“This is my dream,” VFL Tobias Harris said with a grin as he shut the clapperboard down on the film set.
The month of June brought the new Netflix film Hustle to home theaters, which stars Adam Sandler and has received a stellar 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes in its first month. The connection that Tennessee fans will have to the movie though is through the former Volunteer on the court.
The film, which documents the rise of an aspiring NBA player, features the real-life Philadelphia 76ers, which gave Tobias Harris the chance to be in the movie.
“In this movie, I am playing Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers,” said Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers in the behind-the-scenes video. “So it’s a perfect role for me to walk right into.”
The behind-the-scenes video from the 76ers shows a great look into how much fun Harris was having on the set. Whether he was in uniform shooting an in-game scene on the bench, or in street clothes filming under the hot sun on the pickup courts, Harris had a wide grin as he was laughing alongside the other stars and NBA legends.
“Last summer, Boban [Marjanovic] was shooting [the film] and he was calling me, telling me that he was on set and filming,” Harris said. “And he was like, ‘This movie should have Bobi and Tobi.’ So I think he probably told that to enough people. They then decided to call me and ask me to be in the movie.”
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For the former Volunteer player, meeting the one-and-only Adam Sandler was one of the highlights of Harris’ experience. Harris even said that Sandler is definitely at the top of the celebrity list when it comes to playing the game of basketball on the court.
“I remember yesterday coming home, I was like, ‘Adam Sandler could be my best friend,'” Harris said. “He’s that cool of a guy. So it’s been a pleasure just to be on set with him, and then also to see how he works and communicates, too.”
Sandler and Harris looked to be just that on set – best friends.
“I just scored on Adam Sandler!” Harris said in one clip, pushing the Hollywood star to the side.
“Yeah but you’ve got to follow through,” Sandler replied while making the motion with his arms. “Follow through!”
“Follow through, you heard that from the GOAT (greatest of all time),” Harris said back. “From the GOAT himself!”
While Harris and Sandler have plenty to talk about when it comes to the game of basketball, the former Volunteer used the opportunity to dive deeper into a world that he is less familiar with.
“Just talking to him about the movie business as well has been a topic of conversation that we have had,” Harris said about himself and Sandler. “But he’s real laid back, real chill. You know, not like your typical, what they say, Hollywood people.”
While VFL Tobias Harris is not the star of the movie by any means, his few scenes here and there throughout the film will have Tennessee fans smiling. Harris was a Volunteer for the 2010/2011 season before moving on to the NBA.
Hustle, starring Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangomez, is available to watch on Netflix today.
