UNDER THE STADIUM LIGHTS’ ADRIAN FAVELA ON PLAYING AND HONORING A REAL LIFE CHARACTER

Filipino-Latino actor ADRIAN FAVELA talks about his memorable moments on filming the character of Anthony Cariola in the football drama “Under the Stadium Lights.”

So far, Favela’s year has been good. The rising star is also on the 2021 horror film “Wrong Turn.” When he’s not acting, he picks up his camera and does fashion photography. Adrian is fueled with his passion for his craft and there’s definitely a lot of brewing talent in there.

How was your experience filming Under the Stadium Lights?

Filming Under the Stadium Lights was an absolute blast! It’s a football film about looking out for your “brother” and picking each other up when you’re down. We shot the first portion of the film in a little town called Owatanna, Minnesota so on our off days we spent a lot of time together like a little family. Besides having an awesome cast to work with, filming was incredible. We got to pad up and play football with tons of extras cheering us on. It was an incredible feeling!

How would you describe the film?

The film is a true story of how the underdog team, Abilene Eagles overcame their own adversities and made it all the way to the state championship.

What’s the best part about playing Anthony Cariola What drew you to his character?

This was my first time playing a real-life person so that was exciting for me all in itself. When I was able to research and discover how incredible Anthony Cariola was, that’s when I was really drawn to this role. He was an absolute tank of a character, he was a 5’6 linebacker who was named defensive player of the year, then went on to become the All-Big Country defensive MVP. This guy was insanely talented.

What are the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming?

The biggest challenge was to honor the real-life story of this team and the people of Abilene, TX. When we shot the football portion of the film, we shot everything at the real high school and stadium that these events happened. A lot of the extras in the film were there on the night of the real game and they wanted their story to be told as spot on as possible. Although that was a challenge for us, it was also a beautiful experience to hear all of the personal stories of how that year's game brought the community together.

How did you manage to rise above these challenges?

The first step was to listen to the people who were there when the story took place. I listened to all the stories of Anthony’s real-life coaches, friends, and peers so that I can bring his essence to the film.

What’s the most memorable moment for you throughout the whole process of making the film?

Working scenes with Laurence Fishburne was a pretty incredible experience. He brings so much life to his characters it was almost like being in an acting masterclass just by watching him work.

What’s your ultimate goal as an actor?

I would love to be the first Filipino/Latino to win an Oscar for best actor. As my career is starting to develop, I realize nothing is impossible and if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.