Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars DE Odrick goes Hollywood

Published Jun. 4, 2015 12:01 a.m. ET

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For Jacksonville Jaguars fans who can't wait to get their first glimpse of new defensive lineman Jared Odrick, HBO has a sneak preview.

Odrick will appear as himself in an episode of the network's upcoming series "Ballers." The show, which stars Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson as a former NFL player turned financial manager, features cameos from several real-life NFL players.

"It was really interesting, just because it’s orchestrated very similarly to a practice here," Odrick said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Mike DiRocco. "It’s repetition. There’s a lot of reps in terms of each scene and take. I kind of had an idea what goes into doing something like that on a small scale because I did the Pro Hollywood Boot Camp and it gives you better insight to things in terms of production and production value of a set and of a film.

"So I thought I was semi-prepared, but obviously it’s a whole different medium in terms of entertainment and it was something very interesting and I learned a lot."

Odrick, who signed a five-year, $42.5 million contract with the Jaguars at the start of free agency shot his scenes earlier in the year in Miami. He says he didn't the chance to strike up a conversation on the set with Johnson, who played college football at the University of Miami.

"When someone’s the main actor, the lead actor, everything’s set up, the timing, for him to get in, do his things and get out," Odrick said, according to DiRocco. "It was really cool to see how professional and concise you have to be and how much he exemplified that. I think he just came from an event, was speaking with (President) Obama, flew in on his jet, came into hair and makeup, did that up, put a suit on, went over the layout of the scene, did the scene 20 times, gone.

"You see in big-time football how organized and how orchestrated everything has to be and can translate to a movie set. There are so many pieces that go together into forming one thing. It’s very similar to a football field, where there are so many things going on separately on a practice field and then we bring it all together and then we have to be harmonious in the execution of a play. Same as the execution of a scene. Everybody’s got to play their part."

The six-year veteran still has plenty of football left to play, but Odrick said he enjoyed his acting experience enough that he'd like to pursue it further in the future.

"Hopefully there was something good that came from it and that I’m not too hairy to be on film, to be on camera," Odrick said. "It was a learning experience and I hope to do more when the time’s right."

"Ballers" premieres June 21 on HBO.

(h/t ESPN)

Photo credit: Phil Sears/USA TODAY Sports