Former soccer star goes from the grill to the big screen

“Being in this movie is something he didn’t brag about, but it’s something some of us knew,” said Reddex Washington, Jr. Alexandria City Councilor for District 1 and One. friends of Harris. “But it’s Nic making silent movements.”

The biopic follows the career of Warner, the NFL quarterback who went from bagger at a grocery store and from arena league football player to starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. In his first season as Rams quarterback, he led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2000. The film stars Zachary Levi as Warner and Dennis Quaid as Rams coach , Dick Vermeil. The film is scheduled for release on December 10.

“I’ve worked with Game Changing Films in the past on the production of ‘Focus’ and ‘Best Man Holiday’,” Harris wrote in an email. Game Changing Films coordinates athletic action in movies, TV shows, and commercials. “They reached out saying they had the perfect piece for me and that was it.”

The only time Harris met Lewis was in the field. Harris also played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers.

“I received his grace and I was also complimented for the portrait,” he wrote. “I am immensely humiliated.”

After her NFL career, Harris is now a model and actor. And Washington points out that this is not the first time Harris has appeared on screen.

“The Old Spice ads, you might not see his face but it’s his body,” Washington said, adding that this was just one of the ways Harris does great things while remaining humble.

Harris was also the first person he knew to enjoy training.

Harris has shot over 45 commercials for brands such as Old Spice, Nike, Adidas, Microsoft and Bose. He was also the primary player / defensive moves for Electronic Arts (EA) gaming systems via Madden NFL 16-20 football video games.

“It’s something that’s been amazing for my career,” Harris wrote.

In the past he has appeared in photo shoots for Essence, The Source and Jet magazines and filmed a reality show pilot called “Heart & Soul” for the Oxygen Network.

Warner has an incredible story to tell and Harris said he was grateful for the part he played in telling it.

But Harris has his own incredible story to draw inspiration from that could also be the subject of a book or a movie – if the stars align.

“Honestly, I’m inspired by mine, I live it daily, just a kid from Alexandria, Louisiana,” he wrote. “And I am the author of this book.

“Adversity, a product of my environment – challenges – these are things that are often viewed as negative,” Washington said. “But when I think of Nic Harris, these are things that he turned to positive. What I saw Nic do is take on any challenge with my head held high. If the high score was 10, I saw him push it to 12. “

A 2012 Town Talk article indicates that Harris was born in 1986 to teenage parents. They couldn’t take care of him, so his grandparents took him in when he was three months old. To keep him out of the foster care system, he was taken in by other family members and friends throughout his childhood.

At 15, Harris officially emancipated himself from his parents.

“I’ve been pretty much alone since I was 8,” Harris said in the article. “I don’t know how not to be self-sufficient.

It was LaQuanda Harrell, his father’s ex-girlfriend who later became his legal guardian, and gave him stability and support.

It was around this time that Harris began to thrive on the ASH football field, where he was an All-State football star. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, the four-star rookie was ranked fifth best in safety in the country by Rivals.com.

Major college football programs across the country have taken notice. Many scholarship offers poured in from schools such as LSU, Michigan, and Nebraska, but Harris ultimately chose to attend Oklahoma.

At ASH, Harris also played basketball, baseball and running.

He also participated in various sketches and plays.

“Many who were there would remember the ‘Fab 5’,” he wrote. He graduated in 2005.

Harris excelled on the field for the Sooners where he was an Oklahoma All-American. In 2009, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills.

For Harris, football was a way to get better and better. In college, he was president of Bridge Builders, an organization of African-American college athletes involved in community service.

Even now, he is still active in community service. He mentors the youngsters, coaching “The Opening” via Nike, which features football’s top prospects, he said. He is also involved with Toys for Tots and Habitat for Humanity.

“Nic is a true example of a workaholic,” Washington said. “When you tell him he can’t do it, he goes way beyond that.”

He lives in Los Angeles where he spends his free time with his daughter or traveling.

Harris doesn’t travel to Alexandria often, but when he does, he spends his time with his family and places his food orders with his mother.

“Growing up, I wanted better for my family,” Harris wrote. “For those who come after me, and for all those I can inspire. By any means, be it the NFL – or some other means. “

“Nic was that silent Batman,” Washington said. “He comes to town to help in some areas and says, ‘No one needs to know that I was here.’ Then he leaves.