UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- Ahman Green has no problem starting at the bottom. He started his NFL career as a wedge-buster on the Seahawks' special teams in 1998, despite being a third-round draft pick. But his hard work led him to be a Pro Bowl running back with the Green Bay Packers.
Green's minor role in Rob Schneider's "Big Stan" in 2006 could be considered the Hollywood version of a wedge-buster. But no role is too small -- a valuable lesson 20 NFL players learned while participating in the first-ever Pro Hollywood Boot Camp at Universal Studios this week.
The players were given a crash course on the ins and outs of the movie industry -- from directing to lighting to acting and even some editing thrown in for good measure. The players were exposed to all parts of the industry.
Photo gallery: Hollywood Boot Camp
And while some players had the 'oh man, this seems pretty cool' feel as they rubbed elbows with Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman, who took time away from their "Desperate Housewives" shoot in the neighboring lot to hang out with the fellas, you could tell Green was serious about making this a second career.
Even if he has to start at the bottom again.
"It's everything I thought it would be," Green said. "I'm happy, just like I was in training camp with my helmet clicked, the smell of grass in the air and all of that. This is the same type of thing. I could do this for the rest of my life."
Green's interest in movies stems back to his childhood when his parents introduced him to horror movies like "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street." (I guess we should take a moment to pause to decide if Green's parents deserve a stern talking to, or consideration for the best parents ever. I'm leaning towards the latter.)
Some of the movies, he admits, still scare him today. Most are either too hokey, or just not scary enough. So now he wants to write his own horror movie.
Nowadays, he watches behind-the-scenes features on DVDs, which allows him to breakdown the movie-making process in the same manner he did when he broke down film as a player. Books on screen writing have become his new playbook.
Green won't share any of his pitches -- not that I can blame him for that. But he did say he has a few concepts that he's working on. Zombie pictures are all of the rage right now. But he also has some werewolf/vampire pictures in mind, along with some coming-of-age movies.
He even finds himself walking up at night to jot down a note or an idea for a movie. Sometimes it's a sentence; sometimes it's a paragraph. But he's always writing; always creating.
And while he loves the horror genre -- one of Green's favorite movies is "Alien" -- his true passion is comic books. Or more to the point, Batman, of whom Green is a big fan.
"I love the way Christopher Nolan has taken him into that dark reality," Green said. "No negatives to Val Kilmer and George Clooney, but there are no more goofy colors, but rather a realness."
Green's dream gig would be to be a part of the Batman storyline. DC Comics introduced "Batwing" back in 2011 as part of Batman Incorporated and he was given his own graphic novel in the company's New 52 reboot (which Green is a huge fan of as he's already invested in over 10 titles). Green would relish a chance to bring "Batwing" to the screen (though I would suggest pitching this as a TV series; I'd sign up to see it).
Or maybe he could play John Stewart of the Green Lantern story arc, if they ever revive that franchise.
"I have a friend of a friend who knows the director of the Green Lantern," Green said. "If I had to do that before Batman, I would do it. Or I would be willing to do anything, whether I'm a gaffer or a grip.
"I put the same effort into football, and I'll put the same effort into this."
