Pat McAfee’s first acting role came with secret coaching from Bradley Cooper and Tom Cruise

Pat McAfee is everywhere on TV these days, but for the first time he’s headed to the big screen — and he quietly pulled some of the biggest names in Hollywood into his corner to make it happen. The ESPN personality makes his acting debut as a Marines drill instructor in The Mosquito Bowl, Peter Berg’s new sports war drama that premiered at AFI Fest on Thursday.

The film follows the real-life story of four star college football players who enlist in the Marines after Pearl Harbor and play a legendary football game before shipping out to battle. McAfee appears alongside Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis.

Speaking on the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theater, McAfee explained how the role came to him at an oddly perfect moment. When Timothée Chalamet appeared on College GameDay in 2024, he brought a wave of Hollywood attention with him — right as the movie was casting and McAfee was hooting for the Georgia Bulldogs on air. “I got a call like the next day that was like, ‘Excuse me, we were wondering if you would like to be a D.I. [drill instructor] in the movie The Mosquito Bowl,’” he recalled.

He admitted the offer left him “a bit overwhelmed,” so he spent a week at the Marine Corps recruit training site in Parris Island, South Carolina to immerse himself in the part. “I was scared to death, and I still have no idea how I did in there so I’m excited to watch it,” he said, confessing he hadn’t yet seen the film before its own premiere.

A cameo from the A-list coaches

Berg then revealed the real scoop. On top of training with actual recruits and drill instructors, the director said McAfee “got secret acting coaching from Bradley Cooper, that’s an inside scoop,” and also went to Tom Cruise for advice.

“He was calling actors that he knew, asking for advice, wanting to put on a good face for me,” Berg said. “I was like, ‘Where did you learn all of these questions, where did you learn all of this stuff?’ He was like, ‘Bradley Cooper, Tom Cr…’”

McAfee credited Ari Emanuel, whose TKO owns WWE, with seeing actor potential in him. “It had not really been something I thought I’d be good at,” he said, “but after working on the movie, I’ve fallen in love with the entire craft. It was the honor of a lifetime to be asked.”