Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner and Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner in “American Underdog.” Photo courtesy Lionsgate
The movie details how her ex-husband was unfaithful while she was pregnant with their second child and how her son went blind after her ex-husband accidentally dropped him when he was just four months old. She calls her son a miracle.
As they begin a relationship, Warner asks Brenda if religion is important to her, and she responds by telling him her relationship with God defines her.
As his efforts to play pro football seem bleak, a frustrated Warner, who at one point is on food stamps, vents to Brenda about whether he should give up. “I’m just wondering why God would give me a dream that’s probably never going to come true because I just feel like that’s cruel,” Warner says.
Brenda stands by his side and tells him “to go fight for it.” Just as Brenda encourages him to pursue his football dreams, Warner motivates her to continue school even amid their financial struggles.
After winning his first Super Bowl with the Rams in 2000, Warner famously declared: “Well, first things first, I’ve got to thank my Lord and Savior up above … thank you, Jesus!” Throughout his NFL career, Warner didn’t shy away from publicly praising his Christian faith.
When Warner advanced to Super Bowl XLIII with the Arizona Cardinals, he said: “There’s one reason I’m standing up on this stage today, that’s because of my Lord up above. I got to say thanks to Jesus.”
And, during his Hall of Fame speech, he said it was “the only place this extraordinary journey can end. His final moment was for me. Mine is for him. Thank you Jesus.”
To Erwin, faith is very much a part of the tapestry of sports culture.
“For Kurt, he was one of the first in my young adult life that I remember being as bold as he was with it. He was one of those first to step out and say, ‘This is who I am,’” Erwin said.
“We felt it was a unique opportunity to tell a story that was mainstream and broadly relatable without having to apologize for who they are and what they believe,” Erwin added. “We worked really hard to blend that world in a way that feels as authentic as the world it comes from.”
In making this movie, Erwin said he learned “what produces the heart of a champion.”
While Warner had the drive, it was through life’s circumstances, the love of his family, Brenda and “through her faith … that’s what really gave him the ability to fight through what he did.”
This article originally appeared here.