Behind the scenes

Former Briarwood Christian School and University of Alabama football player Caleb Castille has made a switch. Now scripts are his playbook, and auditions feed his competitive nature. 

But his first role — Tony Nathan in the upcoming movie Woodlawn — is about football.

“I felt like I always had the passion for [acting], and it was something that came easy to me,” the 23-year-old said. “I just love to find ways to inspire people, so I was thinking, ‘What can I do to inspire kids beyond the athletic arena?’” 

Growing up in a culture that is highly influenced by media, he knew movies would be a major tool of influence on people. He said he wanted to use his talents to have an impact on his generation, so he got an agent out of Nashville and actively began pursuing an acting career. 

He had played football from seventh grade all the way to his junior year of college, and up until that point the Inverness resident never realized how that discipline would help him in his acting pursuit. His junior and senior years at Alabama were filled with auditions from Nashville to Atlanta. He balanced these auditions with both school and a job. 

“Being a student athlete is something I feel people overlook — the stress and the level of intense pressure you are under every day,” Castille said. “You have class and you have practice, so all of that prepared me for even this film. More than that, that workload helped me pursue what I was trying to pursue.”

He would often find himself on the road at 4 a.m. on the way to an audition in Nashville, knowing he’d need to be back in time for class that afternoon. It wasn’t until his last semester that he found the role that was made for him. 

The Birmingham-based Erwin brothers, Jon and Andy Erwin, were producing a movie called Woodlawn. The movie revolves primarily around Tony Nathan, a former Alabama and Miami Dolphins football player.

“This [movie] is me — football, faith, love, race, redemption, hope — all these things, all in one story,” Castille said. “Even the character, I connected on such a level that I almost felt like I was reading about myself.”

He remembers reading the script overnight, unable to put it down, and praying for the role of Tony Nathan. “Lord, this is my movie,” he said. He said he had such a peace that he would play a part in the movie that he signed and dated the script that night. 

However, the Erwin brothers had already chosen an actor from London, who had never played American football, to play the role of Nathan. Castille went through a three-week open audition process to show the directors he could play football. They were impressed with his skills and his temperament, so he was selected as a body double. 

Somehow, though, Castille said God was working behind the scenes. Three days before the movie was to start production, Andy Erwin called. He had seen Castille’s original audition tape for the first time, and the guy from London was having an issue with his visa. Castille was Erwin’s plan B. 

After days of screen testing and script run-throughs, the Erwin brothers knew they had their guy. 

“This is your role,” they told him. “I think it was supposed to be yours the whole time. We’ve been running into so many problems trying to get this kid over here. We feel like God is telling us this is supposed to be your role.”

For Castille, it was both a sigh of relief and a “let’s do this” feeling. 

“It just goes to show when you are diligent and disciplined, all of those things God places in your life prepares you for moments,” Castille said. “It’s up to us to decide whether or not we handle those moments with care or if we throw them to the side.”

They started rehearsals in October of 2014 and the movie was finished in December, but the experience is one that Castille will never forget, along with the 16-hour nights. And the filming, he said, was just as hard as a summer at coach Saban’s football camp. 

Although he was filming rain scenes in 35-degree temperatures while the crew was dumping water on the actors for 12 hours, he said it was worth the pain. 

“It was cool to be the lead actor, I won’t sugarcoat it,” Castille said. “It was such an incredible experience, but more than anything [it was incredible] having all those people on the crew who believe in you and believe in the story.”

More than anything, Castille said he enjoyed portraying Tony Nathan, who he describes as a Peter Parker-type character. Until Nathan tapped into his power, he wasn’t quite sure what he was getting into. Castille said Nathan was a symbol of hope because, at that point, there weren’t any African-American superstar athletes. 

Now that Woodlawn is finished and scheduled for release in November or December, Castille is pursing more film and television opportunities. Long term, he’d like to play a role that could lead to an Oscar and to own his own production company. 

“A lot of actors, their first movie is not as big a budget as this, and they aren’t the lead,” Castille said. “I think I’m pretty lucky to be in this position.”