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'The Way Back': Charles Lott Jr got injured during audition, was rehabilitated and out of shape while filming

Talking about the rehabilitation process, he told MEAWW, “I didn’t get to do any training and I thought it was great. I was laughing at the other dudes having to run and get in shape” But there was a price

Charles Lott Jr., who plays the role of Chubby Hendricks in the Ben Affleck-starring film ‘The Way Back’ spoke to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) on March 1, at the world premiere of the sports drama film in Los Angeles, California. 

He spoke about how he got injured during the audition and having to visit a rehabilitation center for it and more. “During the audition process, they had us play basketball in front of people, and I fractured my ankle,” said the ‘68 Whiskey’ actor.

“They told us that if you get hurt, we can’t use you,” he said and then added that director Gavin O'Connor didn’t care and told him “I don’t care if you’re hurt. We’ll send you to a rehabilitation center. Get better. We still want to use you for the movie.”

Talking about the rehabilitation process, Lott said, “It was over the course of a few months. I didn’t get to do any training. And I thought it was great. I was laughing at the other dudes having to run and get in shape.” But karma came back to bite him. He said that when they started shooting, “Everybody was in shape, but me. So, when it came to running -- my character Chubbs, I was overweight; I was fat -- so it was super hard. It wasn’t funny at all. It was terrible.”

Talking about how his journey of working in the sports drama, Lott said, “We started off as fingers -- we were individuals. And as we kind of came together, we slowly closed into a fist. And we became a brotherhood.”

‘The Way Back’ follows Jack Cunningham (Affleck), a former basketball player who turned down a scholarship to the University of Kansas. Now an adult, he struggles with alcoholism and depression. One day, however, the priest from Jack’s old Catholic high school, where he was a basketball star, calls him up and asks him to coach the team. The journey of the team’s improving fortune is juxtaposed against Jack’s own battle with his demons. 

‘The Way Back’ will be theatrically released in the United States on March 6, 2020.