The work hasn’t stopped for Vernon Davis. The former star NFL tight end is now fully immersed in his new acting career.
Recently, Davis spoke to rolling out about the journey and what he’s learned along the way.
What have you learned from working with Leon?
Leon has become my brother.
He’s someone I’ve always admired and looked up to because of his track record and the success he’s had as an actor. Being able to be on set with him, watch him, and learn from him has been great. I think some of the takeaways I’ve gotten from Leon is just his approach. When he approaches work, he approaches it as a true professional, and you can tell he’s put a lot of work into the craft. Just being on set and how he relates to other people because it’s not all the time you find an actor of his caliber that comes in and works. Someone who’s on top of his work. He came prepared, not only did he come prepared, but the way he treated everybody on set stands out.
Do you purposely stray away from roles playing an athlete so people will see you as an actor?
Not necessarily because I wanted to stay away from roles when it comes to sports, because whether it’s a sports role, a serial killer, or a zombie, it doesn’t matter, you still have to put in the work. You can’t just get in front of the camera and be an actor. It’s the work you do that allows you to be very powerful and come across as a solid actor based on the amount of preparation you put into that character.
It doesn’t really matter because you still have to put in the work.
What keeps Morgan Freeman going at 86?
Everyone has a different perspective. Everyone has different ways they work. Everyone has different motivations behind what they’re doing.
I think a guy like Morgan Freeman has gotten to where he is because of what he desires. I can say, at this point in my life, I’m approaching my craft the same way I approached football every day. Acting is on my mind, whether it’s the way I’m looking at the camera or the way I’m breaking down or approaching a scene, everything is always on the top of my mind from the time I wake up in the morning. I think Morgan Freeman works in that way, too, because you can’t have a guy make it to 86 years old and continue to approach his craft the way he did when he first started. It’s probably a thrill for him, and he’s probably never satisfied.
For me, I’m never satisfied. I don’t feel like I did anything. I don’t feel like I was one of the best tight ends in the game of football. I don’t feel like I scored 13 touchdowns in one year. I can’t feel those things I’ve done. I think that’s what’s allowing him to be able to achieve all that he’s achieved.
