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We know the name, of course, but Dennis Quaid has consistently flown under the radar despite a career that would make the overwhelming majority of actors jealous. He's been in a few Best Picture nominees (Breaking Away, The Right Stuff, and Traffic), some big hits (Innerspace, The Rookie, Something to Talk About, and Vantage Point), and he looks like he's had a barrel of fun along the way in a 30-year career filled with memorable lead and supporting roles.

The Express: The Ernie Davis Story is the first of five films for Quaid that will be released within the next 18 months or so. It's the life story of the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner, who not only battled racism on and off the field, but leukemia, as well. In the film, Davis is played by Rob Brown, and Quaid plays Syracuse football coach Ben Schwartzwalder.

The Big Picture: There have been several sports movies with your name on them. What is the draw, outside of a love for sports, that brings you to these films?

Dennis Quaid: When I’m going to do a sports movie, it has to be more. It has to have something universal that people can relate to and identify with. Like The Rookie:  It was a baseball movie, but it was really about second chances in life.

I think with The Express, while it’s dealing with racial issues of that time, it’s really about living your life gracefully and facing the challenges, which Ernie Davis definitely embodied.

Did you know much about Ernie Davis getting involved with this project?

I knew the name but I didn’t really know the story. When I read a script it’s the only time I get to be an audience member, the first time experience with that story, and it had a profound impact on me.

Ernie Davis came along at a time before the civil rights movement really started to bubble up and I think maybe that’s one of the reasons his story has been lost for a time. Had he lived, I think he would have had an even more significant impact on the movement.

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