New Series Explores How Tim Tebow Was ‘A Light’ for Aaron Hernandez
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new series chronicling the life of NFL star-turned-killer Aaron Hernandez highlights how Tim Tebow was a light for the troubled tight end during his college years.
“[Tebow] recognized that Aaron was struggling and was trying to be this good force and utilize faith in his love of Jesus and churchgoing and the values that come as a Christian man to help Aaron,” Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays Tebow on the show, told Entertainment Weekly. “Unfortunately, [he] wasn’t able to fully succeed.”
Despite his inability to save Hernandez from his inner demons, Tebow impacted the young footballer’s life and his passion for sharing the Gospel is captured in the show.
“[Tebow] gets really riled up all the time. It’s almost like he is running out of breath when he’s talking, and his physicality is just this huge teddy bear that’s so energized 24/7. I watched hours and hours of footage of him giving sermons at different stages and auditoriums, and watching the body language,” Schwarzenegger said, explaining how he prepared for the role. “His voice was probably the most interesting thing to me. How he just couldn’t contain his excitement for his faith and for his message was something that I tried to really dive into and play.”
Schwarzenegger also explored Tebow’s walk with Christ when preparing for the role.
“I needed to understand why he was so passionate about religion, about Jesus and about faith,” he said. “It was my job to understand how he talked about Jesus, how he talked about faith, and what his relationship was to all those things so that I could go and pass that off onto Aaron.”
The actor pointed out that Tebow’s name is synonymous with his faith.
“When you hear the name Tim Tebow, it’s either football or faith, and I think both of those are very pertinent to this story,” Schwarzenegger said.
Hernandez was a budding NFL star when his career was cut short after only three seasons in the league when being convicted of murdering semi-pro footballer Odin Lloyd. Hernandez would later commit suicide while in jail waiting to be sentenced.
Though Tebow played only a small role in Hernandez’s life, seeing the showrunners focus on his impact and the light he was for the troubled tight end is fantastic. Even as a college football star, Tebow put his faith first and made it known that he was playing for an audience of one, something that has inspired and impacted millions.
AMERICAN SPORTS STORY: AARON HERNANDEZ premieres on FX and Hulu on September 17th.
Movieguide® previously reported on Tebow:
In a new social media post, football star Tim Tebow reminded people that their main audience should always be God.
“Growing up, I always wanted people to like me,” Tebow wrote. “I was what you would call a people pleaser. Today, while I still strive to do good things for others as we all should, I’ve come to realize that our main audience in life isn’t other people. It’s God.
“Be motivated not by what other people think about you but by what God thinks about you!” he concluded.
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