Back
My conversation with Actor Jay Hernandez couldn't have been more timely.
Hernandez, one of the stars of The Long Game - the new golf movie that's impressing audiences and critics - had the game on his mind. He was gearing up for a morning tee time the following day at Chevy Chase Country Club in Glendale, Calif. I asked him what he's hoping to shoot.
"I just want to be able to par a couple holes," he said. "My life has been double bogey, triple bogey. The good thing is it’s a quiet course. If I need to tee off four times, I feel like I’m going to be able to do that. Mulligans abound.”
No mulligan is necessary for The Long Game. The movie rates highly in both audience score (97%) and the Tomatometer (81%) on Rotten Tomatoes, already ranking among the best golf movies ever made. The movie is now available exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent, and available to own on DVD June 11, 2024, from Mucho Mas Media and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
"The Long Game is going to be watchable 30 years from now," Hernandez said.
'The Long Game' on RottenTomatoes | Order 'The Long Game' through Fandango at Home
Hernandez plays high school superintendent J.B. Peña in The Long Game, which shares the inspirational true story about five young Mexican-American caddies in 1957 who, barred from playing on the courses where they caddied, decided to build their own golf course in the South Texas desert. Peña helps the boys form a high-school team with a wise golf course worker played by Cheech Marin. It's all tied together by Dennis Quaid, who plays a golf pro at the country club, who assists Hernandez's Peña in coaching the boys up. Quaid is a certifiable golf nut in real life. In fact, he took over as director when the golf scenes were being filmed.
"When we were rolling cameras, the director would take a step back if it had anything to do with golf. Basically, Dennis was running the show," Hernandez said.
Hernandez shared more about the movie in an interview that has been edited for brevity:
GolfPass: Why is this movie getting such positive reviews from critics and audiences right out of the gate?
Hernandez: "I think it was the care with which we made the film. It was a period piece and there’s complicated issues. I see it through the context of the landscape we exist in right now. We just had to be thoughtful about the process and how we told that story. I think we executed it, sort of, pitch perfect. The reception that you are talking about is proof that we kind of we told the story we wanted to tell visually. It’s a lovely film. It’s a great story. It’s beautifully shot. It’s well acted. We didn’t really miss any categories."
How tricky is it to make everything authentic golf-wise?
"I’m not an amazing golfer, but I do golf. In fact, I have a tee time tomorrow. Having Dennis Quaid on the project was a big help because he’s been playing forever. He’s actually quite good. I think the only reason he did the movie was because it was golf-centric (laughs). Having him, he was essentially our golf pro on set. The only complication that brought was when we were actually trying to set up shots for the movie Dennis was off, like on the greens, putting or doing something other than what he was supposed to be doing."
What’s your golf game like in real life and how did that help you in the movie?
"Well, it’s interesting. I didn’t grow up playing golf. As I got older and more into the business, it felt like so much business was done out on the golf course. I got invited to play so many times with friends who were in the business. I felt like it was time to get out there and take a crack at it. I played baseball. I have such a terrible baseball swing – I’d put my foot up and do weird things – but I had distance. It’s a process. My mechanics are pretty ugly but I don’t slow anybody down and occasionally I have a good game."
With Dennis and Cheech such avid golfers, how much golf talk was part of the set? Did you compare where you’ve played and what’s on your bucket list?
"I don’t think anyone can compare to Dennis. I don’t know if you understand the sort of mania he has for golf. He plays every day. He’s been all over the country. All over the world. There’s no competition there."
Did Dennis give you any golf tips that you think will help?
"It was moreso about the mechanics of looking well. It’s one thing to look like you’re playing properly, swinging properly, and it’s another thing to actually play well. Personally, I play better when I have my (own) bad swing. It doesn’t look good, but I have more control over it in terms of my grip and how I’m holding the club. The mechanics sometimes visually outweigh the importance of being able to play."
Are you a member of a club or are you America’s guest where you go where you’re invited?
"Basically that. I have so many friends who have memberships to get on courses that other people can’t. I’ve played on an amazing PGA Tour course in Palm Springs. For me, those are intimidating. I almost don’t want to go on those courses unless I’ve been pretty actively playing. There’s been periods of inactivity. I was on a TV show in Hawaii. There’s actually some beautiful courses I’ve played on there, but it’s just tough when you go on a really, really nice, beautiful, complicated, hard course if you haven’t been swinging the club. For me, I gotta get on the range for a couple of days before I go out on a real course and embarrass myself or break a window."
Do you keep a handicap and put your scores in a computer?
"I tried but I’ve given up. I think it just goes back to the lack of consistency (in playing). It just really doesn’t make sense to keep one. That’s why I’m playing tomorrow. I played quite a bit in Columbia (on set during the movie) and Texas and then I played in Connecticut randomly. That just reignited the passion, I guess. I hadn’t played for a couple years. I’m trying to be consistent, so I have a tee time."
Good golf movies are hard to make. Where do you think The Long Game fits in the genre of golf movies? Can it be considered one of the better ones or one of the best?
"I think it can be considered one of the better ones. You have Cheech, who’s done his prior work. Outside of the golf space, I did a movie almost 20 years ago with Dennis Quaid called ‘The Rookie’. He was my coach in that film. In this film, we are both coaches and teaching these young kids to play golf. For me, it was one of those full circle moments. For me, Dennis and Cheech are both known for sports films. It was cool to be able to join that pantheon. I really think that the execution of what we tried to do with this film, it will stand the test of time. Really great sports movies, you can watch it now and watch it 20 years from now and it still works where other types of films become dated, whether it’s action or drama or a lot of different styles of movies we watch. They are of a specific time and moment, but I think sports movies really transcend that. I think they do stand the test of time and The Long Game is going to be watchable 30 years from now."
Besides The Long Game, what’s your favorite golf movie and why?
"Caddyshack, that feels dated. It’s a good movie. It’s hilarious, but I don’t know. Maybe Tin Cup."
Since this is a true story, how much does that help audiences enjoy the movie?
“We made a film so that you didn’t have to be a golf fan. You don’t have to play the game to appreciate the film and the story. It’s a pretty fascinating story that I had not heard of until my involvement in this project. … It was well received that we handled these characters and gave them dignity, which is what you didn’t often find in those period pieces (set in the 1950s)."
When you first read the script, did you feel like it really fit you?
"Yeah I did. Most of what I’ve done lately feels sort of action heavy, shoot-'em-up, bang, bang, cops-and-robbers type of stuff. This felt like a nice departure from that. The character that I was playing had some interesting motivations. In the course of putting this team together and seeing this team of young boys grow, I think he learns something about himself. It was an interesting character arc. The period aspect was really great, and the story aspect of it was really great.”
What's your favorite golf movie of all time? Where does The Long Game fit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Stay in the Swing with GolfPass!
Get exclusive tips from the pros, in-depth course reviews, the latest gear updates, and more delivered straight to your inbox.
Comments (0)