Former All-American Swimmer Atiba Wade Stars in Movie ‘Four Down’
Atiba Wade is always looking for another job on screen.
The professional stunt man and former All-American swimmer at Georgia, has been part of “Wakanda Forever,” “Pride,” and on Netflix, but a starring role in a movie was something he never really dreamed of – until it happened almost by accident.
Wade recently filmed “Four Down” which will be screened at the upcoming Sunscreen Film Festival on April 24.
“It is as cool as it sounds. I thought I was in line to stunt double for someone, so I was so loose in the audition. I was making jokes. Then I asked a buddy who we were doubling for, and he was like, ‘Doubling’? We are doing the acting.’ So that is how that happened,” Wade told Swimming World. “I don’t know how it would have gone if I knew it was a real audition.”
Wade, who was part of the Wakanda navy in “Wakanda Forever,” plays former football player Marquise Cooper, who in 2009 saw his boat capsized and stranded along with three friends for 43 hours in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The true story is about four friends, two of them are football players. They go out on a boat,” Wade said. “It is right before my character, Marquise Cooper, got traded from Tampa Bay to the Raiders. So they are out one last time on his boat.”
In the true story, which was part of a memoir called, “Not Without Hope,” Wade’s character does not make it, which made for a grueling acting performance that put a lot of pressure on him.
“You are representing the last moments of life for someone. That pressure of performance and the horrific moments takes so much energy and emotional energy,” Wade said. “The gravity of it is the biggest thing. The night before, you are drawn into a zone, like a big meet the next day. It was the heaviest thing I have ever had to do.”
The movie was shot for two weeks in the Dominican Republic, then for a few days in Tampa.
The film is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Steven Cantor, executive produced by Snoop Dogg and Mark Wahlberg, and produced by FWV’s Chairman and CEO Rick French, Stick Figure Productions and Dakota Media Group.
“To be a part of it was fantastic,” Wade said. “I am so grateful to be a part of it, and I have swimming to thank for it. I am looking forward to the premiere at the Sunscreen Film Festival. What a journey.”
