Everett Osborne on Playing NBA Trailblazer In Biopic Sweetwater

What's up y'all? This is Ever Osborne, starring in Sweetwater in the new film Sweetwater, and I'm here to play Shooter Shoot with Young Hollywood. Watch me win.

You can go first.

I'll go first?

Yeah. This is only warm up though so that you don't get a question right away. This is warm up.

This game time. There's no such thing as warm up. What is that? Oh, close. Okay, go again. You can you can do three in a row.

All right, three in a row? Yeah. Wow. Okay, that was close. That was close. It's gonna depend you gotta look good. You gotta make that. You see what I'm saying? The pressure. Wow. That's okay. That's okay. I have one more. I have one more. Oh, okay. Okay, that was close. Oh. Yeah. So technically Hug and basketball two different things. Okay, yeah. So now what? Now you're gonna answer.

Now I answer. You want me to pull a cup or you pull a cup?

Um Cuz you missed, so technically you get to choose. Okay, so you pull a cup. Okay. You ready? Let's go. This one you didn't make for everybody. You didn't make this cup. Okay. What was the biggest challenge about taking on the role of Sweetwater?

Wow, the biggest challenge. Biggest challenge. I would say I pretty much had like two days to prepare.

Why?

To step into a human being I knew nothing about. Well, because you get the auditions as the actor, right? And you just get a regular script. You don't know what it's about. You shut your whole world down. You get two or three days to submit it back into the casting. Right? So that's my process, but it was a a serious two days. Like I shut everything out. I just did crazy research about a real human. So I think that's probably the hardest thing really having to dig in deep about him and learn about him because he's a real guy. You know, and I just wanted to be authentic to the story wasn't just a regular piece I was doing. So I think that's probably the hardest part.

That's crazy two days. Yeah. Damn. That's true.

And I knew and I knew like I knew that I had to present a full character, right? Like I'm not saying that I wasn't prepared or I mean everyone did their best part as far as the filmmakers when it was time to actually film. But I knew that, okay, this audition came to me because like we were talking about, I'd shot Chicago Fire before, so a guest spot, right? So Yeah. For a lead starring role. I knew they looked around everywhere and couldn't find it. So I was like, so I was like, okay, when I submit this tape, it has to be the full Sweetwater. It can't be a little tryout. This has to be a full thing. So. Yeah.

You're the guy. You got it. It worked out. You killed it.

It worked out. Yeah, thank you. Okay. Let's see if I make it. We so awkward if I don't. But Anna had told me that I need to dunk it before. To get the bounce. Oh, we actually have it. Oh, it's in here. I didn't know that. To get the ball more space. You do. Yeah, you know what? I didn't do Anna, why didn't you tell me this? You gotta like out.

Also, did you go to college in person? Uh college And did you do you uh play this a lot?

Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, this, this, this, this. I play this a little bit.

Okay. A little bit in college. It shows. You're not bad.

A little bit. I had to wake up early for games. Okay. Okay, wow. Okay, I only had two. Two Oh, no, no. Here. There's another one. Another one. Okay, let's see. I was we were practicing before this. You said you played a lot. I can't see it.

I say I played a lot. You did say you played a lot. We played a lot before this. Oh. Like ten minutes before you walked in. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, choose a cup. Choose a cup. Choose a cup. It has a question for you at the bottom. Boom. Okay, let's go. Read it aloud to the class. Yes. You played one of the first African Americans that ever joined the NBA. What does that mean to you?

This is a great question. Yeah. Um Yeah, you know it's interesting because he is the first. Yep. You know there's like a grey area of like one of the first. Sweetwater is the first African American to sign an NBA contract. That is a fact. And I think that story hasn't been told. So I think that's the most important part. This is a true story, a trailblazer. I would say one of, you know, the world's greatest trailblazers. I mean the game of basketball has done so much for people across the world and that Sweetwater started this whole thing off. Uh it just means the world that I get to, you know, have that responsibility to bring him in. Yeah, that's a big role.

Yeah, it's crazy. That is a big role to tell.

You know, it is, right? It's like people like, yeah, he's like the Jackie Robinson of basketball. And I said, yeah, he is but the difference is, not the difference, but Sweetwater, he wasn't just the first. It's not about color pretty much what I'm saying. He changed the way the game was played. Like he brought the innovation, the creativity, the flare that you see today with LeBron and all these guys that started with Sweetwater because the NBA was a box in game. So I think that's the most fun part and there's a lot of responsibility with that. But it's cool.

And you're doing your little tricks in there.

Yeah, I mean yeah, I did. You know, okay, I know how to play basketball but not in 1950. You know what I'm saying? Short shorts and 1950 short shorts, Chuck Taylors. That's a little different. Uh but it was fun learning that new style of play though. It was fun. Yeah.

And the NBA posted you the trailer and everything. Yeah, yeah. You're basically in the NBA.

Well, you know what's crazy about To be honest, like the NBA posted you, so like That's what, you know, one of my friends called me like, yo, you you made it to the NBA. And I was like, really? He was like, yeah, because you know we we're also on the Celebrity All-Star game.

Yeah, I saw that.

Broke the scoring record for anybody that ever wants to know. Come get it. It's mine. I own it.

He's actually good.

Own it. No, no, no. But uh I think that's when it all started. Like being on the court NBA court like All-Star weekend. Everybody like the best of the best there. And I'm in the middle there like, yo, no one even knows who I am yet. But you're like breaking all the record. You see what I'm saying? But then the Sweetwater trailer dropped during that time to actually have dinner with the NBA and then to love the film and support it and produce like be a partner on this. It's everything. And I mean I think Sweetwater deserves that. Definitely. Yeah. It's a true story that he's

You're there because of him.

built the league. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? He helped built this league. So it feels good. I guess I am in the NBA.

You are. We're with an NBA player guys.

Yeah, I'm in the league. So, looks like I won. Of course. Thank you guys for watching. Now subscribe to Young Hollywood on YouTube and follow me at Ever Osborne on all social platforms.