Randy Houser Says ‘There’s a Strong Parallel’ Between Life on Stage and on Screen [Interview]
There was a time when Randy Houser had never heard the story of Rickey Hill. The country music powerhouse had never heard about the kid who overcame his physical disability to play professional baseball, and he certainly never knew that someday, he would be appearing in a movie about him.
But here we are.
“This ole boy never thought he’d be doing movies in the first place,” Houser says with a laugh during a recent interview with Taste of Country. “I actually knew nothing about (Hill) and his story, but it is a fantastic story.”
The country music hitmaker, best known for chart-toppers including "Runnin' Outta Moonlight," "We Went" and "Goodnight Kiss," is becoming quite the movie star, with his latest project being his role in the upcoming sports drama The Hill.
In the movie, which shot in Georgia, Houser takes on the role of Ray Clemons, the man who serves up the encouragement that Hill desperately needs in his life.
“I'm the guy that keeps pushing him to play,” says Houser of the movie, which has yet to set an official release date. “I've had a lot of men in my life that stepped up when my dad wasn’t around, and they played that part of my life. So, I think that’s what really encouraged me to want to do this movie.”
Houser also received much encouragement from his friend and fellow actor Dennis Quaid, who plays the role of Hill’s father, Pastor Hill.
“Dennis and I have been friends for a few years, and we have spent a lot of time playing music and golf together,” Houser explains. “Since I am so new to this whole movie business, having him for a buddy who could sort of help me was really cool. This is the first time we've done a movie together, but we really had a really great time and a good chemistry on the set.”
Houser is also on the road right now, both on his own headlining tour and soon, on a joint tour with fellow country powerhouse Jamey Johnson.
“There's a strong parallel between doing a film and going on a stage on tour,” explains Houser, who is also working on a new album. “Thankfully I'm used to being gone a lot. And between doing movies and music last year, I was gone a pretty good bit.”
Nevertheless, life has never been as good as it is right now for Houser.
“There's been a lot of hard years,” he says in a hushed tone. “But life always comes in waves, and you ride the highs and you just float through the lows. I'm just one of those people. I'm no quitter. I'm always going to keep coming back.”
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