“One of the assistant coaches came over and said, ‘Oh, we got Jesus Christ to play Coach Lad,’” Zelon joked.
That’s the all-too easy connection for Caviezel, known best for that role in “The Passion of the Christ,” and Ladouceur, known best for leading the Catholic high school to a record 151 straight wins from 1992-2004.
Caviezel proved the right fit to play Ladouceur in “When the Game Stands Tall,” which opens in theaters Friday.
Caviezel drew on his personal experiences to fill the role of Ladouceur, who popularized the mantra, “A perfect effort" in building the De La Salle program. That meant replicating the same coaching style.
“The teaching way,” Caviezel said. “Through the heart. You give little bits through the head. Have you ever heard a guy say, ‘I played out of mind today?’ Where do you think he played then? In his heart. The Ladouceur way is to focus on that love for each other, depending on each other and the quality of responsibility.”
Caviezel drew on his own personal experience, one filled with too-good-to-be-true intersections to De La Salle. Caviezel’s father James played for John Wooden at UCLA, who led the Bruins to a NCAA record 88 straight wins. Caviezel later played basketball at Bellevue College in Washington, and it was Bellevue High School that ended De La Salle’s win streak in 2004.
Caviezel told Sporting News that basketball will always be his favorite sport to play, but football is his favorite sport to watch. It’s easy to see why. He’s a diehard Seahawks fan and his brother-in-law is Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Caviezel also graduated from the University of Washington and is quick to point out the hire of Chris Petersen. That’s another coach Caviezel studied for the role of Ladouceur.
“Winning is a byproduct of character,” Caviezel said. “Wooden. Lombardi. Ladouceur. Petersen. They focus on the character of a person first.”
That’s the underlying theme of “When The Game Stands Tall,” which explores the pressure Ladouceur and De La Salle faced during and after the 151-game win streak. It also highlights the bond between Ladouceur and assistant coach Terry Eidson, played by Michael Chiklis.
“You’ll have that scene between me and Chiklis in the Director’s Cut,” Caviezel said. “There’s a scene I never got to see between Chiklis and I that was the heart and soul of the relationship between Lad and Eidson. I’m looking forward to that.”
In the meantime, Caviezel continues to get in as much football as possible. He toured the Cleveland Browns facility this offseason. He talks to Linehan every week. He’s even juggling his schedule while working on “Person of Interest,” a CBS television drama that begins its fourth season in September.
In that regard, Caviezel can’t play coach, even if he tries.
“My whole life when I’m doing ‘Person of Interest’ is revolved around the games,” Caviezel said. “I’ve gotta get this done; I’ve gotta get that in. These are the things I have got to get done in order to watch football. I can’t sit there and DVR a Seahawks or Cowboys game because if something bad happens, I want to take control of the remote and make something good happen.”
