Tom Brady explains why playing the role of Tom Brady in a movie is actually ‘challenging’

Not many people ever get the chance to play themselves in a movie, which might actually be for the best, because apparently, it’s not very easy. At least according to Tom Brady. 

The Buccaneers quarterback has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows over the past 20 years, and most of the time, when he shows up on film, he’s playing himself, which is a role he’ll once again be playing early next year in the movie “80 for Brady.”

The film, which is based on a true story, is about four women in their 80s who happen to be huge fans of Brady, and because of that, they decide they want to attend Super Bowl LI in Houston. Although the four stars of the film are Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin, you will also see Brady playing Brady. 

During a recent interview with Variety, Brady was asked what it’s like to play Tom Brady. His answer might surprise you. 

“It’s really interesting,” Brady said. “I find it challenging — sometimes hard.”

Brady then went into more detail about what makes it so challenging. 

“Because you’re always paying attention to yourself as yourself rather than the character you’re playing,” Brady said. “I don’t think that’s natural for me. What I’ve done for 23 years in sports is play myself. There’s no acting. It’s me on the field. When I’m pissed, I’m pissed. When I’m happy, I’m happy. I’m not playing a role. So when I got to go play a role, I have no programming for that. There’s not a lot of experiences to fall back on other than a few commercials that I’ve done.”

Another confusing part for Brady is when actors stay in character, which isn’t easy since the character he’s playing is himself. At one point during the filming, Brady apparently got a little confused after filming a scene with Fonda. 

“You’re on set and you’re going through your scene and she says something, but it’s not really on script,” Brady said. “I’m like, ‘Is this just her normal?’ And then the scene cuts, and I don’t know if she’s still in character or not. I don’t even know the etiquette for that.”

And just in case you’re wondering, Brady said he does NOT stay in character after filming a scene. 

“I go back to being me,” Brady said. 

So instead of being 2016 Tom Brady that beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl, he went back to being 2022 Tom Brady who’s filming a movie about Tom Brady. 

If you want to know how Brady has done playing Brady, there are multiple movies you can check out. Not only did he play himself in the “Entourage” movie, but he also had a cameo in “Ted 2.” If you’re looking for something on the small screen, Brady has also played himself on “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons.”

Brady has also portrayed himself in plenty of commercials, including ads for Foot Locker, Uggs and Subway, and he’s even done the occasional health care commercial. He’s also done ads for mattresses and candy. He also played himself in this all-time classic for “Funny or Die.”

Brady might not love the idea of playing himself on screen, but he definitely has plenty of experience doing it. 

As for his latest movie, “80 for Brady” doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s expected to hit theaters at some point in 2023, according to Variety.