DISNEY “SAFETY” INTERVIEW: PART 1
Until society understands the hardships and what it means to be a student-athlete, a resilient man by the name of Ray McElrathbey will remind us on Dec. 11 when Disney film “Safety” premieres on Disney+.
“Safety” is a film based on the true story of former Clemson football player McElrathbey who took custody of his little brother Fahmarr during their mother’s drug addiction. A hidden secret kept from McElrathbey head coaches was his little brother living with him on the college campus. Not only did it almost cost him his scholarship, it nearly destroyed his faith to be the man his brother counted on.
Clemson is a family-oriented football team who takes pride in touching the Howard’s Rock before running down the hill in Clemson Memorial Stadium. With the tradition along with teammates making sacrifices for McElrathbey, he has a place he can call home forever.
This legendary cast features Jay Reeves (Ray), Corrinne Foxx (Kaycee), Hunter Sansone (Daniel Morelli), James Badge Dale (Coach Tommy), Matthew Glave (Coach Simmons), and rising young star Thaddeus J. Mixson (Fahmarr).
Due to the absence of Mixson, BSO spoke with Foxx, Sansone, Reeves, McElrathbey, Reginald Hudland (Director), Mark Ciardi (Producer), and the real Ray McElrathbey.
“Safety” sheds light on how difficult it can be for a young Black student-athlete coming from a disadvantaged situation with no access to wealth.
DISNEY “SAFETY” INTERVIEW: PART 2
Reeves portrays the character McElrathbey and understood how his testimony is a hidden gem the world should know about.
“I’m glad that Walt Disney the company put this together because we need these stories. Something that Ray went through needs to be shown to the world,” Reeves told BSO.
Corrinne Foxx is an actress and the daughter of Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx. Corrinne served her purpose in this film as the backbone of the character of Ray. She’s sweet, beautiful, and reasonable when it comes to having a compassionate heart. No spoilers here so you’ll have to check out the film for yourself.
A powerful football movie since “The Blind Side” will give hope to every student-athlete dealing with an obstacle keeping them from venting to a helping hand. Hudland and Ciardi collaboration on “Safety” creates a compelling reality that student-athletes rarely experience. With those two, this film has resilience written all over it.
