'Shooting Stars' Teammates Formed Lifelong Bond

Have you watched Shooting Stars on Peacock yet? If not, what are you waiting for?!

Source: Courtesy / Peacock

Caleb McLaughlin and Marquis “Mookie” Cook play Dru Joyce III and Lebron James in Peacock’s new high school basketball movie Shooting Stars. We talked to the actors about how they and their characters navigate fame and friendship at a young age.

“Coming from where we’re from, a lot of people don’t get the opportunity we are, doing what we’re doing,” Cook said about his own fame, while also referring to the moment in Shooting Stars when LeBron’s fame starts to alienate him from his friends. “I think moments like that happen, of course it’s going to happen cause unfortunately if you’re that big people want to be where you’re at. Ultimately if they [friends] care about you, as you see in the film they outgrew that, they see that we all have our own lanes, we all have our own dreams, our own aspirations, so if they’re not supporting you, that’s people you shouldn’t have around you. In the film they outgrew that. They’re just young. Of course they’re gonna have gonna have moments like that, they outgrew that and you see where they are now man. They’re beyond close.”

McLaughlin also spoke about his own experience becoming famous after the success of Stranger Things and how it helped him relate to the film.

“It definitely takes like a a special person to deal with that,” McLaughlin told BOSSIP. “I can relate to the real life guys, at such a young age just having that pressure, traveling around America, or even the world, people knowing them. You know what’s the big thing for me? People that know me that I don’t even know. A lot of people know my name, my last name, know how I look and know something about me, and I don’t even have any idea of who this person is, you know what I mean? The mental capacity just to understand that, you have to have a stable mindset, you have to have the support system, you have to be focused. Your mind can’t be everywhere else. You have to just think about yourself in a way, and not in a selfish way. It’s really just about having a solid group around you, solid support. Piggybacking off what Mookie said, the people around you, your friends, you have to have people that you grow with. Even if it’s not from the ages that LeBron and his teammates were when they were younger.

McLaughlin also spoke to the tight bond the castmates formed during production and their plans to remain in each other’s lives in the future, similar to how LeBron James and his teammates have continued to support one another.

“The bond that I actually created with these guys filming, I would forever love to be their friends in the future,” McLaughlin said. “It could be like, ‘Oh yo, you remember when we filmed this? Our friendship could be bigger than just the film, it would be like we go on vacations together, or I’ll pop up to like his birthday party or his game or something if he’s like, ‘My mom’s having a birthday party, come through.’ It’s just about having that support and having other people keep you in check. You can’t always keep yourself in check, you have to have good people around.”

We also spoke with Cook and McLaughlin about their favorite songs that play in the film. The pair reminisced about the ’90’s songs from the movie, rapping and singing along to a few of their favorites while getting nostalgic about the project.

If you haven’t seen Shooting Stars yet, make sure to check it out on Peacock. We highly recommend watching with friends, family or your teammates!