner all about bringing such a personal and genuine story to life with a touch of comedy to keep things fun.
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“The levity and the heart weren’t that difficult because the true story was really a father and son story, and you see how it was portrayed by all the characters,” James said. “Taylor, his portrayal of Troy, who is basically like a father to Connor while he was there and to the team. You see this guy who’s, which is a true story, these guys really took care of these guys when Sean was away. They really kind of brought them up.”
“It was awesome to see Sean go out there and take time when things were down, to really find an opportunity to lift things up and turn everything around, and he strengthened the relationship with his son,” James said. “And the comedy was just, he brought that team from… I don’t think they won a game until all the way to the Championship. So, there’s going to be comedy and there’s going to be brotherhood where they’ve got to come together and work together as a team. So all the elements were there. It was like, ‘Wow, this is a great story’, and it almost feels too hacky if someone just pitched it as a regular story, without it being true.”
Slowly but surely Sean finds himself in the coaching mix, coaching alongside Troy, and you are kind of waiting for the resentment to show itself, but it refreshingly never does. Troy feels like a true advocate for the kids, and while he would love a Championship for them, he is also fully invested in helping the relationship between Sean and Connor, and that’s part of what Taylor loved about the character.
“I love that he loves these boys like they’re his own, and that Troy is based off a real character, and that’s what he is. He’s like a father figure, older brother figure to these boys, and it was no mistake that once Sean showed up, Troy wanted to ask Sean to help coach the team,” Lautner said. “It wasn’t to take them to a Championship, it was to reconnect Sean with his son. The Championship was nice, but, he knew what he was doing.”
Now, there are some hilarious moments in Home Team, including a very memorable sequence that involved people throwing up and some unfortunate team snacks. The scene has a lot going on, and it was pretty fun behind the scenes aside from the weather.
“It was, but by the way, that day, it was pouring rain in the movie, but it couldn’t have been sunnier,” James said. “It was hot as can be. So we’ve got fake rain coming down, and these kids are throwing up. You said it was corn chowder, I think.”
Lautner confirmed it was Corn Chowder, with James adding “They’re blasting that through these machines and they’re spitting it up. It was just a mess. These kids are slipping and falling and going at it. It was a lot of fun.”
You can watch James, Lautner, and the rest of the delightful cast in Netflix’s Home Team, which is streaming on Netflix now.
What did you think of Home Team? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things movies with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
