Former Watford captain Jay DeMerit will be the star in his own film about how he came to be a professional soccer player.
The 31-year old Vancouver Whitecaps defender has had a very interesting playing career which kicked off in Green Bay, Wisconsin, continued in the lower leagues in England, pressed onto the English Premier League and the USA national team and is currently moving along nicely back in North America in MLS.
DeMerit's old University of Illinois teammate, Ranko Tutulugdzija along with filmmaker Nick Lewis, have filmed and produced Rise & Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story and the man himself says although it is a weird feeling he is looking forward to the finished product.
"It's always a little bit strange when someone wants to make a movie about you," DeMerit said. "But then I thought about it and said, 'Why not?' and just embraced the idea. If nothing ever comes out of it, at least I'll have a documentation of that part of my life.
"These are guys that I'd known for a long time, Ranko especially, and I trusted his ideas and his passion for the project," added DeMerit. "Today, my story isn't that different from any other pro. The real adventure is how I got here, and they understood that.
"It's always strange to endorse yourself, but in my opinion, this film is much bigger than me. It's about an idea. It's about something other people can maybe use as their own inspiration. You really can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it."
