Seven years in the making, Miramax Films’ The Heart of the Game captures the passion and energy of a high school girls’ basketball team and tells the incredible true story of one player’s fight to play the game she loves. Directed by Seattle-based filmmaker Ward Serrill and narrated by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, this in-depth documentary not only illustrates the hard-charging energy and excitement of the game, but also captures the fiercely competitive and extraordinary spirit of a winning team.
As part of the ensemble of actors in the Academy Award winning feature Crash, Ludacris is quickly proving that he is no longer just a hip-hop star. A self-proclaimed basketball fan, when The Heart of the Game was brought to his attention, he immediately wanted to get involved, in the hopes that his popularity could garner awareness for the film.
“Whenever you hear ‘documentary,’ it already loses your interest,” Ludacris tells MediaBlvd Magazine. “I’m trying to make sure everybody watches this particular documentary because it makes you really curious as to what’s going to happen, from the moment you see the opening scene.”
{quote_top}The Heart of the Game follows Coach Bill Resler, a tax professor at the University of Washington, who applies for the job as the girls’ basketball coach at Roosevelt High. Although his previous coaching experience was minimal, his philosophy of disciplined training and healthy aggression helped play a key role in turning the average team into champions.
As the film follows Coach Resler’s journey, it also tracks the personal stories of several individual players. Among the girls who benefit from Resler’s shrewd coaching, his communication and his encouragement is Darnellia Russell, a young African-American from a neighborhood across town. When Russell walks onto the mostly white court, her life, and the lives of Resler and her Roughrider teammates, are changed forever.
{quote_middle}With the film already complete when he signed on, Ludacris says that he was drawn to the project because of the inspirational message that it contains. “What really made me say yes was how powerful I knew it would be, not only to people who watch it, but to all young women. I feel that there are a lot of self-esteem issues in young ladies today, and I think it’s very important for all young women to watch this documentary because they will get a sense of confidence from it. They’ll be able to pull so many things from the movie, like the competitive spirit, the comradery, the self-motivation and self-improvement, and even self-education, like what Darnellia did. It’s about seeing where you can go in life, if you really just apply yourself and put your mind to it.”
Although he has made a name for himself in a business that has always had a tendency to be degrading to women, Ludacris doesn’t feel the need to succeed in hip-hop by perpetuating that stereotype. “There are certain songs that you can make that will help people gain that confidence that they’re lacking. I have a foundation where I donate to charities that, particularly, deal with young women, and just women in general. I do that to try and help, and put other celebrities to the test, because I’m leading by example.”
Ludacris admits that he didn’t always have such a progressive view, but that it’s something he’s learned over time. “I understand that the media likes to portray hip-hop, or myself, as always being degrading to women. But, that was never my basis for just trying to help out. It’s just what I wanted to do. I guess you could say that it’s in my heart. I started out doing community service when I worked at a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. As personalities on the radio, we were required to do a certain amount of community hours. As soon as I went out and started going to places, and visiting young children, and just seeing the expressions on their faces whenever we would go somewhere, as local celebrities of that town, that made me want to do a lot more to help people, knowing that I could make a difference. And, that was almost 10 years ago.”
The 28-year-old Champaign, Illinois native, whose next album, Release Therapy, will be dropping in September, is hoping that the exposure from Crash will allow audiences to take him seriously as an actor. “There are a lot of people who have heard of Ludacris, but it’s not until they’re forced, whether it be through television or meeting someone who’s a fan, that they start to understand my celebrity and, hopefully, the person that I am, behind just the name Ludacris. The Heart of the Game is the prime opportunity for people to learn about me, so they can really put the person with the name.”
{quote_bottom}Without having met Coach Resler, or the players featured in the film, Ludacris was so taken with their story that he jumped at the opportunity to lend his voice as narrator. “I had a chance to meet Ward Serrill when I was voicing the film, and that guy is just a really introspective, very creative, deep individual. He started doing the documentary, just following the coach, and he didn’t even know what was in store for him. He’s a great guy. For someone to put that much time and effort into one thing, says a lot about him. I’m sure he’s going to have great karma from putting this film out.”
Equating the lessons you learn in the strategic intricacies of sports to general life lessons, Ludacris says that his sports heroes -- Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan -- were two of the people that he learned from, growing up. “Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali definitely taught me about life. Friends and family, and being in the streets and having street smarts, teaches you about life. My parents, of course, taught me about life, and my grandparents. A lot of different things shaped me to be the person I am today. There are so many different aspects that can really teach you and give you lessons, which is why I feel like The Heart of the Game is very important. When people watch this documentary, this is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
