Disney Insider hit the playing field to get the stats on
rookie Dennis Quaid, who stars in the true-life tale "The Rookie." Quaid plays Jim Morris, a chemistry
teacher whose dream of becoming a major league baseball player -- with an unbelievable 98-mph fastball
-- finally comes true.
When the filmmakers began their search for the perfect
person to play Morris, they immediately thought of Quaid. "Dennis Quaid is the quintessential American
hero," says producer Mark Johnson. "I think of him like the movie stars of the past -- like a Gary
Cooper or a Jim Stewart -- in the way he carries himself, in the way he's acting when he's not doing
anything. Jim Morris, as we present him in the movie, is a man of few words, and I can't think of
anybody better at that than Dennis."
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"I was really drawn to this amazing story," Quaid says.
"Not only the amazing screenplay, but also to Jim's true story. The fact that this all really happened
-- that this was a real guy who got a second chance -- that was the clincher to me."
It's roles like this that make Quaid happy to be an
actor. "Maybe I look like an athlete, but I'm nowhere near being one," he laughs. "The last time I played
baseball was in Little League. That's what I love about being an actor. It was fun to enter that world of
professional baseball in front of all those fans. Pitching on the field in Arlington, Texas, was like a
dream come true. Reliving that moment when Jim ran on to the field with 40,000 fans going crazy was truly
fantastic."
And what does the real-life Morris have to say about his
incredible story? "I'm living proof that you can always achieve whatever it is you pursue as long as you
put your full heart into it."
Catch Walt Disney Pictures' "The Rookie," now playing at a theater near you.
