Justin Long Recounts The Time He Got A Concussion While Filming Dodgeball
At its core, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" is a movie about actors getting hit by balls. Justin Long's character, appropriately named Justin, is the embodiment of this cinematic theme — a literal and metaphorical punching bag who gets pummeled and abused throughout the movie until he ultimately redeems himself and marries his love interest. Just one mention of Long's character calls to mind images of the actor having dodgeballs and lustful, creepy old men volleyed at him from every angle. We are meant to laugh at him, not with him.
However, that doesn't mean that it was easy for Long to nail his role as the frail, put-upon loser who ultimately captures fans' hearts. In fact, as the actor recently revealed on his podcast "Life is Short" (get it?), he even suffered a concussion while filming a key action scene. He also revealed that costar Vince Vaughn had an even more surprising reaction to the scene's physical demands.
Long was asking for it -- the concussion, that is
In an episode of "Life is Short" with "She Said" star Carey Mulligan, Long revealed that he actually sustained a concussion while filming the "Dodgeball" scene in which he — what else — got pummeled by balls. "I was desperate to please the director and get some laughs," he said. "I remember they had this dodgeball, it was like a pitching machine that was firing these dodgeballs off and I was getting them to hit my head." Long explained that his crotch and head were "comedy zones" — a fact that won't surprise anyone who has ever laughed at physical comedy.
Of course, it checks out that Long may have wanted to please his director, Rawson Marshall, at the time, as Long had only been acting in films for five years by the time "Dodgeball" rolled around. Long's costar Vince Vaughn, on the other hand, was more established and apparently didn't feel the need to be so charming. According to Long, Vaughn got mad at production staff for launching balls too quickly at him during the scene. "He got upset about how fast it was going and the whole crew was stifling laughter," Long explained.
In the end, Long was not allowed to drive home on the day of filming, as per concussion protocol. Naturally, he doesn't remember much else from the day, other than feeling pride over having had a better day than Vince Vaughn. Vaughn has not yet commented.