'Hustle' Star Anthony Edwards Talks Playing the Villain in Netflix Film (Exclusive)

By Brian Jones

Anthony Edwards is known for being one of the top young players in the NBA. But on Wednesday, June 8, NBA fans will see the 20-year-old making his film debut as he stars in Hustle with Adam Sandler. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Edwards talked about his character in Hustle, who is considered the villain in the film. 

"His talent is very similar to mine, but I don't talk no trash out there, so that was new to me," Edwards exclusively told PopCulture. I was just excited to be a part of it, man. It was a dream come true for me." And when asked if he enjoyed playing the villain, Edwards said, "Yeah, for sure. But if I would shoot more movies, I wouldn't say I want to be the villain. I want to be the hero sometimes. I'm just playing. It's all right. Nah, I ain't tripping. It's just a movie. But it was dope, man. Adam Sandler is a great person, man, for sure."

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(Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix)

Edwards plays Kermet Wilts, who is a top NBA draft prospect. In Hustle, Kermet gets inside the head of Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez), the prospect discovered by Stanley Sugarman (Sandler). For Edwards, he learned a lot about what it takes to make a movie while filming Hustle. 

"It was dope for me," Edwards said. "Coming from the basketball world, seeing all the work that you got to put in to be an actor all the time. It takes a lot of time out of your day and takes a lot of dedication. To be the best, you got to work the hardest." Edwards knows about working hard to be the best. He was selected No. 1 overall but the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA Draft and went on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2021. This past season, Edwards averaged 21.3 points and 4.8 assists per game while helping the Timberwolves reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018. 

But are more movies in the future for Edwards? "I was talking to my people about it. It takes a lot of time out your day," Edwards said. "As of right now, in my basketball career, I'm trying to take my game to the next level. So as of right now, I wouldn't probably take any offers, because of I'm trying to be an all-star next year, be an MVP conversation. I want to take all my time and put it into basketball just this summer, as much as possible."

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