‘Run the Race’ stars share film's lasting impact on their lives
Tanner Stine and Evan Hofer, the stars of the new film “Run the Race,” said their roles in the Tebow brothers production made a lasting impact on their lives.
"Run the Race" is about the bond between two brothers who feel abandoned by their father after their mother's death, and whose dream of a new life seems lost.
The hope of Zach getting a college football scholarship and moving to a new town seems out of reach for him and his brother, David, after a fight leads to a life-altering injury that renders Zach unable to get back on the field.
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The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Post's interview with Stine and Hofer.
CP: Why did you want to be part of this story, did you find any similarities to your own life?
Hofer: I've always wanted an older brother, and so I saw this fantastic brother dynamic where they really are each other's keeper and I fell in love with that from day one.
Stine: I really liked just how true to life it was and didn't sugarcoat. I really connected with the character Zach and was going through some similar stuff in my life at the time of shooting, so it really just worked out perfectly.
You always try and dip into your life when you're acting, and so I really leaned into it and I found myself learning personal life lessons that the character Zach in 'Run The Race' learns. So it was kind of synonymous. It was a nice little dichotomy there.
Hofer: Being Dave was awesome. He's the perfect embodiment of who in my life I strive to be. He's just so kind to everyone all the time. It was great practice, if nothing else, to get to work on that while we shot it and through the process.
CP: What do you want viewers to walk away with after seeing the film?
Stine: [I hope people learn to] have faith in the people who are closest to them. Maybe they call their brother after they watch it, or they call their mom or it reignites their relationship. I think it'd be important for people to just to remember the value that certain people in their life have had.
Evan: There's so many different themes in “Run the Race” that I really hope people take what they need at that time out of it. And then could rewatch it and see something else that they didn't need then but they need now, and can have these realizations as time goes on because there really are so many different themes to grasp.
CP: The boys in the film put a lot of stock in becoming successful through their gifts, but when those dreams are gone they find their significance in something greater. What would you say to people who are looking for their identity?
Stine: To people looking for their identity, I say, don't try to be anything else.
Hofer: I'd say, think about the person that you want to be. I've been doing this a lot lately. I've been figuring out who it is that I want to be and how do I get there? What decisions can I actively make every day to get myself there? And I think it's just a step by step, decision by decision, moment by moment choice.
“Run the Race” is Tim and Robby Tebow's first movie production and is now showing in theaters nationwide.
Tanner Stine ("NCIS," HBO's "Here & Now") stars as Zach; Evan Hofer ("Kickin' It") plays the role of his brother, David; Kristoffer Polaha plays the boys' father; and Frances Fisher ("Titanic") as their surrogate mother
For more information about the film, written by Chris Dowling ("Where Hope Grows"); Jake McEntire and Jason Baumgardner, visit RuntheRaceMovie.com.
