Gent’s Talk: Baseball, Acting & ‘The Fallout’ with Will Ropp

Most young athletes fantasize about being thee guy that scores the big touchdown, hits the clutch three or, in Will Ropp’s case, hits the game winning home run.

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Born in Connecticut, Will’s journey started around sixteen when he moved to Jacksonville, Florida to play baseball. However showing up at a prestigious high school where the likes of MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones once played, Will quickly discovered his talents weren’t on the diamond. “I wasn’t good enough to start on the varsity team. It wasn’t a difficult thing to admit to myself”.

Will Ropp, Actor

Early on, Will had to attend summer camps with his sister which just so happened to be a theatre focused camp. “What drew me to live theatre was the aura of mystery and magic. Being able to melt into somebody else”. By the time high school rolled around, Will put all his focus into acting.

After graduating, Will attended the University of Michigan’s acting program. It took some convincing however as Will’s father wasn’t immediately on board with the idea. “I had to convince my father that I wanted to go to College for acting. He’s an economics major, business guy. It was difficult”. Of course the next step, in any actor’s journey, is to get to Hollywood. So Will packed his things and moved to Los Angeles to begin the next chapter of his journey.

The Break Out

It’s not everyday you get a part in a film opposite a big movie star. For Will, that opportunity came in the form of a breakout role as Kenny Dawes on Warner Bros.’s sports drama film, “The Way Back” starring Ben Affleck. “Ben was a really good mentor to have. He’s been through it all. He has amazing advice for a young actor”.

When asked about that experience so early on in his career, Will told an interesting story about his final audition. “We were at a local high school in the gym, playing scrimmage. In the end the people that were left were the team. I remember seeing a guy in the stands with a hoodie pulled down and thought that might be Ben. When the director told us we got the part, the guy in the hoodie comes over and it was Ben”.

Gun Violence

On the radar for Will is his upcoming role in the film “The Fallout“. The American high-school drama was written and directed by Megan Park and follows student Vada Cavell who navigates significant emotional trauma following a school shooting. “Doing the research was difficult because the subject matter was so sad and tragic”.

Will stars as Nick Feinstein, Vada’s best friend and sidekick. The film follows along as the pair drift apart while they deal with the fallout of the tragedy. Will stars alongside Shailene Woodley, Jenna Ortega, and Maddie Ziegler. 

Up Next

Will’s impressive streak continues as he can be seen next in the upcoming Apple Original Film war drama, The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Will takes on the role of Kevin McLoone (based on a real person). The film is led by an impressive cast of leading stars including Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray. 

Will also plans to pursue raising awareness around colon cancer. Will’s mother had passed away at a very young age after a bout with cancer. “It’s a very personal cause to me. Her tumor was growing since her mid twenties”. Typically, screenings for colon cancer are not done until much later in a person’s life, but for Will, his mother’s circumstances, and all the hardship that came with it, has taught him it’s never too early. “I want to get into colon cancer advocacy around younger screening and detection”.