RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A dream came true for Brenda Song on Saturday inside SoFi Stadium.
The veteran star is such a diehard Los Angeles Rams fan that the team not only invited Song (and longtime partner Macaulay Culkin ) to a preseason matchup with the New Orleans Saints, they welcomed her into a broadcast booth to offer color commentary on CBS L.A. Song happened to be on the air during the third quarter for one of the game's most thrilling moments when Alex Cook returned an interception 100 yards to the end zone as the Rams dropped an exclamation point on the Saints with a 34-0 victory. Related Stories Movies 'Brady vs. Manning': Documentary Film in the Works About NFL Rivalry (Exclusive) Movies 'Madden' Biopic Sets Fall Release Date, With Nicolas Cage Teasing Role as "Highlight for Me"
It was a coup for Song, who is as passionate about defense as she is about rattling off the names and stats of some of her favorite players. Even those close to her are surprised by how knowledgeable and passionate she is about the hometown team. "For our opening game last season against the Colts, I actually brought Dave Stassen and Scott MacArthur, our showrunner and one of the stars of Running Point, and they said they saw a different side of me from the opening kick-off,'" Song told The Hollywood Reporter immediately after Saturday's game. "They said, 'You were a different person. You didn't speak to us. You were on the edge of your seat from the first play.' I said, 'Yes because every play matters. Every inch matters. There's no other game like it.' That's why I love it so much."
The team loves her back. "Brenda is one of our most loved and invested fans," said Rams chief marketing officer Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick. "Between her deep knowledge of the game, her on-camera presence and the enthusiasm she brings to everything she does, we knew she would add a fresh perspective and fun energy to the broadcast."
THR got to quiz Song on the the roots of that love, her predictions for the coming season and why she and Culkin regularly decline VIP suites in favor of sitting in the stands.
Brenda Song, we are sitting in a golf cart in the bowels of SoFi Stadium moments after you made your broadcast debut. How did that feel?
I'm on a high. I'm not joking when I say it was my dream. I grew up loving sports but I'm 5'2" — my feet barely touch the ground when I'm sitting in a chair — so I just love watching from the sidelines as a couch analyst. I'm just so grateful to the Ramily for letting me go up there and live out my dream and call the game. Sitting next to Rob Havenstein, an incredible right tackle, was insane.
Viewers got to hear how passionate you are about defense, which I think people might be surprised by because offense is always seen as such a sexy part of the sport. Why defense?
I've always loved defense. Before Kobe Bryant was in the league, my parents, my dad and my brother always watched the Chicago Bulls. Dennis Rodman was my favorite player. Watching defense is so fun because the smallest hand movement or slide can create such a big moment. When I started watching football, I got to see Aaron Donald play — Aaron Donald is my GOAT, the GOAT — and seeing him do the chop to get around someone was incredible.
Yes, offense is sexy and sparkly but I love a shutdown defense. When I'm watching a game, I really enjoy when our defense is out there because there's something spectacular about it, especially when you're playing a team known for its offense and you can just shut them down. It's amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love watching [Matthew Stafford], [Puka Nacua] and our receivers — they're amazing. But our defense is really special, and I'm very, very excited to see Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson play this season.
You've said in multiple interviews that your dream was also to be a defensive coordinator …
Yes, truly. As a defensive coordinator, you're watching the offense line up at the line of scrimmage it's your job to say, "What can I do to stop this?" You have to be three steps ahead to spoil someone's fun. I love watching a game at the stadium because you get to see a lot of plays off the ball. One of my favorite things is watching the defensive coordinator swap out players and put people in if it's a run play versus passing. I won't say which game this was because it still hurts, but we've watched games when we're giving our A-guys a break and other teams take advantage of that. They see the weak spots. There's so much more to football than a crazy 60-yard throw and a fun touchdown. I love defense so much. I could talk about it all day. It's my favorite thing.
You mentioned Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Who else on the roster are you excited about?
When you have a shutdown corner like Trent, you can't help but be excited, because you look at the numbers and realize that no one is even throwing in his direction. He's also so versatile. Of course how could you not be excited about Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year? He's the only person aside from Aaron Donald that would make you say, "I don't want to line up across from him." And he's now a Ram! I feel so very lucky to have a Hall of Famer on our team. I feel very spoiled.
It all started because I'm a huge Lakers fan. I grew up watching basketball and the Chicago Bulls, but when Kobe got traded to the Lakers in 1996, I became a Kobe fan. I can genuinely say that I've seen almost every game Kobe Bryant ever played. When he retired in 2016, I couldn't watch basketball anymore. It was too devastating. Kobe Bryant was basketball to me, so I took a break from sports.
Then when I started dating Mac — we were about a year into dating — I came out to the living room one Sunday morning and he was watching a Rams-Seahawks game during the Russell Wilson days. I jokingly said, "Let's football." He started walking me through the downs and explaining things to me. We'd watched the Super Bowl but L.A. hadn't had a staple team. Once he ...
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