Ep. 100 - "The Last Rodeo" - A Heartfelt Journey of Redemption, Family, and Bull Riding w/ Mykelti Williamson

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Mykelti Williamson's enthusiasm for "The Last Rodeo" radiates through our conversation as he describes this unique film that combines professional bull riding, comedy, emotion, and family values. As Williamson explains, the story centers around a "busted up old bull rider" whose grandson desperately needs emergency surgery. The protagonist has alienated himself from everyone important in his life - his daughter, his best friend - and now must reconnect with them to help save his grandson.

What makes this film stand out in today's entertainment landscape is its accessibility to audiences of all ages. Williamson emphasizes that "The Last Rodeo" is something families can enjoy together without parents worrying about inappropriate content. Produced by Angel Studios, the film maintains a PG rating while delivering an emotionally powerful story. Williamson draws a compelling comparison to "Forrest Gump" in terms of the pure joy he feels about this film's release, noting that both films have a special quality that resonates differently with different viewers: "Some people get it now, some people get it later, and some people get it a little too late, but they get it."

The production brought together an impressive gathering of talent both on-screen and behind the scenes. Williamson speaks glowingly about working alongside Neal McDonough (who plays Joe Rainwright), Sarah Jones, Chris McDonald, director John Avnet and producer Kip Konwiser. The film also features actual Professional Bull Riding (PBR) champions, adding authenticity to the rodeo scenes. Williamson, who already had horseback riding experience, appreciated being surrounded by elite bull riders like Ezekiel Mitchell and Daylon Swearingen, though he humorously notes that at his height of nearly 6'3", he wasn't about to get on a bull himself: "I'm not built for it... I'd come off of it like a slingshot."

Williamson's character, Charlie Williams, provides a compelling counterpoint to McDonough's Joe Rainwright. Charlie is described as a hardworking, honorable man who served his country in the military alongside Joe. Their friendship has weathered challenges, and part of the film's journey involves Charlie helping Joe find his way back into their relationship and reconnect with his family. The dynamic between these characters explores themes of loyalty, forgiveness, and redemption - how even fractured relationships can be mended when the stakes are high enough.

When asked what he hopes audiences will take from the film, Williamson offers a thoughtful response that aligns with the movie's multi-layered appeal: "Audiences always take away from a movie what they bring to it." He hopes viewers will leave feeling better, having experienced "some goodness, some fun" and perhaps a renewed appreciation for what people can achieve when they work together. The film celebrates American values while telling a universal story about family, friendship, and second chances. For Williamson personally, "The Last Rodeo" represents the kind of legacy he wants to leave - entertainment that affirms positive values and brings families together.

"The Last Rodeo" opens in theaters on May 23rd, bringing its unique blend of bull riding action, emotional depth, and family-friendly entertainment to audiences nationwide. As Williamson promises with confident enthusiasm: "When you see this film, you're going to feel really good, man, really good."

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, it's Michael T Williamson from the
Last Rodeo.
Stay tuned to the Son of aBlitch podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Michael T Williamson.
It is so awesome.
I am honored that you are herewith me today to talk about the
Last Rodeo and man.
Thank you and welcome to theshow.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Thank you so much for the invitation.
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
You're very welcome.
Well, listen, for those whodon't know much about the Last
Rodeo yet, can you give us aquick synopsis of the film and
then we'll jump into somequestions.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah, the Last Rodeo is the kind of movie that can be
many different things to people.
So here's one version of whatit's about.
It's about a busted up old bullrider whose grandson is in dire
need of an emergency surgery.
He's on the outs with hisdaughter.
He's on the outs with hisdaughter.

(01:05):
He's on the outs with his bestfriend.
He cut him off, kind of justmessed up his relationship with
everybody and just ostracizedhimself from everyone, and now
he's got to make his way back tosave his grandson.
There's a lot of chuckles,there's some belly laughter,
there's some tears.
So, fellas, you're going todrop a tear too, man, so don't

(01:25):
worry about it.
You, fellas, you're going todrop a tear too, man, so don't
worry about it.
You know you're still a cowboybaby and it's got some cowboy
fights.
It's cool man, it's goteverything.
It's got professional bullriding, amazing, you know what I
mean With the current worldchampions and former champions.
They're there.
I mean, you know I won't startname dropping, but all the PBR

(01:50):
stars, they came and gave ussome love.
That's why I say it's the rightmovie.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
It's really the right film, man that in a sec you
talked about starring alongsideNeil McDonough and he plays the
character Joe Rainwright andyou're Charlie Williams, his
longtime friend man.
You played so many iconic rolesover the years.
What was it about thisparticular role and this
character that kind of drew youin and made you want to be a

(02:19):
part of this movie?

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Well, first of all, I love Neil McDonough and Ruvay,
the whole McDonough family.
You know the Williamson family,McDonough family, we're like.
That, you know, is that is whenpeople come in and give you

(02:48):
their money to make an exchange.
You don't want the audience toever leave feeling like you
poured stuff all over them andthey just walked away from you,
separated them from their moneywhich is their time and you
poured something all over them.
I'm like that's really not cool.
And so we wanted to make a moviethat you could take.
You don't have to hide yourkids.
Grandmama's gonna chuckle,everybody's gonna laugh and feel

(03:13):
and go on.
This thrill ride, man.
And Neil McDonough is very easyto watch.
He's a lot of fun to watch, I'mtelling you.
So show up, you know.
And then, with Angel Studios,you can actually help people who
can't afford a ticket.
If you want to share it, pleaseshare it, and we hope you want

(03:34):
to share it, but you'll see theQR code when you go see it and
you'll be able to share away.
You can go online to angelcomtoo you know what I mean,
angelstudioscom and check it out.
So anyway, um, enough about me,that's nothing about me.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
well, you know you kind of talked about this man.
It's a a family friendly filmand it's something that's pg
related, something that we don'tsee a whole lot these days, but
I think it's something tocelebrate and it's a story kind
of in the heartland of America.
And you know, Neil wrote thiskind of came to him and he says,
like it's from God man, In 24hours he kind of spit out this.

(04:11):
Within a week he was writing it.
Another week it was funded andthis is a he kind of called it a
Rocky on a bull, you know, soto speak.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
And man that was something special.
Yeah, it is something specialand and uh, we always feel
privileged to be part ofsomething that adds value to not
just your life but to the tothe lives of other people.
And this is one of those rareopportunities.
It's sort of like Forrest Gump.

(04:39):
I remember trying to explainhow cool Forrest Gump was as a
film and and people didn't getit at first.
But, like I tell Neil,everybody gets it.
Some people get it at first but, like I tell Neil, everybody
gets it.
Some people get it now, somepeople get it later and some
people get it a little too latebut they get it right.
Yeah, but yeah, and so with thelast rodeo I haven't had this

(05:05):
kind of joy over the release,like pure joy over the release
of a movie.
It's very rare.
Over the release, like pure joyover the release of a movie, uh
, it's very rare, it's very rare.
The most kindred opportunity Iremember was, uh, was, forrest
Gump.
I felt like this after Gump,nice, nice.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Well, that says a lot , man.
That says a lot, and I mean Ithink this movie speaks for
those things too, man.
It's a very powerful thing.
I think, you know, everyone isgoing to get strong feelings
from this and it's it's a greatone for everyone, like you said,
from the kids to the grandma,you know.
Can you tell me a couple ofexperiences that stand out while
you were making this film, thatwere very special to you, some
special memories you'd like tomaybe share?

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah, absolutely A couple of things.
Is is as an actor who pursuesexcellence.
I'm not a perfectionist.
I think perfection is somethingthat will always be unrealized
unless you're God Right.
So I pursue excellence, I don'tworry about perfect.

(06:07):
Most memorable joys and mostmemorable moments on set was
watching the excellence of SarahJones, chris McDonald, neil
McDonough and our director, johnAvnet.
And then you watch Kip sort ofweave, and because Kip is like

(06:28):
weaving, he and John Avnet areweaving this fabric that
supports the whole thing.
And to watch them weave thatfabric every day, man, it was a
joy for me as a filmmaker and asa professional.
And then daily, when peoplecome up to you because they
didn't realize you were the guyfrom this movie or that movie or
this movie or that, and they'vebeen working with you for a few

(06:49):
weeks and it finally clicks in.
I get a kick out of thatbecause I'm a character guy.
I really don't prefer beingrecognized.
But if you see me how you doing, come say hello.
But I'm just that dude.
I'd rather be working on my oldChevy truck and tinkering man

(07:09):
on the golf course with my boyson a horse somewhere.
You know what I mean Cleaninghooves.
I'm just that dude, you know so, but it was a joy.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
You just mentioned the idea of you know being on a
horse and and and taking care ofhorses.
So this was a culture that youweren't, you know, unfamiliar
with walking into.
This.
You know, you guys did somecollaboration with professional
bull riding association.
Like you said, those are theCowboys, man.
This is the rodeo, this wasreal stuff, man, the real bulls
and this is the real deal.
So that that being in thatspace, did you, did that garner

(07:38):
another level of appreciation?
What was that like being inthat environment with those
elites?

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Well, it, it, it.
We were fortunate to start thisjourney with.
Uh.
We got the best stuntcoordinator we could possibly
get, guy named buddy joe hookernow that's the dude name, right
there, right, and he's all dude.
So buddy joe got us ready, heintroduced us to a lot of
cowboys and um uh, so thathelped us with our authenticity.

(08:06):
I already ride.
I ride with a cat namedreginald t dor Dorsey and
another actor, glenn Turman, sowe ride all the time.
You know, oba Babatunde,there's some real black cowboys
out here, and so we ride all thetime.
So it was fun to be around thathighest level, the professional
bull riders.
I'm almost 6'3".

(08:27):
I'm not getting on the back ofa bull because it's like I'd
come off of it like a slingshot.
I'm not built for it, right.
So like a marble in a slingshotbing where you can't even find
the marble, that would be me.
You couldn't find me, bro, butthat was fun.
It was a lot of fun beingaround cats like Ezekiel

(08:51):
Mitchell and Daylon Swearingen,and I mean the list goes on and
on.
That's why I shouldn't startname dropping, because I could
be here all day.
But but they loved on us, theyhelped us to make it look real,
which we would not have beenable to do without the support
of the PBR.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, no, it is phenomenal, man.
I can't wait for this to hitthe theaters and everyone see
this.
It is such a wonderful movie.
You know, I wanted to have youkind of talk a little bit about
your character here and tell mea little bit about his
background.
You know what was it like foryou to transition into, you know
Charlie Williams there, andtell me a little bit about that
experience for you.

(09:30):
You know playing that role inparticular.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah, well, charlie Williams, the character Charlie
Williams is a hardworking guy,gives from the heart.
Charlie Williams and JoeWainwright have been best
friends since they met in themilitary.
So he served his country, he'sa man of honor and he's fun, but

(09:54):
he's not to be played with.
If Joe were walking down analley and Charlie were there,
joe would be happy, and viceversa for Charlie.
If Charlie's walking down analley and Joe Wainwright is
there, Charlie would be complete.
He'd be happy because he knowssomebody's got his back all the
time.
The fun for me was going on thejourney where you take Joe

(10:17):
Wainwright.
I mean, yeah, joe Wainwrightand Charlie's relationship,
that's a bit on the outs.
And how much can I help Neil asWainwright to navigate his way

(10:38):
back into the relationship?
Because Charlie does want tospank him a little bit for
turning his back on him, and hedoes.
You know, he smacks, turns,bends him over and pat pat, you
know, yeah, but it's all loveman, you know.
So Charlie's kind of his bigbrother, best friend, you know,

(10:59):
and it's cool, you know, it'scool.
It was a lot of fun just tonavigate that journey.
I would say that was what Ilooked forward to and was able
to pull off.
It was great.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
No, y'all did a wonderful job.
I mean, this movie haseverything it's faith, great
determination, fierce friendship, loyalty and, you know,
achieving something that somepeople believe impossible.
And I, you know I cannot waitfor folks to see this movie.
What do you hope that audienceswalk away from this movie?
Feeling, thinking, and justgive me your thoughts on that a

(11:31):
little.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
Well, audiences always take away from a movie
what they bring to it.
I talked a little bit earlierabout how this movie is many
things to many people.
So, the audience, we hope youtake away from the movie
everything you need in your lifeand that you feel better.
You take away some goodness,you take away some fun, you take
away some.
This is a great country, youknow.

(12:02):
Look what we can achieve if westick together.
If you walk away with thoseunderstandings and those
insights, you got really deepinto the characters in their
journey, but there's somethingthere for everybody, all right.
So, uh, that's what I would sayto the audience is come on, man
, put some love on us, you willnot be disappointed.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
Nice Well.
Lastly, I wanted to ask you apersonal question.
That's one I talked a lot of myguests about, and that's one of
like legacy.
How do you view your legacy andall the amazing roles you've
played and in your own personallife, what does that mean to you
?
When you think about legacy?

Speaker 1 (12:49):
children's children, and so you know the word tells
us to leave an inheritance foryour children's children.
That's not just monetary, it'severything they inherited you,
and you want them to be proud ofthat going forward, which is
why I live my life the way Ilive my life.
I'm at home, but I don't needto be outdoors, out somewhere,
and when I travel, my wife iswith me, because that's

(13:12):
representative of we're family.
We're sticking together, Idon't care what, and the one
thing I can promise you is thatwhen you see this film, you're
going to feel really good, man,really good.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Man well, I feel really good talking to you right
today.
This has been an honor.
Thank you so much for joiningme.
Everyone go check out the LastRodeo Hits, the films the
theaters on May 23rd.
And, man, thank you again, it'sbeen an honor to have you join
me today.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
Amen, next time we'll talk a little more about you,
man.
I want to talk about what I seeon the wall behind you back
there, okay.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Will do, man.
I look forward to that.
We'll be in touch, sir.

Speaker 1 (13:54):
All right, thank you, appreciate the invitation.
Okay, bye, everybody, take care.