LARRY BROWN AUGUST 1996

Cornerback Larry Brown wasn’t the NFL’s first choice when he started out, but he ended up with the invincible Dallas Cowboys.  He wasn’t supposed to be in last season’s Super Bowl XXX, but an injured teammate suddenly placed Brown in the starting position.  Little-known players don’t often bring a team to victory, but two key interceptions by Brown gave the Cowboys their third Super Bowl title in four years.  And cornerbacks don’t usually become Super Bowl Most Valuable Players, but 40 million American households watched Brown accept the MVP trophy that day.

But to Brown, football superstardom is just a day job.  Even though he’s just signed a new $2.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders, Brown wants to take on Hollywood.  After practice at the Raiders’ mini-camp, this top athlete takes a break at the hotel bar, orders a Shirley Temple — with confidence — and talks about his favorite movies, runway modeling, and football injuries.

MARINA:  How did you end up modeling for Calvin Klein?

LARRY:  Well, I wear their clothes.  I love their clothes and they liked my look.  When people think of athletes, they think of these huge guys.  So here a little skinny guy walks in...

MARINA:  Well, you are hardly a little skinny guy...

LARRY:  Well, I can wear their clothes (laughs).

MARINA:  So what are you doing for Calvin Klein?

LARRY:  I don’t know exactly what we are going to do yet, but I’m supposed to meet Herb Ritts out here in L.A.  And I have some shoe endorsements and other appearances. 

MARINA:  Did they call you after they saw you?

LARRY:  They would never tell you, but we got most of our calls after the Super Bowl.  I haven’t done any runway for Calvin Klein yet, but they wanted me to.  I was just trying to get enough nerve to do it.  I’ve done some small shows, but the big ones... 

MARINA:  That’s funny, you play in front of millions of people, you constantly have spectators.

LARRY:  But in football, nobody cares how you walk or run, as long as you do what you have to do.  In the runway shows you have to be precise, your movements, your eyes, you can’t smile.

MARINA:  So when they asked you, were you thinking ‘oh yeah, I know I look like a model,’ or were you surprised?

LARRY:  I never thought about it.  When I look at models, some of the top models are not the prettiest women or men in the world.  It’s how they photograph and have the look that people want.  I’ve seen some beautiful looking women who I thought looked better than some of the top models.

MARINA:  You have a great look. 

LARRY:  Thank you.

MARINA:  Are you taking acting classes out here?

LARRY:  Yeah, acting and theater was my first love, football was second.  It just kind of got thrown in there.  I love acting, even more than football, but I don’t want to tell my coaches that!

MARINA:  A lot of sports celebrities that get into acting don’t have that background, they just stumble upon it as they get famous.

LARRY:  You don’t do it for the fame.  It’s because I enjoy it.  And it’s not the money, because I can continue to play football.  When you get into a character it takes over your body.  It’s amazing to make good work and make the audience believe you are that character.

MARINA:  Were you already doing theater in school?

LARRY:  I did some in school, but when I left, I was already with the NFL, and that’s pretty much a year-round job.  So this year I’m totally committed to studying and working in the business.  I was on Saturday Night Live, The Young and the Restless, All My Children, and Married With Children.

MARINA:  But you want to be in the movies?

LARRY:  Yes, film, but it takes time.  I’ll play football another four or five years and try to get small but meaningful parts.  I want to do something I enjoy doing when it’s all said and done.

MARINA:  What kinds of roles would you want?

LARRY:  I would prefer drama, serious roles.  But positive — the good guy, roles people can relate to, the guy everybody likes.

MARINA:  No villains?

LARRY:  I could play a villain, but I think these days everybody loves the hero.

MARINA:  Do you watch a lot of movies?

LARRY:  I see movies all the time. 

MARINA: Do you like old movies?

LARRY:  I’ve seen Citizen Kane many times, and I love The Color Purple, Misery, Schindler’s List.  These are great acting movies.  I like the ones that are sincere.  So many are just garbage, and the dialogue is all cursing.

MARINA:  Some of your favorites are feel-good movies.

LARRY:  Yes, like Philadelphia or Forrest Gump.

MARINA:  You have kind of a good guy image yourself.

LARRY:  I don’t think everyone is all good guy, everyone has their bad parts, but for the most part I try to act in a positive way.

MARINA:  Sure, everyone’s got a bad side, but a lot of professional athletes have a bad boy reputation, and lately your ex-team has been getting a lot of flak, and I never see your name attached.

LARRY:  I think you can dig up something on everybody, and if you are in the spotlight, they will find something, and even go back to your childhood.  And garbage sells.  No one wants to hear about the good guys.  But I try to stay positive.

MARINA:  When did you join the Raiders?

LARRY:  In February.

MARINA:  Did you know a lot of people on the team?

LARRY: It’s ironic, but I played a lot of these guys in college, and they had also been coming down to the Dallas training camp for the last five years.

MARINA:  Are they really different from the Cowboys?

LARRY:  Yeah, different personalities.

MARINA:  Well, you can really pick ’em!

LARRY:  Yeah, they are two of the most interesting teams around.  But the Raiders are a lot more laid back.  There was so much attention around the Cowboys because they were winning, a lot of pressure, hype and coverage.  Jerry loves the spotlight.  Al Davis is a little more conservative, he thinks that distracts the team.  Different styles. 

MARINA:  Was the Raiders your biggest offer?  You are getting a pretty big paycheck.

LARRY:  For me, it wasn’t all about the money, although some people may dispute that because I am making a lot of money.  But are you going somewhere where you can be happy, or are you going to prostitute yourself to the point where you don’t even care if you win or lose?  I also wanted to study acting and work, so that played into it. 

MARINA:  Did you get anything extravagant with your new raise?

LARRY:  I’m the same person.  My wife and I may build our dream home eventually, maybe next year.  But nothing extravagant.

MARINA:  How do you relax before or after a game?

LARRY:  You think about doing well.  Everybody remembers the guys who do well, not the average guys.  I want them to throw the ball at me, I want to make those plays.  I love the challenge.  To relax... I think the biggest relaxation is just to lay in bed and take your shoes off.

MARINA:  Do you guys have routines or rituals to get psyched up?

LARRY:  I’m not as intense as a lot of other players.  My style is to remind myself to go out and enjoy the game.  You can become so intense and so focused and want to do so well, you can’t enjoy it.  You are so pressured.  It’s like, ‘I got to write the best story, I got to do it, I got to do it.’  As opposed to just letting it happen.  I train my mind to try to enjoy the game, to accept whatever the outcome may be.

MARINA:  You do seem relaxed.

LARRY:  You learn to deal with the pressure.  Like corporate America: you can let it control you or you can control it.  I don’t let the fans or coaches or situation...  The game was made to be enjoyed.  And then you can get caught up in the money.

MARINA:  Do you worry about all those people watching?

LARRY:  That all goes out of the picture.  When you come out, you like to see a packed house, but then it’s ‘let’s go to work.’

MARINA:  Is there one thing that you worry about when you are out there, like, ‘I hope I don’t trip over my shoelaces?’

LARRY:  (Laughs)  Well, you just wish that every game can be a great game.

MARINA:  What if you don’t have a great game?

LARRY:  Well, you get a little down on yourself.

MARINA:  What if you really goof up, what do your teammates do?  Support you or tease you?

LARRY:  Everybody is a goof up.  Even Michael Jordan is going to miss a shot.  And it’s going to happen more than once.  You just try to get back up.

MARINA:  You started so young.

LARRY:  I was 20 when I joined the NFL.

MARINA:  When did you realize that you were good?

LARRY:  You never know.  My thoughts were, ‘go to school and let nature take its course.’  I try not to control things that I can’t control.  You’ll worry to death doing that.  I think everybody has to move on.  Me, Emmit, Troy, we’ll all have to move on.  That’s how this game is created.  Starting out as a rookie, you hope it’s going to be some years before you move on.

MARINA:  When you started, the Cowboys were not what they are now.  But watching them the last couple of years, they are like a machine.  Very few mistakes.

LARRY:  We’ve had some problems, but we have had a lot of successes and people can relate to success no matter what.  If the Baltimore Penguins start winning, people are like, ‘that’s my team!’  So the Cowboys are hot right now.

MARINA:  Do you think people are getting tired of all the theatrics and antics, and that can work against a team or a player?

LARRY:  It’s funny about success.  People love it, but then they turn against it.  They love you and then they love to hate you.  When you have too much success, they want other teams to knock you off.  That’s what it’s been like for the Cowboys.

MARINA:  What about making heroes of all these athletes?  They are role models, but don’t want to be.  On the other hand they encourage it with endorsements and visibility.

LARRY:  People haven’t decided what a role model is.  I think everyone should be a role model, but not everyone can be.  Every teacher, every parent, but everyone has a different personality.  Society has said, ‘you are an athlete, you are a role model — deal with it.’  Or a parent — ‘you are a role model.’  But you don’t know what that person has gone through — if they are divorced, if they were abused as children.  Same with athletes.  People don’t know that you have everyday problems and needs.

MARINA:  Your story is especially interesting because you have been an underdog.

LARRY:  I’m always the underdog.  And I’m not flashy.  I don’t wear jewelry, or throw trash cans at people or get involved with prostitutes.  So no one wants to hear about a guy like me.  People say, ‘it’s nice that you are that way, but who’s the guy talking negatively about the other team, and doing the dancing in the end zone, and playing the loud music?  We want to talk to those guys.’  And I understand that it’s how  business is.  But I have to be me, whether people accept it or not, or the media promotes it or not.

MARINA:  But haven’t you been getting lots of attention because of the Super Bowl? 

LARRY:  That’s been good, but guys like myself, it’s hard.  People don’t want to read about nice guys like Darryl Johnston and Jay Novacek.  They want to read about Michael Irvin, or a Leon Lett, who got suspended on drugs.  And those are great guys, but they had some problems.

MARINA:  And the players are all really young, and suddenly they have a lot of money.

LARRY:  Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure, from work and family.  And the media is a powerful tool.  They can promote whoever they want in whatever way they want.  They promote Deion Sanders as a flamboyant guy.  He’s a great guy.

MARINA:  You and he have become good friends.

LARRY:  Right.  And he doesn’t drink or smoke.  He’s always with his family, and he’s honest, and he’s not afraid to speak what he feels, but they say that’s arrogant.  The media promoted him as some arrogant lunatic guy.  He’s not afraid to say another opponent isn’t good.  I’m a little more conservative.  I would probably say they have a good team.

MARINA:  But you may not really mean it.

LARRY:  (Laughs)  True, true.  That’s how I am.  But I do think the opponents should have a certain amount of respect.  I wish nobody had to lose, but in a game you are either winner or loser.

MARINA:  I know every time I watch a game I think, ‘one of these teams is going to be extremely upset and the other extremely happy.’  There is no middle ground.

LARRY:  That’s right.  And fans can be really rough on the losing team.  I don’t like the win/lose system.

MARINA:  That’s funny, considering the business you are in.

LARRY:  Well, I think of it as ‘winner that day’ at least.

MARINA:  Where are you from?

LARRY:  I’m from L.A.  My father is here, my mom is in Dallas.  She just got a new job, but I don’t know what it is.  My father drives trucks.

MARINA:  You know L.A., so it’s not so different for you out here?

LARRY:  The friendships are different.  I was in Dallas five years, day and night with the same group of guys, day and night sweating together, winning together, losing together, you bond.

MARINA:  What did you do on your time off in Dallas?

LARRY:  A little fishing, golf, bowling.

MARINA:  The easy stuff.

LARRY:  Yeah, easy stuff (laughs), I’m an easy mellow person.

MARINA:  How does a player begin to get noticed?

LARRY:  You either get a scholarship out of high school, or you can go to junior college for a year.  Most guys who don’t have the grades or SATs go to junior college.  From there you can go to a full year school.  Scouts will come out in high school, and they will help you get a scholarship.  Then it’s the same process but at a higher level.  Then the pro scouts come watch you.  And then the coaches watch you.

MARINA:  So there’s always someone watching you.

LARRY:  (Laughs)  Like Michael Jackson said, ‘always somebody watching you.’

MARINA:  Do you have an agent out here?

LARRY:  Yes.

MARINA:  Any parts?

LARRY:  I have a little part in a movie coming out this Christmas called Jimmy McGuire with Tom Cruise, and my part is with Tom. 

MARINA:  That’s exciting.  And do you go to a lot of auditions?

LARRY:  Well, my season was just over in February... 

MARINA:  Oh, yeah, that other job...

LARRY:  (Laughs)  Right, the other job.  So now I’m beginning to hit auditions.

MARINA:  If something really big came up, I have a feeling you would stop playing right away.

LARRY:  I’ll take the Fifth on that one.  (Laughs)

MARINA:  Are you going back to Dallas tonight?

LARRY:  Yeah, to spend some time with my family.  The hard part for myself is that when you are an athlete, it’s a barrier.  People have a preconceived idea of how athletes carry themselves, act, and speak.  Although they may be fans of sports they don’t even know the athletes, it’s just what they read and see on TV.  There’s no sense of the personality.

MARINA:  Is modeling a good transition for that?

LARRY:  It still goes back to ‘you’re a football player.’

MARINA:  So how do you break out of that?

LARRY:  You just have to keep working at it.  You have to fight to show people that you have talent. 

MARINA:  And you have to have exposure.  Did you like being on David Letterman and Conan O’Brien?

LARRY:  It was fun.  Those guys have the best jobs around.  They just go out and talk and mess with each person for ten minutes.

MARINA:  But they do that every single night...

LARRY:  But it’s like what we’re doing, just chatting on a couch.

MARINA:  Would you want to do that?

LARRY:  No, I want to do film.  That’s what interests me. 

MARINA:  It’s funny, because being a professional athlete — I just can’t imagine it.  It’s fascinating and strange.  Most of us work out a couple of times a week, like aerobics or something, and you guys do that eight hours a day.  And you have never done anything else, like a desk job?

LARRY:  Just playing football, and acting.

MARINA:  Well, I mean, that’s plenty, but you know, there’s no paperwork.  What’s your day like?  Do you get up really early and have a big schedule?

LARRY:  You get there at 8:30, you are out of there at 5:30.

MARINA:  Oh, it is a 9:00 to 5:00 job!

LARRY:  Exactly right, but six days a week.  You play on Sunday, and you get one day off.

MARINA:  Are you in pain all the time?

LARRY:  Not like, ‘oh, I’m hurting, I can’t move!’  But you’re sore, banged up a little bit. 

MARINA:  But some of those players are so huge and they really ram you.  Although not so much in your spot.

LARRY:  I try to stay away from those guys.  I’m the little skinny guy that’s trying to get out of the way.  (Laughs)

MARINA:  What about people who say you were lucky about the interceptions in the Super Bowl — that you were in the right spot at the right time?  From interviews I have read, you appear very modest.  How do you defend yourself?

LARRY:  I don’t believe in luck, I believe everything happens for a reason.  True, I was in the right spot, but what do you want me to do?  Move to the wrong spot?  (Laughs)

MARINA:  Plus if you hadn’t caught it, everyone would be pretty hard on you.

LARRY:  That’s right.  My job is not to evaluate and critique why a quarterback made a bad pass. My job is to make a play when I have an opportunity, and that’s what I did.  Fortunately, it was enough to help us win.  It’s not like, ‘hey Neil, why did you throw me that bad pass?  You suck!  Don’t ever throw me another pass like that again!’  I would take all of them like that if I could.