Aaron Gordon has never been in a movie, let alone play the role of a villain. The former Arizona Wildcat will tackle both as a feature in the newly released film, "Uncle Drew."
"Uncle Drew," releasing in theaters everywhere on Friday, stars notable basketball names such as Kyrie Irving, Reggie Miller, Lisa Leslie, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber and Nate Robinson. Each aforementioned cast member will play an old-time basketball player with Irving the main character, Uncle Drew, as they band together to play one last time.
Comedian Milton "Lil Rel" Howery is another main character in the movie and deals with a series of setbacks, eventually losing his team at Rucker Park to Nick Kroll. That's where Uncle Drew and his teammates come in.
How does Gordon fit into the plot? He will be a conceited, egotistic rival whose name is Casper.
Gordon said he was nervous about how he would fare in his acting debut, but enjoyed the film-making process.
“It was definitely an experience that I’ve never felt before, a feeling that I’ve never felt before: being on a big screen in front of hundreds of people and a lot of your peers and wondering how people are going to react to you,” Gordon told the Orlando Sentinel. “It was a great feeling. It was a really, really nice feeling.”
Irving, who starred as Uncle Drew in Pepsi commercials when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, said Gordon was "perfect" for the role in the movie.
“We felt like he would be just extremely beneficial in terms of what he brought to the movie. It’s great to have a guy like him," Irving said. "And Aaron Gordon the person is unbelievable. To have him as an actor in the movie, making his debut and playing a prominent role in our movie? It’s just going to make it that much better."
Playing the bad guy? That was a tough task for Gordon.
“I’m basically the nicest antagonist that you’ll ever meet in your life,” Gordon said. “I played the part, though, you know? And if I need to play the part again, I bet I can.”
Gordon is coming off his fourth season in the NBA with the Orlando Magic and is a restricted free agent this summer.
