Kevin James has most notably played Doug Heffernan and Paul Blart, and even played Frankenstein (vocally) and Santa Claus – but in his new movie “Home Team” that drops January 28 on Netflix, James takes on an autobiographical role: that of New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.
The film looks at Payton’s year out of the NFL due to his Bountygate suspension, and how he spent that year productively by coaching his son’s Pop Warner Football team. Tiki Barber has already seen a screener, and on Monday, when James joined Tiki & Tierney to talk about the film, the former Giants running back had a piece of praise for how James did in the role.
“Sean was my offensive coordinator in New York, and he was funny, but in more of a satirical, trying to piss you off kind of way,” Tiki said, recalling an incident where Payton compared the Giants’ trouble with a drill to them not being able to out-work the world-famous Rockettes. “I have to say, you nailed it!”
“Is that a compliment?” James laughed, before offering this when Tiki asked what the experience of making the film and becoming Payton was like:
“It was amazing because it turned into one of his best moments. He was happy to share those experiences and how he conducted things,” James said. “I loved sports growing up but my career stopped at a certain point – so being able to be a physical comedian and finding an outlet to continue sports has been amazing, and it was fun to be out there.”
So what was the hardest part for James?
“It had to be tough for Payton to go coach a different level and knock down the intensity, but for me, the hardest thing was his accent!” James said. “He admitted he bounces in and out of accents, so I looked pretty bad at times!”
In making the film, though, James found out just how important the events depicted were to Payton.
“He got emotional, and that’s how I knew he wasn’t messing around. We’d be on private Zoom calls and he would tear up,” James said. “He loved seeing his kid and his family and spending that time. It was a God-given moment where he was able to focus on what was important. It had to be pretty rewarding for him.”
And rewarding for James, too.
“It was the greatest season of his life, he said, and that’s coming from a Super Bowl-winning coach – but it inspired me to do a play with my kids,” James revealed. “He was great with the kids, and he’s a motivator, it’s just about bringing it on a different level.”
That all said, James has heard the rumors that Payton might not even be the Saints’ coach anymore by the time the movie comes out this weekend, but he isn’t so sure.
“I don’t have any idea what’s going on there. I don’t know if it’s malarkey, but I wouldn’t buy that yet,” James said. “He’s still there and has done so much for that city, and when I was there, he didn’t show any signs of wanting to get out.”
Of course, James IS the King of Queens, so the crew had to talk a little New York sports…and as a Mets/Jets/Knicks/Islanders fan, what would James do if he could only watch one of his favorite teams?
“Mets in the World Series,” he said quickly. “I stopped playing baseball earlier than football, but that’s always been my first love, and I have so many great memories of being at Shea Stadium walking up that ramp, seeing the green grass and the players on the field.”
Listen above to hear more on the Mets, including James’ thoughts on Keith Hernandez’s jersey retirement and Steve Cohen’s first year as owner!
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