Behind the Scenes: On the Set of We Are Marshall

The Players

Mackie and newcomer Arlan Escarpeta play two of the four remaining football players on the team. I caught up with them on the set, where they showed off their fake afros and told me about the characters they play.

"My character, Reggie Oliver, was a freshman," Escarpeta previewed. "He missed the flight because freshmen couldn't go to away games. And then for the next three years, he was Marshall's quarterback. Everybody in Huntington has a Reggie Oliver story. Everybody. He had to be the most charismatic man in the world because when people found out that's who I was playing they'd tell me these great Reggie Oliver stories, which was cool. He was always making someone smile or laugh. Everyone said he had this big, great smile and a lot of character to him, so that's pretty much what I invited. Of course, the weight that he was carrying, being as young as he was and becoming the leader of the team as the quarterback. Being at the time in the 70's and him being a black quarterback, all that weight kind of balanced him being that fun guy, but at the same time dealing with [a lot] inside also."

next : Big Mack