NFL running back Marshawn Lynch has a surprisingly critical role in the 2023 satirical black comedy, Bottoms, and he has a personal reason for taking on the part. There aren’t a whole lot of movies like Bottoms, because there aren’t a whole lot of directors like Emma Seligman, whose feature-length filmography only includes this film, and 2020’s Shiva Baby. Despite her thin list of movies, she’s already proven herself as a unique voice with an acid-dipped tone that you don’t often find in even the bleakest black comedies. Her comedies are almost horror films.

While Seligman did run it back with Rachel Sennott from Shiva Baby to Bottoms, the rest of the cast of Bottoms is new. That goes for Marshawn Lynch as well. Unless you’re well-versed in the National Football League, that casting may not particularly stand out. If you are semi-knowledgeable about that sport, Lynch in a Seligman movie feels like two worlds colliding. The Super Bowl-winning running back for the Seattle Seahawks does not feel like the “dark satire” type, but he’s perfect for the part, and he has a specific reason for doing the movie.

Marshawn Lynch Plays Mr. G In Bottoms

Mr. G Is A Sweet But Lazy History Teacher

Marshawn Lynch appears as Mr. G in Bottoms, a bored history teacher who becomes the club advisor for PJ (Sennott) and Josie’s (Ayo Edebiri) fight club, though he thinks it’s just a “self-defense” club. Mr. G loves the idea of a club for women and is proud to have a way to support feminism. When it’s revealed that PJ and Josie are using the club to attract girls so they can hook up with them, Mr. G is wounded for being used. In a hilarious dressing down, he renounces feminism and accuses Josie and PJ of being evil.

He has some of the funniest moments in Bottoms, including the unforgettable line, “Is this about the time I said Amelia Earhart was a fake hero? Because it’s true. Many a guy fly planes without crashing.” It’s a fantastic performance from the relatively unseasoned actor. He plays air-headed but sweet-hearted so well that you feel as bad as PJ and Josie do when he tells them off. Lynch has an impressive knack for comedic timing, and just about everything that comes out of his mouth is funny. It’s not a gimmick, it’s a great casting decision that elevates the film.

Emma Seligman Wanted Someone Unexpected To Play Mr. G

The President Of Orion Pictures Saw Marshawn Lynch In Murderville

When it came to selecting who would play Mr. G, Emma Seligman was a little stuck (via GQ). All Seligman knew was that she wanted someone who would seem out of their element but was interested in learning more about others,

“We always wanted some man who was just kind of out of it but loves the idea of supporting women. He has no idea what’s going on literally in the group, but also has no idea what’s really going on in these girls’ lives and in women’s lives.”

Her initial idea was to get a “Jon Hamm type“, that is, an actor known for their dramatic roles who surprised everyone with their comedic chops, which is what happened with Hamm in Bridesmaids. However, Seligman realized that trope, once fresh, was not all that surprising anymore, and she decided she needed something even more different. It was the president of Orion Pictures, Alana Mayo, who came up with the name “Marshawn Lynch”. Seligman said,

“She’s [Mayo] incredible, and she forwarded us all an article in ᴅᴇᴀᴅline or something about how his episode of Murderville was better than the others and he outdid all the comedians. Then I found out that show is all improvised and watched it, and I couldn’t stop laughing! I just thought, all we need is someone to do their thing and be a version of themself.”

That episode of Murderville is indeed very funny and a great showcase of Lynch’s natural comedic timing. However, he was just playing himself in that show. Bottoms would require Lynch to play a character in a comedy for the first time in his career. He’d previously played Giggles in Westworld, but that was a dramatic role, and required a bit less nuance. It was a bit of a leap for Lynch, and he was unsure at first, as Seligman recalls,

“So we offered it to him, and then we had a phone call. He was like, ‘Do you have me confused with someone else? Like an actor?’ I told him, ‘No, we want you.’ I don’t think he even needed to ask me, but he might have asked me, ‘Do you know who I am? Did you know who I was before this?’ I told him, “No, I don’t follow sports, I can’t admit to that. But you’re so unique and hilarious and it would be so ҒUCҜing cool to have you in this movie and bring an audience that otherwise wouldn’t see it! I just think you’d be really funny in it and play off these girls really well! He still thought I was crazy—or not that he thought I was crazy, he just didn’t understand why I would offer it to him. So, it took a few conversations for him to feel comfortable.”

It was the right decision because Lynch fits in perfectly with the tone of the film and has excellent chemistry with whoever he appears on-screen with. Seligman said she was surprised by just how funny Lynch was and that a lot of his lines ended up being improvised. Sometimes, there’s a magical union in filmmaking, and Lynch and Seligman may be one of the latest examples of that.

Lynch Took On The Role In Bottoms To Right A Wrong From His Past

Marshawn Lynch’s Sister Came Out As Gay, And He Thinks He Should Have Been More Understanding

Marshawn Lynch had to think long and hard about appearing in Bottoms. While he’d had a few acting roles previously, this was the first one requiring him to play a comedic character, which can be a particularly difficult role to play. Drama can be straightforward, and simply playing yourself might not be nerve-wracking. However, playing a comic character requires “acting”. He finally agreed to take the role after telling Seligman about his sister, Marreesha Sapp-Lynch, who came out as a lesbian in high school. Seligman said,

“…He told me that his sister is queer and when they were in high school, he didn’t necessarily handle it super well. He felt like this movie coming into his hands was the universe giving him a chance to right his wrongs. That’s what he said. He walked her down the aisle. He felt like they were all good, you know? But his sister thought it’d be really cool if he did this.”

Sapp-Lynch spoke with People about her brother appearing in the movie and what coming out was like in high school. According to Sapp-Lynch, her mother, Delisa, was happy for her daughter, but her three brothers, David, Davonte, and Marshawn, were understanding but couldn’t quite comprehend what she was telling them. Sapp-Lynch said,

“Marshawn had a lot of questions and was thinking it was his fault: ‘What did I do?’ Because growing up he would always say I couldn’t have a boyfriend, ‘You can’t talk to boys.’ We’d go to a party and he’d be asking everybody, ‘Did you dance with my sister?’ But I wasn’t attracted to boys, so I didn’t dance with them!”

It wasn’t as if Lynch was homophobic or anti-LGBTQ+, but he clearly had a limited understanding of what being a lesbian entailed, particularly thinking that it was somehow someone’s “fault”. Lynch has since come to fully accept and celebrate his sister and her Sєxual orientation. He even walked her down the aisle for her 2021 marriage to a woman. Seligman said about Lynch’s time on set,

“He kept on bringing up Marreesha. He kept on being like, ‘That’s my sister.’ In a way where it was like a proud parent [of queer kids] — a proud brother.”

In Bottoms, the school’s homophobic characters are obsessed with the high school football team, so it’s a cool piece of casting that one of the real world’s toughest, best football players of the last 15 years is an ally in Bottoms and in real life.

What’s Next For Marshawn Lynch’s Acting Career

Lynch Has Several Upcoming Movies On His Slate

While plenty of sports stars have had notable acting careers, Marshawn Lynch’s has seemingly come out of nowhere. Athletes like LeBron James and Peyton Manning were acting while they were (or are) still playing, making the transition a little less jarring. Lynch just burst onto the scene, much in the same way he would suddenly burst through the defensive line and sprint to the end zone. Lynch has a packed slate ahead. He is set to appear in The Pickup, a heist film starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer.

He’ll also appear in Eenie Meanie, another heist film starring Samara Weaving; and He Bled Neon, an action-thriller set in the Las Vegas criminal underground. Lynch will also appear in the upcoming Euphoria season 3 as a yet unnamed character. Marshawn Lynch is a true icon, but it’s his role in Bottoms that people will soon point to as the first time they noticed him as an actor with real talent.