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‘ The Dink’ Brings Hollywood— and Pickleball— to Center Court
Wby LAURA GAINOR
When Academy Award – winning actress Mary Steenburgen stopped by the PickleballTV desk during a Major League Pickleball broadcast earlier this season, it was immediately clear that her excitement for“ The Dink” wasn’ t like any other acting role, it was because she has genuinely fallen in love with the sport.
Premiering July 24 on Apple TV +,“ The Dink” stars Jake Johnson and features an all-star cast that includes Ben Stiller and Steenburgen in a comedy that blends the growing rivalry between tennis and pickleball with plenty of laughs and heart.
Steenburgen admitted she didn’ t need much convincing to join the project.
“ My son Charlie McDowell had just gotten me started playing,” she shared during her PickleballTV interview.“ I had a few lessons. I was offered this. I was actually supposed to go do something else. They said,‘ Well, there’ s this one other thing that shoots in L. A. It’ s with Ben Stiller and Jake Johnson. It’ s about pickleball.’ I said,‘ I’ m in,’ before reading the script.”
She quickly discovered that the film was exactly what she hoped.
“ It’ s deeply funny,” Steenburgen said.“ It also has a lot of heart and tenderness. I am a huge fan of Ben’ s.”
Like many comedies, the laughs weren’ t limited to the finished script. Steenburgen revealed that some of the funniest moments came unexpectedly during filming.
“ The script is hilarious,” she said.“ Some of it was improvised, so I
PRO PLAYER BETH BELLAMY( LEFT) SERVED AS STEENBURGEN ' S PICKLEBALL COACH AND BODY DOUBLE THROUGHOUT PRODUCTION. never knew what was coming my way … I had to bite the inside of my lip a few times. But having done‘ Step Brothers,’ I’ m used to it.”
Without revealing too much, Steenburgen teased what pickleball fans can expect when the movie arrives.
“ You know, it is a little bit about the rivalry of pickleball and tennis,” she said.“ I think you’ ll be pleased. I just hope you have as much fun watching it as we did making it.”
Helping Steenburgen prepare for the role was one of pickleball’ s pioneers: professional player Beth Bellamy.
A member of the original wave of professional players who helped
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