Movie fans, myself included, love films about real people we can learn new things about. The Express, based on a true story and starring Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown, follows the extraordinary life of college football hero Ernie Davis -- portrayed by Brown -- the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

Quaid plays legendary Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, a man who selected Davis for his team when racism was rampant in the country. Schwartzwalder also guided Davis to become a great football player, but along the way the two formed a personal bond. The Express, a heartwarming story of struggle and triumph, shows how one man can effect change.

A prolific star in many movies, Quaid has tackled diverse roles. He’s become a well-known actor, one able to draw an audience, as shown by his success in such films as the comedy Yours, Mine and Ours, the coming-of-age drama In Good Company, the action film The Day After Tomorrow, the sports story The Rookie and the space epic The Right Stuff.

During Quaid’s whirlwind tour to promote The Express, a film he’s clearly emotionally involved in, the versatile actor sat down for an interview. Looking refreshed and more at peace than in previous years, Quaid was warm, funny and eager to talk about this film. Below are his responses to my questions.

Question: Did you read the book?

Quaid: Yes, but my main resource was really Jim Brown. We were already friends as we did Any Given Sunday together and we play golf together. He’s a straight talker, and was invaluable. He told me about his relationship back then with Ben, which was sometimes contentious, and his relationship with Ernie Davis. He remembers how segregation and racism existed back then.

Question: What did you like about this script?

Quaid: I wanted to do this for the story; I didn’t know about Ernie’s story. When I get a script, it’s the only time I get to be an audience member. This one hit me deeply. And then I look at the filmmaker, and I think Gary Fleder elevated the script -- it hit me in the gut where I don’t really have words.

To me this is a personal story between Ben and Ernie. It’s a football movie, but I don’t want to do just another football movie; it has to be bigger. The issue of racism elevates it. Ben could, by today’s standards, be termed a racist, but he was a man of his time. He was status quo -- obsessed with football  -- and all of that stuff out there was an annoyance to him. But he was a ground-breaking coach who actively recruited black players to his team. Ernie was different; he got to Ben, and they became like father and son; it’s an unlikely story.

Question: What kind of research did you do?

Quaid: Well I’ve done football movies before, but I’ve never played a coach, so I tried to find out about Ben. I don’t look a lot like him; but I tried to capture his spirit. I’ve played real people and feel responsible to try to capture them in a real way not an idealistic way. I grew up in Houston, Texas, in the 50s and 60s and have a good memory of the times as far as racism and segregation.

Queston: What did you learn about Ernie and Ben that you didn’t already know?

Quaid: That Ernie Davis touched people he met in a very profound way. It all comes down to a personal relationship you have with someone that can change your life. I think this is a bigger story that looks back then in the way we used to be and how far we’ve come today and where we still have to go. In the end of the film, Ernie picks up a bottle without a label and he says “I didn’t come here to be the best black running back; I came here to be the best running back.” And that’s where we still have to go, in that we don’t label each other of who we are. I don’t know how long it will take us to get there.

Question: How was it to work with Rob Brown?

Quaid: I think he was channeling Ernie. He’s not that well known but was excellent in Finding Forester. He was great as Ernie; he has some of the same qualities. Rob has a quiet dignity about him and he’s able to convey a lot without saying much.

Question: Was there anyone in your life who really pushed you?

Quaid: My acting teacher in college. I was 19 and just fooling around but within the second week of his class I knew what I wanted to do in my life. That’s a great gift. He really pushed me, and it’s great to have someone in your life like that.

Question: You earned award nominations and critical acclaim for your role in Far from Heaven. Is there a reason you don’t do more character-driven stories?

Quaid: Smart People was like that role, I think. I like to go back and forth between a big studio film and smaller independents. They’re like the movies in the 70s when the inmates take over the asylum. I like a broad range of movies.

Question: What do you like about being an actor?

Quaid: I enjoy acting because it’s fascinating to find out what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoe. I like to know what makes other’s tick. That’s human nature I guess, but I enjoy it more even now.

Question: Is it easier to play a role about a fictional character as opposed to a real person?

Quaid: In some ways it’s easier. I don’t feel obligated to pay homage to the person, but I feel deep responsibility to portray them honestly and not idolize them.

Question: What’s the bottom line about The Express?

Quaid: It’s a story about living your life gracefully. When God bestows grace in your life, you should use your life to its full effect, and Ernie Davis embodied that idea.

Dennis Quaid’s upcoming films include: G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009), Legion (2010) and Pandorum (2009).

Interview also posted at www.reviewexpress.com .

(Photo: Dennis Quaid in The Express © 2008 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)