Bonus Coverage! Dennis Quaid Q&A
The golf-loving actor on turning down Tin Cup, and the links movie he'd love to make
I recently spent time with Dennis Quaid, for a piece you can find in the Scorecard section of the new issue of Sports Illustrated. Here's more from Quaid, 56, a huge sports fan and a certifiable golf addict. As he prepared to tee off on an L.A. course, I asked him how often he plays. "Not as much," said the 4-handicap, flashing his famous grin. "I'm down to once a day." My kind of guy.
(Check out Quaid as golf-loving President Bill Clinton in The Special Relationship, which debuts on HBO Saturday at 9pm.)
Better Late Than Never
"I found golf late in life, in 1990. I took some lessons with Eddie Merrins at Bel-Air [Country Club]. I struggled. Then one day, I hit a drive so crisp and clean, with no vibration. There's no feeling like it. I was hooked. Compared to some things in life, golf seems meaningless. But it means so much."
Second Chances
"I'm doing a basketball movie called The Throwback, the true story of the only father and son [Frank and Isaac Gildea] to play together on the same college team. I suck at basketball. But the movie's not about basketball. It's about second chances. We all want second chances. That's what The Rookie was about. It was also my second chance at my [movie] career, after a rough patch. It relit the fire in my belly. I love sports movies, but they're rarely about sports. They're about something else."
Soul Man
"I took up surfing for [the upcoming film] Soul Surfer, about the girl who lost her arm to a shark attack. When you're on that surfboard and catch that wave, you taste it. It's magic. But there are wipeouts. One day, I went out and got tossed by a 12-foot wave. I was held underwater for about 45 seconds. Surfing is like golf. It keeps knocking you down, and you keep battling."
Comeback Special
"I'd love to do a golf movie. I was offered Don Johnson's role [PGA Tour pro David Simms] in Tin Cup, but I was doing another project. I regret [turning it down]. Playing golf for work? That sounds good to me. You know who I'd love to play? Denis Watson. Now that's a great story. Here's a guy, a young guy, who almost won the [1985] U.S. Open. Then one day he takes a swing with a short iron, hits a tree root and injures his arm, wrist and neck. They said his career was over. But he didn't give up. It took him 20 years to fight his way back. And he wins Senior Tour Rookie of the Year [in 2007]. I love a good comeback, and that's an inspiring story."
