Casey Bond, a Starr’s Mill graduate, continued his baseball career in college and into the minor leagues. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants and made it all the way to Class AAA before being released. After his release, Bond moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career and struck gold with a role that combines acting with baseball. He is playing former Oakland A’s pitcher Chad Bradford in the upcoming film “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt. The role is more than a glorified walk-on for a baseball player and Bond is excited with the experience he is getting in making a major motion picture.
“The film is about the 2002 Oakland A’s,” Bond explained. “I guess I look a little like him (Bradford) and I’m from the South like he is.” Bond met with the director and Pitt and got the role.
“He’s very normal, down to earth and approachable,” said Bond of Pitt.
Bond has appeared on shows like “Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels,” but is thrilled that so soon after starting to pursue a career he was able to film a scene with an actor of Pitt’s caliber. The film also stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt and Robin Wright among others. Bennett Miller, who directed Hoffman in “Capote” is directing the film based on the poular non-fiction book of the same name.
Bradford was a submarine style pitcher, one whose sidearm motion had him nearly scraping his knuckles on the ground. It is a unique motion and one that Bond could do, while also doing well in the scenes that called for some acting. Bradford was not a highly touted player in the minors, but figured prominently in “Moneyball,” because Oakland’s GM Billy Beane (played by Pitt in the film) specialized in getting the most out of players for the smallest cost.
The shoot for “Moneyball” goes until the middle of next month and the film is due to be released some time in 2011. Bond is often on the set, as are most of the cast members playing the baseball players, and a team-like atmosphere has been created. Bond has enjoyed getting to know all of them, including Pratt (Andy on “Parks and Recreation”) who plays Scott Hatteberg, a former catcher who had to play first base after an injury.
“Moneyball” is a great combination of two things Bond loves, baseball and acting, and he hopes this role serves as a springboard to more roles in the future. He is enjoying his time in Los Angeles, making movies, and is looking forward to what the future might bring.
If you want to keep up with what Bond is up to, follow him at www.twitter.com/CaseyBond.
