‘Stick’ Stars Peter Dager And Lilli Kay Talk “Secret Love” Between Santi & Pryce And “Emotional Landscape” Their Characters Share

In Apple TV+’s new sports activities dramedy Stick Peter Dager portrays younger golfing prodigy Santiago “Santi” Wheeler, who will get recruited to take a swing at changing into a professional golfer by means of Owen Wilson’s Pryce Cahill, who was once himself, as soon as, a professional golfer.

Clashing over their distinction in ages and concepts of learn how to be a excellent golfer, with Santi every now and then foregoing Pryce’s advise to be a hotshot and take large swings, Dager traced the underlying appreciation the 2 have for every different — similar to a father and son dynamic — in spite of the united statesand downs in their dating.

“Santi and Pryce, they’re butting heads so much in the beginning because they both have a lot of good reasons to not want to join forces,” Peter Dager informed Deadline forward of the release of the collection — which premiered with the primary 3 episodes arriving at the streamer June 4. “It was nice to feel the secret love that Santi and Pryce have for each other in the beginning of the show, which we see later on a lot more through all those trials and tribulations. But in the beginning, it’s there. That seed is there.”

After some united statesand downs within the first couple of episodes, Santi begins to hit his stride competing on the Sparkling Meadows Championship Tournament, he will get a little bit cocky and messes up a shot, which, audience be informed, sends him right into a spiral about his recreation at the route. The rigidity that follows after Pryce scolds Santi within the taste of his father, who isn’t in Santi’s existence anymore, ends the 3rd episode on a notice of warfare. Add the advent of Lilli Kay’s Zero, who right away understands Santi’s scenario, and audience can be in need of to understand what occurs subsequent within the golfing display, which additionally stars Marc Maron and Mariana Treviño.

“For Zero, Santi’s emotional landscape and where he’s at are really relatable to Zero. I think they’ve been in those positions where, they felt like the odds were stacked against them, or people were against them, and they had to sort of advocate for themselves and stand up for themselves,” Kay shared in the similar interview.

Below, the duo talk about first entering personality for the comedy collection, what makes their characters click on nearly right away and what’s in retailer after the primary 3 episodes.

DEADLINE: Peter, Did you are taking golfing courses or educate for the display? What was once that like?

PETER DAGER: I took courses, and I began once I were given the task. I sought after to dive into the entire global and get started practising my very own swing and discovering it. I began in New York. We checked out a few other folks in New York and we landed on Beau Lardner. Shout out, Beau. He was once superb, and Lily additionally took a category with him. He was once nice, we labored in combination for roughly a month and a part. I noticed another instructors right here and there too in New York, simply to get 2d reviews. But Beau was once the individual I used to be coming to beautiful constantly.

Then I were given to Vancouver, and we had two weeks. I used to be there, two weeks prior to I shot the rest, and I were given to satisfy Nathan [Leonhardt], who was once the golfing coordinator. By then I had already, I already had the actions of the swing. I used to be feeling excellent, however the principle factor Nate were given me operating on was once that inside of out and the tucking in that elbow, quite than the elbow being out and coming in over my shoulder. I had to in reality paintings on that inside of out. And that’s what Nathan in reality helped me do. After practising that for roughly two weeks, I began feeling in reality excellent and assured within the swing, however [it took] a large number of coaching to get to that time the place I felt assured.

DEADLINE: Lilli, some of the first scenes the place we meet Zero, she stands up for herself. It’s in reality spectacular to observe. What did you wish to have to get throughout in that scene as a primary affect for audience?

LILLI KAY: The cool factor about Zero all over, and that you just form of get proper off the bat is, that she’s very uncompromising in her values. If Zero believes one thing, they consider it with their complete center, and so they stand on that flooring. With this example, from the bounce, they’re going, “This is messed up. I’m not here for this. I put up with this. You’re taking the wrong side. I’m out.” And that’s form of how they’re. That opens up largely on account of Santi.

DAGER: You’re welcome.

KAY: [Laughs]. That unyielding, unwillingness to compromise. I believe that Zero turns into just a little extra versatile and just a little extra working out.

DAGER: So does Santi, on account of Zero.

DEADLINE: For either one of you, what makes them right away get every different after they move paths?

DAGER: Honestly, that second is Zero’s scene. It’s a second the place you get to satisfy 0 and right away say, “Wow, this person is very intelligent” as a result of she sees Santi going via one thing, and Santi can’t specific it, and but Zero sees it right away.

I imply I’ll inform Zero just a little bit about what’s taking place in my existence, and right away, Zero turns out to position the puzzles in combination, and that permits Santi to be noticed, however it’s Zero’s remark that in reality catapults the will for Santi to even need Zero round constantly, after which Zero appearing up for Santi in a real means all over the remainder of the spherical in Episode 3, and him hitting a excellent shot, after which having a look at them, after which on any other hollow, hitting any other excellent shot, and seeing that she’s there. I believe it’s your [Lilli] commentary that makes me be like, I wish to move there, since you’re simply so cast to start with, once we meet you. It’s one of these sturdy form of front into Santis existence and into the display.

KAY:. It’s a thrilling factor in an effort to cheer someone on in that adventure. So prior to, past the fast form of, ‘Oh, we kind of click,’ that’s a thrilling factor.

DAGER: They meet in such a decent…

KAY: Crazy second for either one of them.

DAGER: He’s strolling by means of and he hits one thing, and she or he’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey!’ So they are able to’t in reality disguise.

KAY: Super inclined second.

DAGER: They’re assembly already in such a decent position that they’re each like. ‘Okay, let’s have the controversy,’ as a result of ‘I’m sorry about that,’ and also you’re like, ‘Are you okay?’ It took place so instantaneously as a result of we’re each in that open house already, we each concept we have been having a personal second till it wasn’t anymore.

DEADLINE: Santi and Pryce are roughly at the outs on the finish of that 3rd episode. What does that spell out for the remainder of the collection? How does Zero are available and problem the dynamic that they’ve been operating on?

KAY: Zero surely comes and blows issues up in a large number of techniques, however I believe it in the long run fortifies everybody’s dating. I believe there’s a large number of that all over the display. Relationships [are] being challenged after which deepened. Santi and Zero’s adventure in combination is stuffed with twists and turns. [That] in the long run, in reality lets in them each to develop into themselves in in reality stunning techniques.

DAGER: Zero is the power, but additionally the glue, and it begins shaking everybody’s global up, however as you proceed to observe the display, some sneaky stuff occurs, however Zero in reality is conserving the entire thing in combination. If you stick round and watch after Episode 3, you notice how that occurs, and then you definately see how that will get difficult. There’s nice prime moments, after which issues come crashing down.

DEADLINE: Peter, how do you stability the truth that Santi is clearly a tender grownup and he doesn’t take neatly to training immediately? There’s a second, I believe it’s in 3 when Pryce is going, “You are coachable!”

DAGER: That scene in Episode 3, along side any other scene we have been speaking about on the finish of 2, when Pryce provides Santi a brand new set of golf equipment and he’s creating a shaggy dog story, and Santi is going, “Thanks for the clubs. Thank you, old man,” and they’ve a pleasant second. Those are very uncommon after they simply have a pleasant second. And that’s a kind of moments the place Owen and I filmed it, and we have been simply in a position to have a laugh with the scene and now not bicker at every different. That’s a kind of scenes that, truthfully, I relished the ones scenes, and I loved filming the ones scenes as a result of there have been so few of them to start with.

DEADLINE: Last query for you each, I think like any other not unusual thread within the display is the theme of transferring ahead and not to in reality have a look at the previous. How does that come into play for each your characters as we know about their pasts?

KAY: I believe that they’re in a spot in existence that’s very formative, either one of them, and so they’ve additionally each been via so much. For younger other folks, they’ve had a large number of in reality intense circle of relatives relationships, they’ve had to be extra impartial than most of the people in that age vary. I believe that with the ability to give your self the chance to have a contemporary get started at any age at any level to your existence is such a shockingly tough factor to do and a shockingly stunning factor to do. It is deeply related to the golfing context of of all of this. You can’t have a look at the photographs you’ve taken and fixate on that, you need to have a look at [what] you’ve were given and the place you’re and what you’re transferring against.

DAGER: The shot you might have now. Yeah, I imply, all of that stuff is impactful, that your previous is — I don’t even know if it’s now not having a look at it. I believe you need to have a look at the previous, however I believe it’s working out your previous, accepting it and being like, “But that doesn’t need to be me now.”

KAY: Not dwelling there or fixating on it.

DAGER: Instead simply accepting it and being like, “Alright, if I could start a new, what choice can I take that’s most in line with my current self?”

RELATED: ‘Stick’ Star Owen Wilson And Creator Jason Keller On Show’s Exploration Of Mentorship And Found Family: “There Isn’t A Foolproof Guidebook To Bring Out The Best In Someone”