T-minus 10 days until The Dink hits Apple TV, and the anticipation is building fast for this must-watch pickleball comedy.

Ahead of the premiere, Mary Steenburgen—one of the film’s stars—made an appearance at the MLP Mid-Season Tournament, where she spoke about the upcoming release and took in the action alongside some of the sport’s top talent.

“This tournament is so much fun,” said Steenburgen, while at the Pickleballtv desk.

Steenburgen shared her first reaction to the pickleball comedy, and as it turns out, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“About a month before I got a call about The Dink, my son [Charlie McDowell] bought me a paddle and said, ‘I think you’d be good at this sport.’ And then I fell in love with it,” she mentioned.

McDowell is a true pickleball enthusiast. He’s picked up a few medals and even celebrated with a pickleball-themed birthday party.

So when Steenburgen heard the pitch for the film, the moment pickleball came up, she was all in.

“I read the script and I just laughed out loud from the beginning to end,” she shared. “I loved the fact that it was pickleball and that I might actually get better at that sport.”

Of course, The Dink leans heavily into the sport itself, which meant Steenburgen and the rest of the cast had to spend time on the court preparing for their roles.

“Jake Johnson got pretty good at pickleball and tennis,” she confirmed. “He had to train both for his character.”

To get up to speed, Steenburgen worked with some serious talent, including Andy Roddick, who helped coach her for the film. She also trained with Beth Bellamy, a senior pro and coach to Cleo Bond, who even stepped in as Steenburgen’s body double for several pickleball scenes.

The experience only deepened her appreciation for the game.

“When I play pickleball, I have the biggest grin on my face the whole time,” praised Steenburgen. “It’s just the greatest sport. I love it, and I loved doing this movie.” 

Steenburgen also shared one of her favorite moments from the film. 

“I will always have this image in my mind. We were at the Calabasas Pickleball Center and it has lots of pickleball courts. And on one of the last days, the production got paddles for every single member of the crew. And all of the guys – the grips, the drivers, the camera crew, the caterers – everybody was divided into four per court and we were all playing pickleball. And it was so much fun and I’ve never had that experience on a movie where the entire crew ends up playing a sport together but we did that day and it was great,” described Steenburgen. 

Additionally, a few of the pros got to attend a screening for the upcoming movie. 

JW Johnson said, “Confirmed. Mary Steenburgen knows ball,” a pretty high compliment coming from a pro. 

The Dink will be released to AppleTV on Friday, July 24, so mark your calendar. 

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