Photo: Paramount Pictures
80 For Bradyis a lighthearted tale of best friends both onscreenandoff: It’s based on a true story.
Starring Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin, the film follows four best friends who embark on a trip to seeTom Bradyplay in the 2017 Super Bowl, the year the quarterback (who now plays for Tampa Bay)led the New England Patriots to a victoryover the Atlanta Falcons.
Just like the real-life women that inspired the movie, who deemed themselves the “Over 80 for Brady” fan club,the actresses developed a close bondwhile filming.
“You know, I’ve known Lily for 50 years,” Fonda told PEOPLE. “I’ve known Sally 40 years, and I just so admire her and watching her process of creating the character during the course of filming was really special.”
Moreno added that mending their skills for80 for Bradywas “like nothing else,” calling her costars “spectacularly special actresses.”
From how the real-life fan club was created to how their story got turned into a Hollywood movie, here’s everything to know about the true story behind80 For Brady.
Who are the real-life women who inspired80 For Brady?
CBS Sunday Morning
Thereal-life “Over 80 for Brady” fan clubwas made up of Elaine St. Martin, Betty Pensavalle and their three other friends, Anita, Pat and Claire. In addition to being friends of over 70 years, they were also dedicatedTom Bradysuperfans.
Per CBS News Sunday Morning, the women really came together after they became widows; the broadcast said that “game days became the link that kept their friendship from fumbling.” Each game day, they made sure to get together at each other’s houses.
“One Sunday here, one Sunday at my house, and it would go right to the five of us,” St. Martin recalled to CBS News Sunday Morning.
They got together so regularly, they got the nickname the “Over 80 for Brady” club, with Pensavalle’s grandson even making them matching shirts.
How did their story get turned into80 For Brady?
In a fun twist of fate, Brady himself jumped at the opportunity to create the film. He even sent a personal message to Pensavalle, saying in a video message, “I wanna make a movie based on your Over 80 for Brady crew.”
Is Tom Brady involved in80 For Brady?
Billy Bennight/AdMedia / SplashNews.com
Not only isBrady a producer for the film, buthe also makes a small cameoalong with his former Patriots teammates Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman. He previouslytoldVarietyhis role is “small” but he “learned a lot” during his two days of filming.
“It’s really interesting. I find it challenging — sometimes hard,” he said of acting as a version of himself in the movie. “Because you’re always paying attention to yourself as yourself rather than the character you’re playing. 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.”
“I think there are opportunities for me to tell stories that are near and dear to my heart,” Brady said. “To be able to produce it with amazing actresses was very exciting for me.”
During the film’s premiere,Brady spoke with PEOPLEabout watching the movie with his kids. “I was pretty emotional through it,” he recalled. “It was a great season and having my kids watch was the best part about the whole thing.”
“Man, your kids teach you so much,” he added, sharing his appreciation for his children. “You get to learn through new experiences with them and they’re the biggest blessing of my life.”
Where are the real-life ‘80 For Brady’ women now?
Even so, St. Martin and Pensavalle are still dedicated football fans. “Good friends stick together and stay together and do for each other,” Pensavalle told CBS News Sunday Morning.
While the news show noted that the making of the film has been “a bit overwhelming” for them, including Brady’s involvement and getting their own private premiere for the film, they still have one thing left on their bucket list: meeting Brady.
“I hope we see him before we die!” St. Martin said, to which Pensavalle quipped, “They better hurry up!”
source: people.com
