Long eager to follow in father’s footsteps

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Chris Long has been preparing for this moment his whole life. Thought by many to be the top defensive prospect in the upcoming NFL draft, the son of Hall-of-Famer Howie Long is eager to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“Man, I can’t wait to get drafted,” Long said in a telephone interview. “Once I officially become an NFL player, it’s going to make it that much easier for me to get acting gigs. My dad’s been giving me lessons since I was in the fifth grade, and I nailed the role of Tom in my high school’s production of ‘The Glass Menagerie.’”

Howie Long – who’s resume includes movies such as Broken Arrow, 3000 Miles to Graceland, and the 1998 classic Firestorm – was asked to characterize the younger Long’s acting style.

“The boy’s got some range, I can tell you that,” the proud father said. “I would say he’s a cross between Sylvester Stallone and Edward Norton. I mean, I was pretty damn good – an A-lister, if you will – but Chris has a chance to be great.”

Asked if he’d rather win a Super Bowl ring or an Oscar someday, the younger Long was quick to respond.

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“Are you kidding me? That’s a no-brainer. I’ve already got a place on my mantle for the statue,” Chris admitted. “People don’t realize how close my dad was to winning one for his performance in ‘Firestorm.’ That scene where he’s in the water and he throws the axe while screaming… That’s got to be one of the most dramatic and emotional scenes in film history. Unfortunately there was a bias in the late 90’s against crossover stars, so he never got the respect he deserved. But I think Hollywood is past that now.”

While he is eager to start down the path to movie stardom, Long realizes that in order to be relevant, he must first succeed on the football field.

“Yeah, I’ve been lifting weights and stuff. I’ve got to keep my name fresh in people’s minds for a few years, until I really establish myself on the movie scene,” Long acknowledged. “A lot of people have me going second overall to St. Louis, but I’m really hoping that I fall to Oakland at #4. That would be the ideal situation, since it’s pretty close to LA, and there’s always a chance that Al decides to move the team back south.”

Howie concurred with that sentiment.

“That was crucial for my career,” he said. “I met Ian Ziering at a party, and that led to my guest spot on 90210. From there I appeared on Married With Children a couple of times, and after people saw how good I was, I had directors stopping by the house all the time. Hopefully Al can work out some sort of deal to get Chris on the Raiders.”

Starting with next Saturday’s draft, Chris expects the next few months to be a whirlwind of activity. “I’ll be in New York for the draft, and while I’m here I’ve got an audition with the producers of CSI. After that, I’m flying to Mexico to make an appearance on Maria la del Barrio, which is a very popular soap down there. Then I’ll probably have to report to mini-camp somewhere, but that’s only for a weekend, so then I can go to L.A. and just work on my chops. My dad’s already hooked me up with his old acting coach. I’m very ready for the NFL, baby.”