Bottoms Director Reveals How Marshawn Lynch Was Cast

The recently released teen comedy film Bottoms stars former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, a role that director Emma Seligman said she had to convince Lynch to play.

Speaking to Variety, Seligman said that Lynch was initially apprehensive to play the role, but Seligman convinced him that he’d be perfect for the part. Eventually, Lynch would agree to play the role of Mr. G, a teacher who helps the students form their fight club.

“He was like, ‘What are you doing casting me in this? Like, I’m not an actor…are you confused?’” Seligman says. “And I was like, ‘No, you’re so funny. I think you’ll be so good in this.’”

According to Seligman, she thought to cast Lynch after seeing him appear in the Netflix series Murderville and watching him ad-lib various funny lines. Prior to that, Lynch had only appeared in a film or series as someone else once, in the HBO series Westworld. Aside from that, he had only ever appeared in cameos as himself.

According to Lynch, the role was important to him because his sister is also queer, and he thought it would be fun if he joined the film.

What is Bottoms about?

“A refreshingly unique raunchy comedy, the film focuses on two girls, PJ and Josie, who start a fight club as a way to lose their virginities to cheerleaders. Their bizarre plan works,” reads the synopsis for the Bottoms trailer. “The fight club gains traction and soon the most popular girls in school are beating each other up in the name of self-defense. But PJ and Josie find themselves in over their heads and in need of a way out before their plan is exposed.”

Bottoms is directed by Emma Seligman from a screenplay she co-wrote with Sennott. They previously worked together in Seligman’s 2020 directorial debut Shiva Baby. The film stars Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, with Dagmara Dominczyk and Marshawn Lynch.

The R-rated film is produced by Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, and Alison Small, with Ted Deiker serving as an executive producer. It will also feature music from Charli XCX and Leo Birenberg.