American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, the Ryan Murphy-made miniseries chronicling the rise and fall of the late New England Patriots tight end, is out now. And fans have taken a liking to one of the “little things” that have made it onto the screen.
Norbert Leo Butz’s portrayal of Bill Belichick has caused much hype (Image via American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez/FX)
At one point, Bill Belichick (played by Norbert Leo Butz) can be seen “jamming” to Bon Jovi’s hit single “It’s My Life”. NFL insider Dov Kleiman was one of those watching, and he certainly enjoyed it:
Soon, others were following suit:
“Give him the Oscars already! The mannerisms are definitely there 🔥 Wonder what Bill Belichick is thinking seeing this 😂 Btw if you love football I just dropped a new NFL skit, check it out”
“He just won a hell yeah brother from me,” one fan said.
“What a badass,” said another fan.
More praise for Butz can be seen below:
“Norbert Leo Butz – just brilliant in everything he does,” one praised.
“He looks like him omg,” another marveled.
“Yep, Hoodie loves him some Bon Jovi!” another declared.
Bill Belichick’s actor in Aaron Hernandez series discusses preparations for the role
That part of Bill Belichick lip-syncing to Bon Jovi does have some historical background. As relayed by frontman Jon Bon Jovi to former wide receiver Julian Edelman on the latter’s Games with Names podcast, the head coach was once a member of the band’s entourage, flying with them on tour, mostly in Europe.
And it was this unseen part of him that his actor Norbert Leo Butz found when researching the role. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about it, he said:
“He loved rock and roll, going to concerts. He had a really good core group of friends. He was a great father; his kids adored him. That front he put on [of] the impenetrable badass was all strategic, and brilliantly strategic.”
To become Bill Belichick, Butz had to undergo four hours of makeup sessions – relatively long, even with both he and his character being descended from European immigrants, which would have made the process somewhat easier to relate to. He said:
“We had to do a lot of work to texturize all that skin. He has that kind of wispy hair, so we used a bald cap and then a wig on top of that. He’s not tall, but he’s very broad-shouldered, very thick in the shoulders, and so am I. But they had to pad me with 30 extra pounds.
“It was a lot to go through. And some days it’s really miserable when you’re called at 3 a.m. to do it.”
New episodes of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez air every Tuesday at 10 PM on FX. They can also be streamed on Hulu.