Sean Avery made a career in the NHL as a villain. Now, he’ll look to make a career in Hollywood by playing one of the good guys.
Avery announced this week that he’ll have a role in Peter Berg’s upcoming film Patriots Day, which tells the story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and stars Mark Wahlberg. The former Red Wings, Kings, Rangers and Stars forward announced the news on Instagram, then posted a photo in a Watertown police uniform, indicating that he’ll play a cop in the upcoming movie.
The 36-year-old has explored a variety of interests since retiring from the NHL in 2012, including gigs as a fashion model, advertiser, and restaurateur. According to IMDb, Avery’s only previous acting experience is in a 2005 film about Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard.
The details and significance of Avery’s role in Patriots Day are still pretty unknown, but it’s an interesting casting choice nonetheless. Over the course of his NHL career, Avery pissed off a lot of people — sometimes even his own teammates and fans — thanks to his antics and mouth, and the hockey fans of Boston will likely recall what he did to their goaltender back in 2009. It might be weird for them to see that guy as one of the heroic first-responders that assisted in the manhunt of the marathon bombers.
Then again, besides the uniform, there’s nothing indicating that his role will be that of a “good guy.” Maybe Avery’s character will be a jerkface, or maybe he won’t be seen much at all. Regardless, if he’s going to go all-in on this acting thing, I think we’ll all be more comfortable watching him find work as someone we’re allowed to hate.
(Via Boston Magazine)
