This movie is the true story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American Heisman trophy winner. I play him as a child. I felt a little bit of pressure, because people who actually knew Ernie would be seeing this film, so I had to stay true to the character and be authentic. For example, as a child my character had stuttering issues, so I had to learn how to do that. It was pretty cool, because a teacher that helps people to stop stuttering taught me how to start stuttering.
This movie was a lot of hard work. We were coached by Allan Graf, the same football coordinator who did "Friday Night Lights" and "Any Given Sunday." And while we didn't have to go to football camp, we did work a lot on the field. They actually had us play against the top youth team in Chicago, the Cowboys, and I still keep in touch with those guys.
I like the scene where I'm running on the football field through a group of defenders and then it turns into the older Ernie (Rob Brown) doing the same thing. But shooting scenes on a football field can lead to some pretty funny mistakes. There was one scene where I was supposed to make a touchdown, but the grass was really wet so I kept on slipping and it took like ten takes to get it right.
The best part of doing this movie was learning about this great man. I had never heard of him prior to reading the script, and now I want everyone I know to learn about him too.
Justin Martin the Express Trailer
"The Express"
Based on a true story, "The Express" follows the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Raised in poverty, Davis overcame the odds to become a star running back for the Syracuse University Orangemen. While at Syracuse, his coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), acted as a surrogate father, obsessed with winning a national championship.
Davis would develop from an impressive high school athlete into a legend. Although a personal tragedy left him unable to take the professional field, his story would forever change the face of professional sports. Refusing to play by the unspoken racist rules of the day, Davis altered the way fans looked at men of his color, thus joining the ranks of African-American pioneers who smashed barriers on and off the playing field.
