411 Movies Interview: Jim Ellis of Pride Posted by Tony Farinella on 06.26.2007
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Jim Ellis, the real-life inspiration behind Pride.
TONY: What were your initial thoughts when you heard that they were going to make a movie about you?
ELLIS: I said: "Sure, great idea. I'll believe it when I see it on the screen."
TONY: What was your first meeting with Terrence Howard like?
ELLIS: We met at dinner. It was me, Terrence Howard, and the director Sunu Gonera. We met at a nice restaurant, and we talked about the movie. My number one question was why he wanted to do the movie. I heard that he really wanted to do the story, and I heard that he lives in Philadelphia. When I heard he was going to play me in the movie, I went out and rented all of his films and watched him. I said: "That's a good choice. He's a good choice." I was excited.
TONY: How involved were you with the film-making process?
ELLIS: Not too much. I went down on the set twice. Once to do a cameo that I had in the movie. I wanted to meet everyone that was in the movie. I met the cast and the people working on the movie. I also went down on the last week of shooting. I met a lot of the producers and whatnot. I got to watch them wrap up. That was pretty much it.
TONY: How accurate was the film to your real-life story? Also, did the film take any liberties with your story?
ELLIS: Yeah, it took some liberties with the story. Absolutely. It's pretty accurate. It tells the story of me starting a swimming program in the inner city, which is all true. Some of the liberties is the way that they portrayed it. It's a little offshoot from how it really happened. Basically the story is true.
TONY: In your opinion, what makes a good teacher?
ELLIS: Well, that's a great question! A teacher is someone who listens to their students, and then tries to educate them to whatever it is that they're working with. If you're a math teacher, you get them into the subject matter. Teach them how to learn. Teach them how to open up their minds. If they know who they are, then they can do anything. You got to get them to believe in themselves. It's a give-and-take. It's not just: "Do as I say and that's it!" It's a relationship that's created when you're educating young people or old people. An educator is supposed to be someone special.
TONY: What goes through your head when you watch Pride?
ELLIS: The movie is over too soon! That's what I said the first time I saw it. I was looking for more because it was my life story. I knew that they just grasped the surface. It was just the beginning. As I watched it and got into it, it was over. I was looking for more. I'm looking for the sequel to be made.
TONY: How did your passion for swimming start in the first place?
ELLIS: My original introduction was my dad throwing me out of a boat into a lake. That didn't work too well. I took swimming lessons at a Y, and I learned in one lesson. I thought it was really easy to do. I knew it was something for me. I knew it was for me. It's just something you know. I was only seven-years-old, and it was something that I knew was a part of me. It was something that I had to do.
TONY:Pride deals with issues of racism and ignorance back in the 70's. Here we are in 2007, do you think things have changed at all?
ELLIS: Another great question. Some things have changed. Not a lot. We still need access. African Americans and minorities still need more access to swimming. We don't have the pools like the suburban kids have. It's hard to find people who are willing to operate swimming pools and facilities in the city. Operating a pool is pretty expensive. I believe with access, we can achieve all things. Not just in swimming, but anything that's out there to do. That's what I was hoping to prove by starting a swim team. You can be all you can be, as long as you work at it and you believe in yourself. You gotta believe.
TONY: How did you handle all the obstacles that you had to endure?
ELLIS: That's a question that a lot of people ask me. I never thought about it until I started getting interviewed. I didn't look at them as obstacles. They were just little bumps in the road. I was so determined to be successful at starting a program and putting a program out there at a high level. I just didn't see any obstacles. It was just little bumps that I had to navigate through. I was determined to make it work. Young people who came into the program and their parents, they put a lot of trust and faith in what I was doing. They were committed as well. They wanted to achieve. They understood what we were doing, why we were doing it, and everything. They bought into the dream. Once everybody's on the same page at the same time, it's pretty exciting and exhilarating.
TONY: What do you enjoy most about teaching?
ELLIS: That's another great question! You're good. I guess all of it. It's watching people grow. It's watching young people when the light bulb goes on. You can see it. It comes at different times for different people, but when the light bulb goes on, they get a rush of energy. They want it all. They really want it all. It makes you feel good that you helped to get that process working. You were a part of that. That's very rewarding. Young people today aren't given a chance. A lot of people write them off and don't understand that young people need guidance. Because young people act so grown nowadays, people expect them to just get it without anyone else helping them. They forget that someone taught them along the way. I guess working with young people. Young people are honest as well. They tell it like it is. That's very rewarding.
TONY: There's a line in the movie that says: "The most important thing is a person's name." When people hear the name Jim Ellis, what do you want them to remember?
ELLIS: That I was a young man that was committed to doing something positive for young people. That I was a young man that was steadfast and would stick to things. He gave of himself to give back to the community. I worked hard at what I did. I did it honestly and with a sense of pride and character. I also did it with a sense of style.
TONY: Have you thought about writing a book at all?
ELLIS: Yes. Absolutely. I just haven't come up with the chapters. Since the movie has come out, I've been traveling the country and doing some motivational speaking. I've been getting an education. I've been seeing things. I've been seeing how people respond to the movie and listening to things that they think are important. What's important to me may not be what people want to read. How we did it was unique. I think the book could educate people on what we actually accomplished. We achieved much, much more than what was portrayed in the movie. The movie was just the beginning and only scratched the surface.
TONY: What's your most vivid memory or story from teaching?
ELLIS: I got a bunch of them. That's an unfair question! You asked all those great questions, and now you're asking an unfair one! There's so many great stories that came out of this. To pinpoint one is tough. I can't do that! I'm sorry.
TONY: Why do you think swimming often gets overlooked?
ELLIS: Up until recently, swimming came around every four years when the Summer Olympic Games were on. It got a lot of exposure for maybe a month or so. Swimming wins the most gold medals in the Olympic games other than track. We then go back into the woodworks. It's a hard sport to cover. The masses don't get a chance to swim competitively, so they don't really relate to the sport. There's also the money situation. Basketball is glamorized because they're million dollar babies. It gets a little bit different exposure. Swimming is such a pure sport. I call it a squeaky clean sport, and I think some people want to overlook that. It's like that bad boy image. They like that rough side every now and then. Swimming is a little clean.
TONY: Finally, what are you working on these days?
ELLIS: I've been on a speaking tour all around the world. I'm also still coaching. I'm looking for some opportunities to come along to expand swimming in Philadelphia. We'd like to have a nice swimming facility. I'm hoping that the right person sees the film and picks up the phone and gives us a call. We can continue to grow the program. I'd like to have about 500 or 600 kids swimming
