45 years later, Andover High’s Chiklis returns to gridiron for ‘The Senior’

Entertainment

Ahead of a Boston screening Sunday, the Lowell Native talks Tom Brady, Boston University — and getting pummeled on the field.

By Lauren Daley

September 13, 2025 | 10:37 AM

8 minutes to read

Until recently, Michael Chiklis hadn’t played football since his senior year at Andover High. 

I mean, sure, he’d played tag football with his buddy Tom Brady for charity events over the years. He’d “tossed the rock” with buddies, as he tells me. But the Emmy winner hadn’t been tackled in a game since 1980.

Then came a script — and true story — so good, he suited up.

“The Senior” tells the true story of Mike Flynt, a college football player from Texas who was expelled in his senior year at Sul Ross State University for fighting. After decades of living with regret over letting his team down, Flynt learned at age 59 that he still had a year of playing eligibility. So in 2007, the grandfather tried out for the team. He made it.

Flynt’s feel-good story landed everywhere from CNN to “Good Morning America” at the time. As one character says in the movie, summing up the vibe well, “He’s like a 59-year-old Rudy.”

Also age 59 at the time of filming, Chiklis, a former Andover High weakside linebacker and fullback, returned to the gridiron to portray Flynt on film.

The Lowell native texted pal Brady.

“I wrote: ‘TB, you’re no longer the oldest guy in the field. Please help me.’ He said, ‘Football is hard. Good luck,’” Chiklis, 62, tells me in our recent Zoom. “I was like, That’s it?! Nothing else?! Throw me a bone!”

I laughed my way through this interview. We may think of Chiklis as a classic tough guy from his roles in “The Shield,” “The Commish” “Hotel Cocaine” and the like, but in conversation, the self-proclaimed “Masshole” is funny, quick, and affable.

The Boston University ‘85 alum and soon-to-be grandfather now lives in LA with his wife — but has strong ties to Boston: He was the 2018 BU commencement speaker and performed Fourth of July esplanade shows with the Boston Pops in 2011 and 2012.

The Golden Globe winner returns to Boston Sept. 14 for an “exclusive pre-release screening” and Q&A from 4-7 p.m. at AMC Boston Common 19. As I write this, there are still a few free seats left. RSVP is required. 

“The Senior” — directed by Rod Lurie, co-starring Rob Corddry and Mary Stuart Masterson —  sees a national theatrical release Sept. 19.

I caught up with Chiklis, who spoke from LA, to talk Andover, BU, Tom Brady — and what it feels like to play tackle football at age 59. (It hurts.)

I love that you’re coming to Boston for a sneak-preview this weekend, before the film releases.

I’m still very connected to Boston, and Boston sports. Boston University, I feel tremendous affection for. Whenever I can go back there and do something fun, I’ll do it. 

On top of it, my best friend from Andover, Steve — we’ve been friends since we were 8; we were co-captains of the football team in Andover — unbeknownst to me, put the word out to the guys on my football team. Apparently, half my Andover High football team from my senior year is coming to this screening. Which I think is, pardon my French, f—ing awesome. 

[laughs] That is awesome.

I’m really excited. Some of these guys I haven’t seen in years. I can’t wait. It’s just going to be such a riot to see some of those boys and have them watch me playing football 40 years [after our last season.]

I love that. So this script was sent to you. What did you like about it?

Let me count the ways. Honestly, all I do is read. I read scripts and books, always on the hunt for a great story. Yes, this is a football movie, but it’s much more than that. This is a redemption tale. A story of a man who has been haunted by regret. He got in a fight his senior year, was thrown out of college, left with his tail between his legs. 

In his mind, he let down everyone on his team because they were supposed to go 10-0 and they ended up having a .500 season. He held onto that regret. He knew he could never change the past, but he [realized] “Maybe I could change the meaning of my past.” That’s a classic redemption tale.

True.

Rarely do you get a story that’s entertaining and exciting and funny — but also brings you to tears and then makes you ultimately leave the theater with a smile on your face in touch with your own humanity. 

I got to work with [producer] Mark Ciardi, who’s one of the most prolific and phenomenal sports filmmakers. He [produced] “Miracle” [about the 1980 Men’s U.S. Olympic hockey team.] That’s Boston sports, man. All those BU guys were on that “Miracle” team in 1980. And I’m a BU guy. Chiardi, I think, because he was a Major League Baseball player himself, he understands the drama of sport. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

You played football for Andover High. Did you play at BU?

No, I had several football scholarship offers, but I knew I was going to be an actor. Going to Boston University for theater was like your sport. You couldn’t do anything else. It’s a major commitment. Plus, I wanted to keep my teeth.

[laughs] Right.

I knew hi-diddedly-dee, an actor’s life for me. So I passed on those [scholarships] to my father’s chagrin, because it was full-blown scholarships to some of these schools. He was like “Really?!” But he understood.

So you hadn’t been back on a football field since high school.

40 years! More than that. 1981, I graduated. I played on those Tom Brady tag games for Best Buddies [in the“Best Celebrity Buddies” tag-football games for charity]. I toss the rock with friends once in a while. But tackle football? With college kids? No, ma’am, I had not done that in over 40 years.

[laughs] What was the training like?

Let me tell you something. When you’re 59 and you hit the ground hard [pause] you feel your soul shake.

[laughs] I bet.

It’s intense. It’s really also the recovery. I’d get home, get in an icebath, and just be, like, whimpering. The next day, I’d get up and be like [grimacing voice] “Oh my God. Oh my god.”

The first thing I asked Mike Flynt when I met him — first of all, when I met him [and shook his hand], I was like, “Oh. This did happen. This is true. This is a monster.”

[laughs] 

Oh, he’s an animal. I mean, he’s in his 70s now and I wouldn’t mess with him on a bet. I said to him: “Mike, are you crazy?” He goes, “Well, my body kind of deceived me.” Because he’s a strength trainer. He’s in great shape, but there’s a big difference between being in shape and being in football shape. Because trains in the form of human beings run into you at full-tilt. 

[laughs] Right.

Holy cow. And I was protected to a large degree. Mike didn’t have a stuntman who could come in and take the monster hits.

So you had a body double taking the huge hits. But were there any times where you got hit?

Oh, many times! Whenever I initiate the hit [on-screen] that’s me. Or when it’s an equal hit, hitting each other. In some of those cases, I probably shouldn’t have done that. I really wanted, especially anytime [the viewer is] near the mask and seeing that it was me, I did it.

Wow. 

But there were three or four shots where [my character gets] blindsided. I told the stunt guy, “Yeah, kid, you do this one.” And thank God that I didn’t do those shots, because that poor kid got his clock cleaned so completely. But you know what? It’s nice to be 24. He popped back up. I’m like [scared voice] “Are you alright?” He’s like “Yessir! Let’s go again!” I was like: “Oh my God, I would’ve died if somebody hit me that hard.”

[laughs] You mentioned this is a redemption story. What do you hope people take from this movie? 

First and foremost, I want to entertain you. Then I want to make you think and feel. Especially the last one: feel. The whole thing is to move you. This is a movie where you’d have to be made of stone to feel nothing. It really evokes that go, go, c’mon, do this!-feeling. It’s a triumph, even though it’s humble. I love the humble nature. It’s not Hollywood sensationalism. It’s grounded.

And Mike was right there off-camera the whole time watching us film, which was daunting, I have to tell you. At first, I was like, “Is he staying?” His wife, too. I was like, “Holy s—. They’re just gonna stay?” I was worried about letting him down. I was also worried: Is this guy going to be coming and giving me notes? But nothing like that. But he was so lovely and unobtrusive. I ended up using him as an invaluable resource because I’d go over to him consistently and ask [questions.]

I think also he was awestruck by the process, because he’d never seen a film being made before, never mind a film of his life. He was like, “Y’all work so hard!” I was like, “Yeah, man, what do you think we’re just slackers?” He said, “Well, you see what’s on the TV” [with award shows, and the like.] We don’t do ourselves any favors in Hollywood. We make it seem like all we do is walk around in party gowns with Champagne. That’s like four nights a year. The rest of the year, we’re working 12, 14, 16-hour days in urine-soaked alleyways [laughs] kicking our heads against the curb trying to bring people entertainment. 

We’re so afraid of looking like anything less than a totally-put-together star that we don’t let our guard down. We don’t let people realize: Hey, we’re just kids from all over the world, we just happened to have some dreams to be in some films and television, and we came out here to do it.

I’m from Lowell, man. Born in Lowell, raised in Andover, went to BU, took a shot and came out here. And I’m incredibly fortunate. I’ve had my ups and downs, but I gotta say, at my age, to end up in a movie like this — I’m very proud of it.

I love that. And another sports role — you played Red Auerbach, the legendary Celtics coach, in HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.”

Ah! What a thrill. I’m just bummed it didn’t keep going. It was so good. Man, I just wish my dad was alive to see that. He loved Red. He was a huge Celts fan. 

You’re a big Boston sports fan, too.

You can’t take the Boston out of the kid. And I’m obnoxious about it. My dog’s name is Tom Brady. And I don’t call him Tom, and don’t call him Brady. I go: “Good boy, Tom Brady!” Then look around and watch people freak out. I love it. I’m so antagonistic. I am a Masshole in that way.

Lauren Daley can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagram at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.

Lauren Daley is a longtime culture journalist. As a regular contributor to Boston.com, she interviews A-list musicians, actors, authors and other major artists.