Orion Pictures/MGM
Since retiring from the National Football League after the 2019 season, 37-year-old former Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch seems as though he’s been living his best life.
From hosting his own reality show to appearing on series such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Westworld, Bar Rescue, Murderville, The Great American Baking Show, and more, Lynch has proven in recent years that he’s got quite the knack for comedy and showmanship, too.
Lynch’s latest movie role, however, may be his most meaningful yet.
Appearing as Mr. G in the rave-reviewed teen comedy Bottoms (which currently has a 95% critics score and a 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), the former NFL Super Bowl champion says he took on the role in the Emma Seligman-directed high school romp as a pseudo apology to his sister, who is a lesbian.
“When I was in high school, my sister came out as being a lesbian. I did not handle it right. As a 16-year-old boy, I didn’t handle it the way that I feel I probably should have. So I told her it was giving me an opportunity to correct my wrongs,” Lynch said in a recent interview.
Lynch’s participation in Bottoms wound up being a home run regardless of his personal motivations, as Seligman said he’s one of the best improvisers she’s ever worked with: “I’m not overstating this,” she told GQ, “We couldn’t ever write something that would be as funny as what he gave us.”
Starring Rachel Sennott and The Bear scene-stealer Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms tells the story of two gay high school students who attempt to lose their virginity by starting a fight club to meet other girls in their school.
In addition to Sennott and Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, and Dagmara Domińczyk also feature in the film, which is currently playing in movie theaters at the time of this writing.