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‘The Walking Dead’ Star Lauds Travis Kelce’s Hollywood Debut After He Produced ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’

Published 03/17/2024, 9:06 AM EDT

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Travis Kelce is now a producer! Who would have thought the Kansas City Chiefs‘ tight end would be great for Hollywood? Well, ‘The Walking Dead’ actress Sonequa Martin-Green thinks so. He received unsurmountable admiration for his role as the executive producer on the recently released film ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’.

Sonequa Martin-Green is the lead in the film produced by Kelce and directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. And she wants Kelce to extend his producer credits in Hollywood.

While talking to ‘TMZ’, the actress said, “He wanted to support veterans. That’s what I heard — he wanted to support veterans and someone pointed him to our film… It’s all about the ‘why’ and I feel like if anybody has the right ‘why,’ they’ll succeed.”

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The movie revolves around Martin-Green’s character, Merit, as she struggles with her family. She plays a U.S. Army veteran and the cause for her struggles is the haunting presence of her friend Zoe; a deceased platoon mate. The film was released earlier this month and got some great reviews. In fact, it got a 9.2 out of 10 on IMDb. Kelce’s involvement in the movie is big. But why so?

Indie movies are always in need of more attention. Thus, when Martin-Green got to know about Kelce’s involvement, she said, “‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ is activism. It’s that perfect synergy between art and activism and it’s why I’m there. I’m honored to stand there. … It’s for veterans, but the more specific, the more universal. It’s for anybody struggling with grief and loss and tragedy and trauma. So the fact that Travis Kelce is an early investor, it’s not something I knew when we were shooting, but it’s fantastic because yes, it does mean there might be more eyes on it, and we want as many people to see this as possible because it is meant to help and serve.”

Even though this was the 3X Super Bowl winner’s first foray into the film business, he might be attracted to projects related to veterans. But why is that?

Did Travis Kelce’s grandpa serve in World War II?

“Everybody in my family prior to me was in the service,” said Travis Kelce’s dad Ed Kelce on the podcast ‘New Heights‘ last year. Travis’ grandfather, St. Willis Gerald Kelce, was even awarded a Purple Star in World War II. He ended up surviving three plane crashes during the war and being shot multiple times!

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He passed away in 1975- before the Kelce brothers were born. Further, Travis Kelce’s father, Ed Kelce, was interested in joining the Marines but couldn’t make it because of an old high school football injury. He had the cartilage removed from his left knee. While he ended up going through basic training with the Coast Guard, his Chron’s disease prevented him from serving.

Both the Kelce brothers carved their names in the football world, but the younger Kelce gained more notoriety since he started dating singer Taylor Swift. Did you know that her grandfather, Archie, also served in World War II? Well, yes, and Swift even wrote the song ‘Epiphany’ which was inspired by his experiences. The lyrics include:

“Keep your helmet, keep your life, son
Just a flesh wound, here’s your rifl
e
Crawling up the beaches now
Sir, I think he’s bleeding out”

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As per the information available, Travis Kelce is working on a future project titled ‘King Pleasure’- a narrative on Jean-Michel Basquiat. Its filming might begin this summer.

READ MORE: Saquon Barkley’s “NFL Is a Business” Comment Leaves Giants Fans Divided Following Eagles Switch: “Ur a Villain Here”

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Written by:

Utkarsh Tiwari

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Utkarsh Tiwari is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports. As a coalesce of a law graduate and football enthusiast, he takes pride in reporting Sunday live games along with post-match analysis and legal accuracy. This enthusiasm has made Utkarsh our ‘go-to guy’ for throwback pieces and listicles when it comes to any game, especially of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu