Mark Wahlberg Invincible

Invincible

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rispoli, Kevin Conway
Director: Ericson Core
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Rated: PG
Running Time: 105 minutes

Synopsis: It's every sports fan's wildest, craziest fantasy-the chance to play on the field and go toe-to-toe with the larger-than-life heroes they idolize. Yet, in 1976, this seemingly fairy-tale scenario happened in real life. It was then that Vince Papale, a 30-year-old teacher and part-time bartender with little football experience other than being a season ticket-holder, entered the unprecedented public tryouts for his NFL favorites, the Philadelphia Eagles, and defied all expectations. Not only did Papale make the team-he remade the team, helping to inspire them to break through their 11-season losing streak and rediscover their winning spirit. In the bicentennial year of 1976, Papale lived out the dreams of a city and a nation by taking on the impossible with an unsinkable attitude and becoming the NFL's most unlikely rookie ever.

Now, 30 years later, Papale's story of triumph against outrageous odds and his gritty, never-say-die outlook serve once again as inspiration-this time for Walt Disney Pictures' stirring sports drama Invincible.

In the tradition of such Disney sports classics as "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans," Invincible recounts a true-life story of human achievement in the face of adversity. The film stars Mark Wahlberg as the down-and-out Papale who is handed a once-in-a-lifetime shot at turning from anonymous football fan to football star by legendary coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear)-after he sees in Papale the kind of guts and heart he hopes to build in his team. Now, up against bone-crushing training sessions, the intense pressure of make-or-break games, and thrust into a pro sports world he had only ever imagined, Vince must find a way to transform from watching the games from the cheap seats to playing them for real stakes.

The first film in over a decade to receive full support from and access to the NFL, Invincible not only features a moving human drama and riveting lead performances, but also includes some of the most authentic re-creations of NFL action yet seen on screen. So rare is NFL support for a feature film that the league has lent it only three previous times in Hollywood history-the last time was for "Jerry Maguire" in 1996. The other films were "Brian's Song" and "Black Sunday."

Release Date: 5th of October, 2006

A Real-Life Rocky: Vince Papale Inspires "Invincible"
As Invincible completed production, the man who inspired the film's story, Vince Papale, was in awe of all that had happened to him. In addition to being the most unlikely rookie to ever play in the NFL, Vince Papale has gone on to be a cancer survivor, motivational speaker and, now, the subject of a major motion picture. "If anybody would have told me that I was going to play for the NFL and then have a Disney movie based on my life…wow, there's so much surreality to it," he says. "It's scary, it's spooky and it's unreal. But I'm deeply humbled by it all and really touched and honored."

It may seem like yet another dream come true, but even back in 1976, when the 30-year-old Vince Papale first got the unheard-of chance to trade in his Philadelphia Eagles season tickets for an actual spot on the team, many remarked that the story-"fan turns into player overnight"-sounded like a movie. Some compared him to cinema's Rocky, the classic Philly underdog who also came to the fore in '76. Vince Papale's tale truly seemed stranger than fiction-and no one found it more unlikely than Vince Papale himself. "I was just pursuing my dream," he says, "but I had no idea it would have such a positive impact on so many people. It's a really gratifying thing to be in that position."

Like thousands of other hopefuls, Vince Papale had decided on a whim to turn up at the Eagles' 1976 open tryouts, which were held by newly arrived coach Dick Vermeil because he was looking for a fresh way to infuse more heart and courage into a team badly in need of some inspiration. Most people thought the tryouts were little more than a stunt. But not Dick Vermeil. He was serious about finding a talented outsider, and when he saw the speedy Vince Papale dash across the field, he decided that Vince Papale was it.

Yet even when Vince Papale was signed as a player, no one imagined he could last. Surely, he would be pulverized, intimidated, forced to quit by the extraordinary physical and mental demands of pro football. Once again, Vince Papale proved the naysayers wrong, playing for three seasons with the Eagles and helping to turn around the fate of a team that would go on to incredible triumph in Super Bowl XV. At a time when Philadelphia sports fans were crushed by defeats, and when the nation was recovering from Watergate, Vietnam, the Energy Crisis and a period of tumult as it approached its 200th birthday, Vince Papale became a badly needed hero from the ranks of ordinary, everyday Americans.

"Even back in 1976, people talked about how Vince Papale's story was a movie just waiting to be made," executive producer Victor Constantino explains. "I heard from Philly sportswriter Ray Didinger that the sportswriters themselves used to joke about who would play Dick Vermeil and who would play Vince Papale. Robert Redford was the consensus choice for Vermeil back in '76, by the way."

For all the talk and excitement, however, a movie about Vince Papale never got off the ground in the '70s and, in the intervening years, the story was nearly lost. It wasn't until decades later, with the advent of cable television, that Vince Papale's inspirational tale came to light once more. When a contemporary piece on Vince Papale, Dick Vermeil and the turnaround of the Eagles aired on ESPN, it quickly caught the eye of several filmmakers. One of those was Invincible producer Ken Mok, who was riveted by Vince Papale's unlikely, rags-to-wide-receiver story. He in turn alerted Victor Constantino, with whom he was then collaborating on another project.

"(Producer) Ken Mok gave me a call and said, 'There's something I saw on ESPN. It's a four-minute tape…can I send it to you?' I said sure-but I figured it was probably one of those things where you watch it and call back right away to say, 'No, thank you; not for us," recalls Vince Constantino. "Instead, within 90 seconds of watching that tape-90 seconds into it-I knew it was a movie. It was the quintessential sports story about a guy overcoming the most insurmountable odds."

Ken Mok had already approached Vince Papale about acquiring the rights to his story, but there were still several competitors and it wasn't a done deal until Vince Constantino stepped in and made his pitch. Part of the persuasiveness of Vince Constantino's vision was his plan to bring in Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray of Mayhem Pictures, renowned for bringing two rousing and tremendously successful real-life sports stories to the screen with "The Rookie"-about a high school baseball coach who gets a rare chance to play in the major leagues-and "Miracle"-about the coach who inspired the unexpectedly victorious 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team-both released by Walt Disney Pictures.

"Those were my two favorite movies of all time," says Vince Papale. "I was so excited to have the chance to be involved with them and with Disney."

For Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, who were among those whose interest had been piqued when they first saw the ESPN story, the project seemed a perfect match. "We felt really lucky to get this project," says Ciardi. "Like 'The Rookie' and 'Miracle' it's about second chances and about the idea that it's never too late to put everything on the line for a dream. It's truly a real-life 'Rocky,' where you have this 30-year-old season-ticket holder who plays touch football with his friends and suddenly he has a chance, if he's willing to go through an incredible test of his strength and will, to live out his one greatest hope. For a guy who's usually sitting up in the stands to come down and play with his beloved team is a fantasy that millions can relate to-and it really happened."

Adds Gordon Gray: "It's a unique and inspirational story about someone who thought his best years were behind him. He's 30 years old, he's lost his teaching job, his wife has left him and now he has this one opportunity to try out for the Eagles-and he ends up making the most out of it."

When it came to choosing a director for Invincible, it seemed only fitting that the producers ultimately went with an untested newcomer-a man who had already garnered acclaim as a cinematographer but had never had a chance to direct a feature film: Ericson Core. Vince Constantino had been developing the script for about a year when he met with Ericson Core, whose work as a cinematographer includes "Daredevil" and "The Fast and the Furious."

The production never looked back. With Ericson Core performing double duty as both director and cinematographer, there was even more weight on the shoulders of the newcomer. But any fears proved unfounded once the producers saw the immense preparation that Core brought to the complex action of the football scenes and his easy rapport with cast and crew. "It was a difficult thing to pull off, to play both roles," says Gordon Gray, "but Ericson Core's got the personality to handle it. He was very prepared."

From the minute he read the script, Ericson Core felt that Invincible was exactly the kind of movie he'd been looking for to make his directing debut. "I thought Vince Papale's journey was so heroic-it's not that he set out to change the world, but what he did was so courageous and bold that it raised the hopes of people all around him and that was something huge," Ericson Core observes. "The story reminded me more of 'Rocky' than any other sports movie I can think of because it's about more than sports-it's about the human spirit and rooting for characters because you understand what drives them, because you really get to know and care about them."

On the set, Ericson Core put the emphasis, appropriately, on teamwork. "It freaked people out that I would pick things up and move them, and do things that are considered outside the realm of the director, but I wanted everybody working closely together like a real team," he explains. "We had a story that we all cared so deeply about, and that's what made it such a great experience."

Two Men Who Believed: The True Stories of Vince Papale and Dick Vermeil
To forge Invincible into tightly structured cinematic entertainment, screenwriter Brad Gann mixed fiction in with the factual life experiences of Vince Papale. Despite some changes and additions, however, it was always the core human truth of Vince Papale's story that inspired the heart of the movie. "But the deepest truth of it-which is this amazingly strong belief in himself that allowed Vince Papale to attempt the completely impossible-is very much there."

Today, 30 years after the events depicted in Invincible, Vince Papale still marvels at the transformation of his fate. "As a kid, I used to sit in the stands with my father, watching Eagles games," he recalls. "The players were all idols of mine, big-time heroes. I never could have imagined I would be in the same fraternity as them. For me, it was enough to be inspiring the kids that I was teaching."

Vince Papale's story was always intimately interwoven with that of Dick Vermeil, the handsome, young "golden boy" coach who had just led UCLA to a Rose Bowl victory when he joined the Eagles in 1976. Despite his success in college ball, Dick Vermeil was new to Philly and to the NFL and was initially seen as an outsider. If he wanted to turn things around for the Eagles, he knew he had to prove himself to the team and especially the fans. He did so by demanding everything he could get from his players and by placing an emphasis on spirit and grit over raw talent. The coach would soon come to be known for his passion during and his emotional tears after victories-and also for instigating the public tryouts that would bring out more from Vince Papale than he ever knew was possible. Together, these two mavericks would carry the team to new heights through sheer determination.

"When Dick Vermeil came to Philadelphia," recounts executive producer Ezra Swerdlow, "he was inheriting a team that really had been beaten down, that was hurting. Dick Vermeil was a college coach, and I think he wanted to make the statement when he got here that all bets were off. He decided to start from scratch-and he declared that he would hold an open tryout to recruit new blood for the team. It was unheard of."

Dick Vermeil, however, was willing to bypass convention. As a man who always believed that character, above all, created winners, he saw his job with the Eagles as changing the team's entire outlook. Recalls Dick Vermeil: "Philadelphia has intense fans and I think they were skeptics at first, but when they saw what we were doing, they started to come aboard. As a first-time NFL coach, there's always some insecurity, but I said, I'm gonna just jump in with both feet and fight and scramble as hard as I can. We had to send a message that we were going to try to build a tough, intense atmosphere."

"With the open tryouts, our expectations weren't that great," he continues. "We were hoping to find two or three guys who would at least be good camp players-and just maybe one plum who would make the team. All kinds of people turned out, in all different shapes and sizes. We had a doctor, and guys with big bellies, and kids with aspirations right out of high school. It was a wide variety."
When Vince Papale showed up to work out with the Eagles on that fateful day, he felt he had nothing to lose. "I was thinking, 'There's no reason why I can't be out here,'" remembers Vince Papale. "All I wanted was one chance to prove myself against the best and they gave me that."

Vince Papale made the most of his shot at the tryout, running a 4.5-second forty-yard dash and demonstrating strong catching skills. "Vince Papale looked like an athlete and he had the ability to run fast and gracefully and catch the football," remembers Dick Vermeil. "He was by far the most impressive. For never having played football, he knew how the game was played, he liked the intensity of the game and he was passionate about it. He was an infectious sort of guy and very genuine." So it was then that Dick Vermeil took another risk and invited Vince Papale to come to camp and eventually join the Eagles as a wide receiver and special teams player.

It was a decision that paid off on numerous levels. "The fans got very involved with him," Dick Vermeil adds. "The city really wanted to see Vince Papale play and succeed. When he did something really well, he got a better ovation than anyone."

But the transition wasn't easy for Vince Papale, especially with regard to the men who would ultimately become his teammates. "They hated him in the beginning," says Vince Constantino. "He was threatening the roster spot of the wide receiver ahead of him, and it was tough for him because he was taking away the spot of a guy that the team revered and loved."

Yet nothing would deter the unstoppable Vince Papale. Ultimately, Vince Papale's rock-solid determination won over his teammates just as it had his coach. In the team's home opener at Veterans Stadium, Vince Papale stepped up his game another exciting notch. "I kicked some serious butt out there in that game," he laughs. "Up till then, everybody thought I was a publicity stunt. But after that game and one of the big hits I made at the end of the game, I got invited to my first team party. That's when I knew I really belonged."

Vince Papale continued to play well for the Eagles throughout the season. Even after he retired from football in 1979, Vince Papale continued to be an inspiration with his incredible passion for life and unassailably positive attitude. He has worked as a counselor for families with the student loan program Sallie Mae, and most recently, his courage was tested in a battle with colorectal cancer. He has since become a sought-after national spokesperson who raises vital awareness about cancer prevention.

After going through so much, Vince Papale sees Invincible as being about much more than just one man's exciting ride in the NFL-he sees it as being about an attitude. Says Vince Papale: "I think this movie is not so much about me or my experiences, it's about anybody out there who faces adversity, who is up against the toughest of odds, and decides to make their dreams come true anyway."

A Rookie With An Incredible Dream: Mark Wahlberg is Vince Papale
When Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray read the screenplay for Invincible, they knew that casting would be absolutely key to bringing the character of Vince Papale to life. They also knew they would need a leading man with a definitive mix of qualities-an actor with a down-to-earth Ordinary Joe type of persona but also with authentic athletic prowess and the drive of a man who refuses to quit. "We thought of Mark Wahlberg immediately while reading the script," recalls Gordon Gray. "It was one of the film's easiest decisions because he's not only a great athlete who can throw his body around and take hits, but he encompassed Vince Papale at every level-not just physically but emotionally. Mark Wahlberg worked so hard and really kind of channeled everything that Vince went through to accomplish what he did."

Mark Wahlberg, who harbored his own football dreams as a kid, had never heard of Vince Papale before he read the script-but afterwards, Vince Papale stuck with him as one of the more intriguing film heroes he'd encountered. "Here's a man who defied all the odds and uplifted his friends, his family and his city," he says. "He's a guy who never really had a lot of luck, but for him it was all about heart. He had that rare willingness to sacrifice everything for something he loves. Reading about him, I really felt this was the kind of movie I'd like to see."

Taking on a character inspired by a still-living hero was somewhat daunting, Mark Wahlberg admits, but also exciting. "I felt a real responsibility to do him justice," he says. "I haven't felt this much responsibility since 'The Perfect Storm,' which was also based on a true story. Vince Papale turned out to be an amazing inspiration to me-and I wanted to do right by him because I believe that his story can inspire others to pursue their dreams."

To get to the essence of Vince Papale's personality, Mark Wahlberg struck up a friendship with him that continues to this day. "Vince Papale is a great guy, he's a real stand-up, solid person, and to have the luxury of being around someone like that throughout the shoot was a real blessing," says Mark Wahlberg. "I hope, more than anything, we made a movie that he'll be proud of."

When Vince Papale heard that Mark Wahlberg was being considered to play him in Invincible, he wasn't sure at first what to make of it. He was unfamiliar with most of Mark Wahlberg's work. "We decided to rent every movie that he had made, from 'Three Kings' to 'Perfect Storm,'" recalls Vince Papale, "and I discovered that he is the real deal. He's a truly talented actor." After meeting with Mark Wahlberg in New York, Vince Papale was completely won over. "He blew us away with his sincerity and he assured us that he would play the part with passion, compassion and enthusiasm," Vince Papale continues. "You can't ask for more than that."

As their friendship grew, Vince Papale shared some of his idiosyncrasies as a player with Mark Wahlberg. "We spent a lot of time together, with him studying me and asking me questions, and Mark Wahlberg really transformed himself," says Vince Papale. "It turned out that we have a lot in common. We both came from a certain tough kind of background and know what it means to try to make the right choices in your life."

In preparation for the role, Mark Wahlberg had to go through intensive, muscle-jarring training, putting his body through the same infamously brutal workouts performed by hopeful rookies in NFL training camps. The process was agonising, yet thrilling, because not unlike Vince Papale, Mark Wahlberg saw it as a rare chance to fulfill a long-held football fantasy. The sheer physicality of the role gave him a deep satisfaction. "I loved getting out there, working hard and sleeping really, really well," he says.

As the training intensified, the film's football coordinator, Mark Ellis, became more and more impressed with Mark Wahlberg's physical gifts. "He runs incredibly well, right with the pro and arena football players we cast. He's got great peripheral vision. He sees the play unfolding. He loves the contact, so much that it scares me sometimes, but he flat gets after it. His hard work and determination were truly admirable," Mark Ellis says.

Adds Vince Papale: "The things Mark Wahlberg did on the field amazed me. You can't teach that kind of stuff. You could have the most amazing coach in the world and it wouldn't do any good without that natural talent. With the catches he made and the moves he had, I swear he could have made it as a player."
Mark Wahlberg was so determined to prove himself that he volunteered to take numerous real hits on screen-despite the considerable risks to health and safety. "I knew it would be better for the film, even if it wasn't better for me," he laughs. Indeed, Mark Wahlberg was so serious about it that he required no help from the makeup department to provide him with welts and bruises-he acquired dozens on his own.

He explains: "If you don't do it the right way, you definitely feel a lot more pain, but I learned pretty quickly. I had to, because I only ever played tackle football before, where you grab 'em by the shirt and throw 'em to the ground. But this is more like two cars colliding."

To get even better at it, Mark Wahlberg did his homework, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. "I found the best guys out there at hitting, because that's what Vince Papale's specialty was, and really studied what they do," he explains. "I didn't hesitate to ask questions, because I wanted people to feel like what they are seeing on screen is really happening. I'm just lucky that I didn't get seriously hurt, that nobody got hurt. I would often say a couple extra prayers, thanking God for keeping everybody safe, because when you're out there and the adrenaline's flowing, anything can happen."

Says Mark Ciardi of the star's fearless approach to the role: "By proving that he could take a hit, Mark Wahlberg showed that he was really one of the guys. Everyone on the film really appreciated what he did." Adds Gordon Gray: "Mark Wahlberg gained a lot of respect from the real players in the cast by being out there for every play, every practice and treating them as equals. They became buddies."

Ericson Core was amazed by how far Mark Wahlberg was willing to go. "There might be 2 or 3 shots where we used a stunt double for Mark Wahlberg, but that's it. He's incredibly tough, and I don't think many other actors could have survived all that Mark went through in making this film. He also brought a lot of intelligence to his work. He plays this role with such intensity that you get to see a whole new side of his talent."

Mark Wahlberg also found himself enjoying the collaboration with the director. "Ericson Core never seemed like a first-time director," Mark Wahlberg muses. "He's got some real substance and he really cares about the story and the characters. We would spend all day talking about Vince Papale and who he is. He's not just about the shots and the style-I think Ericson Core really wanted to make a movie with heart."

On set, Mark Wahlberg also began to forge a tight bond with Greg Kinnear as Vince Papale's motivating coach, Dick Vermeil. In Mark Wahlberg's view, no one could have been more appropriate for the role. "Much more than Vince Papale, Dick Vermeil is a very recognisable guy, and when I first read the script, Greg Kinnear was the face I immediately thought of to play him," he recalls. "He has a lot of the qualities of Dick Vermeil."

While Mark Wahlberg says he loved getting the chance to live out his football dreams, he also was motivated by a desire to make the kind of movie he most enjoys watching. "When I go to the movies, I want to see greatness, I want to see people succeed and excel, and I think it's always more interesting when they do it through great adversity," he summarises. "I want to see characters who weren't born into success and who didn't get all the lucky breaks, but who made it because they have more heart and determination. That's who Vince Papale is."

A Legendary Coach Who Took a Chance on an Ordinary Joe: Greg Kinnear is Dick Vermeil
Gordon Gray saw Greg Kinnear as providing the perfect contrast to Mark Wahlberg. "Mark Wahlberg has that East Coast, urban, tough, athletic quality, and for Dick Vermeil, we wanted somebody from a completely different world," he notes. "Greg Kinnear is that kind of West Coast, sensitive guy-and that's who Dick Vermeil is."

Having grown up in Indiana, Greg Kinnear never knew the story of Vince Papale but was definitely familiar with the famed coaching skills of Dick Vermeil. To get a more close-up view of the man, he spent an intensive period of time getting to know him and his coaching style. "I made a trip to Dick Vermeil's training camp in Wisconsin so I could watch him work with players," Greg Kinnear explains. "He actually introduced me to the players, which was probably the most nerve-wracking thing that happened to me during this movie!"

He continues: "It was a great experience because I found him to be a terrific guy and could see that he is a legend for a lot of different reasons. His intensity, his commitment to winning, his comprehension of the game are all remarkable. And then there's his emotional side. I think one of the more exciting things about him is that unique volatility that he has. He wants to win-but it comes from something deep inside him."Dick Vermeil was equally impressed with Greg Kinnear. "I really enjoyed Greg Kinnear," says the football legend. "He was very down-to-earth, very easy to visit with and very sincere about getting everything right so that I would be proud of it. I really respected that." He adds: "Nobody knows me better than my oldest son, who was an extra on the film, and he said, 'Dad, this guy has you nailed.'"

Like Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear felt a need to make the portrait as true to life in tone as he possibly could-and he had his own motivation. "If I didn't do it right, I was pretty worried Dick Vermeil might show up on my doorstep," jokes Greg Kinnear.

Along the way, Greg Kinnear began to gain insights into what drove Vermeil, who left behind his achievements in West Coast college football, to head to the East Coast to take on the NFL's ailing Philadelphia Eagles as a mistrusted outsider. "There was a lot of cynicism about him in the beginning," Greg Kinnear notes. "Here was this California guy coming into a blue-collar town that takes its football very seriously, and I think people wondered if they had made a huge mistake. But Dick Vermeil proved them wrong."

He did so by doing things like holding the open tryouts that turned up Vince Papale. "Dick Vermeil had a real sense that he was trying to build something-and if that meant calling in all the bartenders and would-be football players from around town, he was willing to try that," Greg Kinnear explains.

Having met the real Vince Papale as well, Greg Kinnear developed a keen understanding of what Dick Vermeil saw in him, despite his advancing age and lack of experience. "Vince Papale is just a wonderful, high-energy guy who is kind of an Everyman that anyone can relate to," Greg Kinnear observes. "I found him to really be an inspired person. You can see how he brought bags full of spirit to the team and the people around him. Back then, his team, the city, the country, everything was in pretty bad shape, but Vince Papale had that simple, driving passion and determination that gave a lot of people hope."

In forging his relationship with Mark Wahlberg as Vince Papale, Greg Kinnear saw that his character shares a lot in common with the inexperienced rookie. "These were two guys who were both in over their heads at exactly the same time," he says, "and even though they were from completely different social and economic backgrounds, they converged together over something they both really loved and cared about. I thought the script handled their relationship really beautifully."

Vince Papale especially enjoyed Greg Kinnear's metamorphosis. "When I first saw him in the green pants, the white belt and the long hair, I thought ,'My God, it's Dick Vermeil,'" he recalls. "And when I heard him give Dick Vermeil's speeches-it gave me goose bumps that he had taken it that far."

One of the biggest tests for Greg Kinnear came in the scene when Vermeil gives his climactic speech before the pivotal game against the Giants. It's a vital moment in the film, and putting even more pressure on Greg Kinnear was the fact that Dick Vermeil's son was on the set that day. Yet Greg Kinnear was able to step up his game when he needed to do it. "Dick Vermeil's son said he got chills watching Greg Kinnear perform, it was so real," recalls Ericson Core. "Greg Kinnear is such a chameleon that I think he can make himself completely into someone else. He really shows how much Dick Vermeil and Vince Papale had in common in that they were both guys who no one believed in yet proved themselves to be inspirational people."

An Irresistible Giants Fan: Elizabeth Banks is Janet Cantwell
Into the mostly male, adrenaline-fueled world of Invincible comes Elizabeth Banks as Janet Cantwell, the beautiful bar waitress who at first draws sparks from Vince Papale as a fan of the Eagles rival N.Y. Giants but later inspires him when he is at his lowest ebb and ultimately becomes his greatest love. Banks, who has previously charmed audiences with smaller roles in "Spider-Man," "Catch Me If You Can" and "Seabiscuit," took the filmmakers by storm at her audition.

"We looked at a lot of different people for this role," comments Ericson Core. "But Elizabeth Banks was unbelievable. In a film where she's surrounded by male energy, she holds her own and then some. She's funny, sweet, smart and very sexy. There was also incredible chemistry between Elizabeth Banks and Mark Wahlberg. They danced around each other in a beautiful way that really shows onscreen. Their relationship is fascinating to me, because it's very real and it isn't at all perfect. They both clearly have been shaken up and injured in life and they have to juke and jive around each other to get to know each other, but it's truthful to the way so many relationships really are."

Elizabeth Banks attended the University of Pennsylvania so she was thrilled to return to Philadelphia. Like nearly everyone who first encounters Vince Papale's story, she also was moved by its underlying themes. "I think Invincible is about how anybody can make their dreams come true if you really go after them without ever giving up," she says. "Vince Papale obviously had some natural talent, but he got his dream job mostly because he had a lot of soul."

Though the Massachusetts-born Elizabeth Banks admits to being a New England Patriots fan, she also had a lot of personal experience in just how passionate people in Pennsylvania are about football. "Philly is such a great sports town," she says. "I went to Eagles games when I lived in Philly and I adore the fans-they are demanding and committed, which makes seeing games so much fun. I loved Veterans Stadium, which no longer exists, but was thrilled with how well they recreated it with CGI for this movie."

Elizabeth Banks had no trouble understanding why the character of Janet in the film would be so strongly attracted to Vince Papale, in spite of their conflicts and differences. "He had courage and audacity-but he also went through periods of doubting himself and I think that is kind of endearing," she notes. "Janet just admires his quest. It doesn't matter to her whether he wins or loses-it's the fact that he tries with so much of himself and doesn't hold anything back that makes her fall for him."

Impact! Bringing Real Bone-Crunching NFL Action to the Screen
While the dreams of Vince Papale drive Invincible, the film is also propelled by some of the most visceral football action seen on screen-which authentically recreates the style of play of Vince Papale and Dick Vermeil's 1976 Philadelphia Eagles. "We wanted to really get audiences inside the game," comments Gordon Gray. "We put a lot of effort and energy into getting the football right."

To get to the heart of football's swift and aggressive beauty, the filmmakers knew that the cooperation of the NFL-rarely given to Hollywood-would be essential. The league turns down most scripts that it's sent and has become actively involved in only three productions in Hollywood history: "Jerry Maguire," "Brian's Song" and "Black Sunday." So the filmmakers couldn't have been more thrilled when the NFL decided to partner with the film and allow the production full access to archives, vintage uniforms and more.

The story itself is what attracted the NFL to make its first foray into feature films in the 21st century. Tracy Perlman, Director of Entertainment Marketing and Promotions for the National Football League, explains the film's appeal to the league: "The NFL and its players represent so much more than what America comes together to watch on Sundays and Monday nights. Invincible takes the helmets off the players to reveal the hard-working men who struggle to make their dreams come true."

Once the NFL came on board, they were involved at every turn. "We were a full partner in this production throughout its development," notes Tracy Perlman. "We provided the use of NFL and team logos, worked to ensure authenticity in the look and feel of the football action scenes. We engaged our official sponsors and licensees to create footballs and helmets worn in the mid-'70s. We hosted the cast at an NFL Draft event and also enjoyed watching Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear work the room at the Draft at Radio City Music Hall. We even brought together Kinnear with Coach Dick Vermeil at training camp last summer."

Meanwhile, to recreate the on-field exploits of the Eagles, the filmmakers brought in Mark Ellis, a former college football player and co-founder of ReelSports, a company that has raised the bar on forging realistic action in sports movies. Not only had Mark Ellis previously worked with Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray to forge the stunningly true-to-the-sport baseball sequences for "The Rookie" and hockey sequences in "Miracle," he had also honed his football choreography on such films as "The Longest Yard," "The Replacements," "Any Given Sunday" and "Varsity Blues." He was now ready to take onscreen football to the next level.

The story of Vince Papale resonated with Mark Ellis. "In America, we love the underdog, we love the guy who was never supposed to get a shot but somehow finds his way-and that's exactly what happened with Vince Papale," Mark Ellis says. "You have to understand that it's easier to become a U.S. Congressman than it is to become a pro football player-and nobody does it at 30 without having played college ball. The odds of this kind of thing happening, whether today or in 1976, are close to impossible."

Mark Ellis also relished the challenge ahead. "When you have a movie that is based on a true story and that the NFL is sanctioning, that puts more pressure on you to make sure everything is as true and authentic as possible," he notes. "So that's what we aimed for-keeping it true to the period, true to that era of football and true to what happened in 1976. The game has changed so much in the last 25 years, you really get a sense of how it used to be."

When it came to choreographing key sequences from the 1976 games, Mark Ellis found himself blessed. "To have the cooperation of the NFL and the incredible assets of NFL Films at our disposal meant that we could go back and research every single move and get a really deep understanding of Coach Dick Vermeil's schemes offensively and defensively, and then match them up with our own choreography," he explains. "After watching all the films, interviewing Dick Vermeil and Vince Papale and doing all the research, we then began to put together all our X's and O's."

Throughout the process, Dick Vermeil's constant input was invaluable. "Dick Vermeil always believed so much in Vince Papale and he wanted to see this story told," says Mark Ellis. "He also understands all that Vince Papale meant to his town and his team. More than that, Dick Vermeil has miles and miles and years and years of football behind him. So to ask him very specific questions about what happened was very exciting. We asked him as many little things as we could-from cadence to huddles to how he ran his practices at camp-and we kept everything as true to form as we could."

ReelSports also was involved in the intensive training of Mark Wahlberg. "Our job was to make sure that Mark Wahlberg got a chance to feel exactly what it was like to be a wide receiver/special teams guy in 1976 under Dick Vermeil," explains Mark Ellis. "So we put him through a similar type of training and we watched him rise to the occasion."

Meanwhile, Mark Ellis and his team faced a far more formidable task: recruiting the dozens upon dozens of experienced football players they would need to portray Vince Papale's teammates on the Eagles, as well as the players on the opposing teams. Because they were looking for men with the skills to carry out complicated game choreography and able and willing to take real hits on screen, the filmmakers knew they would have to look beyond actors to true pros. So began a monthlong casting campaign, during which the filmmakers crossed the country, pulling cast members from the ranks of college football, arena football, the Canadian football league, and players who had either just retired from the NFL or, alternately, had just missed making the cut.

Each of the players was put through a weeklong audition process-akin to an NFL tryout-testing their strength, agility and ability to work on camera. The final result was a roster of 75 players who could be deployed whenever the recreated games called for them. "This procedure was a lot like putting together a real football team," Mark Ellis says.