Goal The Dream Begins (2005)

[Gerald Weiß]

Everyonehas goals, everyone has dreams; for Santiago Munez, his dream was to grow up and play professional soccer. He got to live out that in the new Disney film, Goal! The Dream Begins starring Kuno Becker as Santiago.

Crossing over the US border from Mexico at age 7, Santiago worked his way up from nothing to playing soccer for one of the most recognizable clubs in the world - Newcastle United. In the first part of the trilogy of Goal!, you see Santiago's progression and migration from Los Angeles to England.

We had the chance to speak with Kuno about his role in this film; a Mexican actor, he was chosen out of hundreds - and to top that off, he's not a soccer player. So how did he live out his dreams? Check out the trials and tribulations that led him to star in one of this summer's uplifting films.

Kuno Becker: I have to admit, I wasn't a huge soccer fan; I did play a little when I was in school. I like soccer, and that's why I really loved the script because when I read it, I realized it wasn't just about soccer, it was a good story. It was inspirational, I found many, many beautiful moments in the script and that's why I really loved it. And that's exactly what's happening with the audience now; the response of the audience has been great, even if they're not soccer fans they like it.

Kuno Becker: Now, for soccer fans, this is something that's never been done before, never seen before. We shot all the games at the real stadiums, with the real players; Danny Cannon did an amazing job with the soccer sequences. The soccer play is just out of this world; it's the first time I've seen anything like this.

Kuno Becker: Oh man, if you like soccer then you know that. These guys have been training all their lives; my first time going up to Newcastle, I figured I'd be so good, and I'd be training for four months - yeah right, you know; I was so na&#239ve. I knew they had to train a lot, but it's so difficult. And they're so strong; they've been training for 25 years. To get the part, I started training; they told me, 'soccer is very difficult, it's very complex.' And I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, I'll train; whatever.' And so I trained for the first two weeks, many hours a day, like 6 hours a day; I broke both my ankles. I had a stress fracture and I couldn't walk for like a month and a half; it was difficult, really difficult. I kept training with the ball, dribbling, strategy, but it was really, really tough. That was before we started, before I got the part.

Kuno Becker: Well, I read the script and I read some of the lines, and I saw 'Beckham/Santiago, Santiago/Beckham, Santiago/Raul.' I was like, 'Yeah, right, this isn't going to happen;' these guys are superstars all over the world and they're not going to shoot a scene with us. I didn't think they would do that, but they did. The producers got FIFA involved and it's an amazing achievement.

Kuno Becker: Oh man, if it wasn't for FIFA, we wouldn't have been able to get the access to the real stadiums, we wouldn't be able to shoot film before the game. Real Madrid, in the second movie, this is a super famous club of the world and you're planning on shooting your movie before they go take the field? That's not going to happen; it's a distraction for the players, you don't get to go inside the stadium. But we did, and I was sitting there, just like all the other players, and they were filming there, they shot me walking in the tunnels walking out with the team. And that's why the first one is really, really, real, and the second one is amazing. The soccer sequences are an achievement from Danny.

Kuno Becker: Yeah, they told me from the beginning, so I knew that going in it was going to be three films. That could be a good thing or bad, cause we needed to make the first film interesting; the great thing is the movie is more actually a movie, and not just soccer cause that's going to get the audience excited. But I wanted to see the character change throughout the three films; in the second one, my main thing is to have him evolve. I wanted this character to be more than just a soccer player and have it more than just soccer; first of all, you can watch soccer on TV and it's going to be real players and it's going to be better soccer. The second one, there's no point, they don't have to pay and watch the film and make a film that people can relate to and interesting for the audience. The challenge in the second one is making him change once again and evolve when a guy, with a very simple background, when he gets all this money and fame what happens to him. It's like anything here, like a rock star or a football player, you name it.

Kuno Becker: Yeah, it was very different; Danny Cannon was brilliant in the second one was he found beautiful moments, and produced those moments on the film and reacts to the audience with music which is very difficult to do from my point of view. You don't get moved by films anymore; people cry, the toughest guy cries on this movie, and that's great. The second one is even better; I just finished shooting that and challenge now is to put it all together and make it as good as the first one.

Kuno Becker: I was very lucky to have a great supporting cast; this is the first film where a lot of people are going to watch and it's great to be working with Alessandro, Stephen Dillane, and Anna (Friel). So many good actors around me, and it's so good for the story and they hit so many points which the audience likes. We had to have this 'friends' chemistry; we rehearsed a lot, talked, and he was so funny in the film. And you really like him, he's funny and the audience likes him. But he can really play soccer.

Kuno Becker: Oh yeah, but I had to train from the beginning with 'this is a ball;' I started with the basics, from the beginning. I had played as a kid, but I had to play as a professional for the film and he plays better than even before; but even for the second one, I had to train, because he's been playing more. I had a soccer coach, Andy Ansah, he's an English player, a real player, he was so helpful; I wouldn't have been able to do anything without his help.

Kuno Becker: My favorite scene are the ones with the dad, because I really believe the relationship with the dad really works with the audience. We somehow, Tony (Plana) and I, we managed to have people feel something; I didn't know if we were going to be able to do that, but we did. He does an amazing job so I think those are my favorite scenes.

Kuno Becker: I saw the first time here was on a bus; I almost crashed into it. That's great, but that's not why I do this job; I'm just glad people are going to pay attention to what I do. When you know you made a film that people are going to watch, that's just really awesome; you know you did it for something, you know you shot a film for people to watch it.

Let me begin by thanking the founder, Dr. Ikeda, and Soka University of America sincerely for conferring on me its Award of Highest Honor, reflecting the cardinal principles of this pioneering institution of higher learning. I am truly humbled and deeply appreciative for this great honor which I will always treasure and which will serve as constant reminder that the pursuit of international peace and human rights must always be at the forefront of our endeavors as they are the foundation on which the future of humanity lies.

We are all inextricably linked and interdependent and, once we realize this to be an incontrovertible truth, we also come to the realization that gender equality is actually not a male-female issue; rather, it is a goal for which we must all strive together. When we attain it, not only will individual women benefit, but, more importantly, the entire community, society, country, region, and ultimately the entire world will enjoy greater progress. When others around us are happy and fulfilling their potential we all advance. This too is an indisputable truth, so when I speak about improving the lot of women, I am really focused on a better world for all.

This is a very special student body and as proud graduates of SUA, you are, no doubt, all global citizens already keenly aware that yours is a global mission in the true spirit of this wonderful institution that will, in a few minutes, become your alma mater.

This is something I learned from a very young age. Growing up, the Bahamas, like many other developing countries, was a place where male dominance went almost unquestioned. Fortunately for me, one person who did question this was my own father. Our family was poor, but we were rich in terms of progressive ideas about humanity and our place in the world.

I felt special because I knew that I was being afforded a special and unusual opportunity, not only from the perspective of my family, but also from the perspective of the larger Bahamian society. I have always been deeply grateful for the many sacrifices that my parents bore to make this possible. For their part, they always made it clear that much is expected of those to whom much is given and that I would be expected to be a contributive member of society.

I am standing before you here today largely because of the education and training that I received. It has always meant much more to me than just a set of initials to put next to my name or a framed diploma to hang on my wall. Education gave me confidence and, just as my father predicted, it was my path to a challenging and exciting life and career with an ever luminous future.

In an effort to encourage even more progress on gender equality in that country, the United Nations fielded an all-female police battalion as part of the UN security operations there. Those policewomen, while helping to stabilize neighborhoods and protect civilians, also inspired their Liberian sisters to seek to do likewise and sure enough, after seeing these proud female UN police, Liberian women began enrolling in the police academy. The benefits of this development will, no doubt, redound not only to the new recruits, but to the society as a whole. These women are now empowered, not because they are police, but because they are trained and employed and can provide for themselves and their families, while simultaneously providing an indispensable and important service to their communities.

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