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DVDF Goes 1-on-1 with Vince Papale of "Invincible" Fame!

Without saying a word, Vince Papale can tell you a story. It's a story of courage, of determination, of never letting the obstacles in your life impede the journey to your dreams. When the Philly native went against all odds and tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles in '76, he would not only fulfill his own dreams, but also re-ignite the heart of the City of Philadelphia. Forever the example of lion-heartedness - whether it's rising from obscurity to play professional football or, more recently, fighting and overcoming cancer, Papale's icon will forever serve as an example of how to approach, and ultimately break through, the barriers in our very own lives.

DVDF got a chance to break out the pads and do some verbal drills with the sports legend who inspired the movie "Invincible". One thing's for sure - you will never meet another former NFL player more down-to-earth, charmingly funny, and imbued with as much motivational energy as this man!

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DVDF: For the most part Disney seemed to do a pretty good job with the factual events of the film, aside from a few minor things....how did you feel about the way they adapted your story to the big screen?

Papale: I love it! I just thought it was phenomenal. What you have to understand, right from the beginning, is it's not a bio-pic - it's based on events that happened in my life, and those things that happened, it was really quite a journey. Whether they happened at that time, or they happened a couple years before, or whatever, those facts actually did occur. I understand with the process of the movie and some great coaching by the screenwriters, by the producers, by the studio, that this is the way it's gotta be done in order for the movie to become successful.

And it was wildly successful, not just at the box office but just in the response of people and how it made them feel after the final scene was shot, you know what I mean? I'm ecstatic - listen, who am I? I'm just the luckiest guy and most blessed person in the world to have somebody like Disney and Buena Vista Pictures say hey look pal, we want to do a movie about you and it's gonna be a major motion picture. I mean, are you kidding me?

Well, it's an amazing story so I can see them easily getting behind it...

Papale: I mean really, think about that. People have asked me what it's like to have a movie made about you and I said, have you ever had an article written about you, or you're going to be on TV and you're calling all your friends because your face might be shown for a couple seconds? Or someone has done an interview on you, or they've done some feature? I said can you imagine if you take all those things and then you multiply them by about a zillion, that's what it's like to have a movie made about you. I don't know if I can rightfully put it into words how I feel on the entire experience other than it's just been amazing.

DVDF: Well that's what I'm thinking as I'm watching the movie, I'm sitting there thinking "I wonder what is going through his head when he's watching Mark Wahlberg portray his life on the screen." It had to be surreal...

Papale: Yeah! Oh it was weird. You know the first time I watched it it was scary and I was very nervous, because I wanted everybody to like it, you know, and I wanted everybody to approve of it, and I wanted to approve of it, and there were all those dynamics, and I had seen all those scenes being shot but I never saw them shot in that sequence. So all of a sudden you know, these pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together and I saw the final product - and so that's the first thing.

And then the other thing - you know, you're saying "this movie is about you," they're portraying things that happened in your life. And the only way I could really enjoy it was to pretty much remove myself from it and become a third person, which is almost like - I always hate guys when they refer to themselves in an interview - like Keyshawn Johnson, he says 'Keyshawn this', 'Keyshawn that' - I'm not 'Vince this', I'm not 'Vince that', but I had to remove myself, make myself a third person in order to enjoy it. And now, since I've seen it for the thirteenth time, I think I'm enjoying it even more. (Laughs)

DVDF: Well, you mention Keyshawn Johnson - when I'm watching the movie I'm thinking that your time period was kind of like the good old days of the NFL. Today, I watch NFL and I see so many glamor boys playing, and it just really touched me, the shape of football as it was in the 70's...

Papale: Well, it captured the essence of the way the game was back then, you know. We played hard, we partied hard, we didn't leave anything on the field, the fans appreciated that - especially the fans in Philadelphia appreciated our effort. And there's no question that the athlete today is a lot different than it was then, and I venture to say that they're probably better athletes than we were. You know, they're faster, quicker, and stronger, but I don't think they're having as much fun as we had back then. Forget the money. They're making a ton of money. I just don't think they're having as much fun. Certainly the loyalty's not there like it was, not only with the player and their agents, it's also with ownership. You know, it's all about the salary cap, and most of it is about the bottom line. Back then it was winning and losing, and you developed loyalties, you had guys that were in the city for more than 2,or 3, or 4 years, and when they're in the city then they become part of the city. They're part of the fabric of the town. They get more involved with the charities, without cameras following them around. To me, that's so superficial. You do a charity because you believe in it. To me, you don't do a charity because it's what people perceive you should do, so let's have a film crew follow me around as I'm doing a charity event. To me, that's so superficial it makes me sick.

DVDF: If there's one thing I think director Ericson Core captured very well, it's the heart of your story, which I think you were touching on there when you were talking about charities. The word 'Invincible' seems very apt, especially in light of what you went through in those early years. In your opinion, what does it mean to be invincible?

Papale: What does it mean to be invincible? Oh man, that's a tough one, put me on the point here. To be invincible is to be able to overcome anything that's thrown at you. To be invincible is to never give up. To be invincible is to believe in yourself, and believe in those people around you, and take a positive approach about things. Have a great attitude. Being invincible is not about not failing. You're allowed to fail if you're invincible, but the thing is you're not allowed to stay down. You can't feel sorry for yourself, and all those things. And if that's how they perceive me I'm honored, you know, but I see so many other people out there that are much tougher than I was, that are more invincible than I ever was. I was just given the opportunity of a lifetime by Dick Vermeil and I just ran with it. I thought, you know I've got nothing to lose, I've got nothing to be ashamed of if this doesn't come about.

So concludes Part 1 of our interview with Vince Papale.

Check back soon for Part 2, where Vince talks about the character of Janet in the film (and if she is really a Giants fan), his shell-shocking experience of walking into Texas Stadium for the first time, and more!

Show this man some love in the comments!

On to Part 2!

- "Invincible" is out on DVD!

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Posted by on December 20, 2006 12:17 PM
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