Scotty Smalls, Benny Rodriguez, Hamilton Porter, Squints Palledorous. These are just a few of the characters that filled out the raucous but talented roster of team players of The Sandlot. It was easy to see that the characters had fun in the film, and that was also true for the actors off camera. One of the stars of the 1993 classic recalled the cast’s downtime and just how wonderful the director was to the group. He said the filmmaker was quite patient with their antics, which even involved a stash of Playboy Magazines.
Even though there are a few athletics-oriented flicks on the 2025 movie schedule, I'd argue that it may be hard for them to truly measure up to The Sandlot a.k.a. one of the best sports movies ever. The actor behind the unmistakable Hamilton "Ham" Porter, Patrick Renna, shared with People some insight into what he and his co-stars got into whenever the cameras weren't rolling. Renna noted that they all lived within the same building and had limited time on set, since they were minors, so they had plenty of time to indulge in activities:
We all lived in the same apartment complex because we only filmed for about eight to 10 hours a day. After that, we had 14 hours to fill. We weren’t just sleeping during that time — we were raising hell in the building, swimming in the pool, running around, watching movies, shopping together, and playing video games. I think Nintendo had just come out around that time, and we all had it in our dressing rooms. It was such an exciting time.
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That apartment complex must have been true chaos in the best way possible and a lot of fun for the young actors. Enjoying a pool, playing multiple Nintendo consoles and running amok in a shared space with friends sounds like a dream come true in any context. I’m sure to top it all off, being paid for the experience made it even better.
Patrick Renna went on to reveal that the film’s director, writer and narrator, David Mickey Evans, was a true sport for putting up with all of their shenanigans. Also, Renna shared that during the three-month run of shooting, Evans and crew still humored the boys even when a Playboy magazine was found in the treehouse. Renna recalled the situation as follows:
The director — he should win a Nobel Peace Prize for dealing with all of us. He wrote, directed, and narrated the movie and somehow made it through three months of chaos with us that summer. We had this treehouse. There were old Playboy magazines in it because, you know, it was the '90s, and that’s just what we found. One of us disappeared, and they found him looking at the Playboy in the treehouse. We were 13-year-old boys — so they had to be careful about what they left around.
The '90s were a different place and time entirely, it seems. With that, I applaud the director for keeping his cool and allowing the young stars to be themselves. Kids are going to be kids after all. Plus, I'd say that everything worked out well. Evans' film, which tells the story of baseball players trying to retrieve a priceless baseball from a seemingly ferocious beast, received positive reviews. Decades later, it's still one of the best movies for the whole family.
Based on Patrick Renna's recollections, I'd say that David Mickey Evans does indeed deserve a Nobel Prize for putting up with the kids. Sure, there are plenty of filmmakers who've worked with young actors over the years. However, I'd wager that few have had to contend with Playboy Magazine stashes.
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