Meeting the Titans
Through the Years

It's been more than two decades now, but Remember the Titans is still my favorite sports movie. It's everything I ever want for a movie in the genre: inspiring storytelling, amazing performances, and a great deconstruction of the sport, in this case, American football. No other sports movie has trumped it since.

You can never go wrong with that cast, either. The film had Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Hurst, Kate Bosworth, and even a young Hayden Panettiere, all at their best. It's amazing that the younger cast held their own against Denzel, who already had an Oscar to his name by then.

It's no surprise they all went on to become big names, starring in some of the most successful movies and TV series of the last few decades. I even met them and got their autographs through their many high-profile public appearances over the years.

Take Ryan Hurst, for instance, who played Gerry Bertier in the movie. Now, he's better known for playing Opie in the highly successful TV drama Sons of Anarchy. He appeared at the show's annual panels at San Diego Comic-Con, and I went to the 2012 edition, when the cast closed out Hall H on Sunday, just to see him and get his autograph.

Later that same year, I met Denzel Washington for the second time in my life. He premiered his latest movie, Flight, at that year's New York Film Festival, and I was there to ask him to sign the same movie poster. I'm grateful he didn't mind that I asked him to sign a poster of a different movie, and he was just as nice that time as he was when I first met him.

Most people might remember the 2014 drama Still Alice as Julianne Moore's Oscar-winning vehicle, but it also starred Kate Bosworth. I met her at the film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where I finally got her to sign the same poster. She looked just as beautiful then as she did in the film.

Of all the big stars that came out of Remember the Titans, however, I'd say Ryan Gosling enjoyed the most success throughout the 2010s. He had hit after hit during this era, including the Oscar-winning 2015 comedy-drama The Big Short. And as you've probably already guessed, I met him and got his autograph at the movie's premiere at AFI Fest that year.

Then there was the late Hayden Panettiere, who went on to become one of the biggest stars of my generation. I'm sure audiences already knew that the little girl in Remember the Titans would go on to have a prolific acting career, and what do you know, she starred in multiple hit TV series throughout the 21st century.

One of her more memorable shows was Nashville, where she was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2016. I saw her on the red carpet right before that year's ceremony, where she was also presenting, and she was so nice when she signed my poster. I still can't quite believe she's gone, and I'm grateful I have that signature.

As I remember all those encounters, I remain grateful I met these acting titans over the years. I don't think I could've spent most of my 20s any better!