Champions: 2 Raleigh actors with disabilities play major roles alongside famed actor Woody Harrelson
Two Raleigh actors play important roles in a heart warming comedy called "Champions," a movie about people with disabilities on a Special Olympics basketball team coached by comedic actor Woody Harrselson.
In the film, Harrelson’s character is a coach who was fired from his college basketball team. In a series of bad decisions, he ends up in jail. The judge grants his release – on the condition of performing community service as a coach for the players with disabilities.
Among the actors on that team are Raleigh natives Kevin Iannucci and Brad Edens. In the film, Edens is known as "ShowTime" because of his unpredictable preference to shoot foul shots backwards.
"I like Woody. He's funny with his jokes," said Edens.
Edens and Iannucci have played roles on theater stages as well as some film work, but nothing this big.
"I was on the phone with my agent and she said, Hey, you got the role of Johnny! And I was amazed, so I’m glad to be part of it," said Iannucci.
The two actors received special honor kicking off a recent Carolina Hurricanes game, with Edens cranking up the siren before the teams took to the ice.
The excitement continued as the actors’ families hosted their own premiere showing of the film at the Cinemark Raleigh Grande in Raleigh. It included a red carpet experience and cheering spectators.
Iannucci says the movie is a "must see."
"It’s like a feel good movie. It's going to make you laugh and make you cry," he said.
Edens' brother Jared spoke to a full theater of friends and family to explain why the "Champions" film matters, saying, "People with disabilities make up 20% of our population, but only 5% of the characters in TV and film. Even worse, he said, that 1% are actually portrayed by actors with disabilities."
Regarding the movie, Edens added, "It’s the sort of representation and opportunity that this population needs and deserves."
The "Champions" movie was filmed over the course of two and a half months in Winnipeg, Canada and during that time many of their parents were present.
