Former Washington TE Vernon Davis Breaks Bad in New Film Starring Morgan Freeman

For former Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis, there's a similar theme when he talks about the game of football and his current efforts in the film industry.

Teamwork, synchronicity, and having the right guys for the job are all keys to being successful.

And we recently sat down with Davis to talk about the current state of the Washington Commanders, and his newest film effort, The Ritual Killer.

"When it comes to players you want guys in the locker room that can inspire other guys...and not just guys that are good on the football field," Davis said. "I have nothing but respect for the Commanders, not because I played there, but also because of how they're navigating and bouncing back from all the things that we hear about in the media. I think they're handling it the right way."

He's also got a good feeling about his newest movie released on Mar. 10, where he plays the character 'Randoku', a serial killer practicing the South African tribal ritual known as Muti.

"The film is a great film, it's based on a true story," Davis says of The Ritual Killer. "There's a tribe in South Africa who's harvesting body parts. In this film you'll see 'Randoku' as the antagonist...he's tough, he's very skilled and he's really strategic about who he's going after and what he's going after."

The character is dark, and while he doesn't have top billing in the film, Davis' portrayal of the business-like killer is impactful, to say the least.

"There's something that has to be really bothering you to become that kind of character," Davis said of playing the serial killer antagonist. "You have to ask yourself, 'What's something I can use to really bring out the best in this character?"

For Davis, he tapped into memories of his mother on drugs while he grew up in northwest Washington D.C. to get into the mindset necessary to play such a dark character. 

"In this film, in my eyes, that's what I was holding on to," Davis said. "As this character, I was like, 'How can this character kill everyone?'...I imagined that I was going after everyone for killing my mom."

We got to screen the film ahead of speaking with Davis, and have to say it looks like all the players and pieces came together well. 

Something the Commanders themselves are hoping will happen as they turn towards yet another new starting quarterback and new offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy. 

And we asked Davis how he approached trying to be successful with a new coordinator or play-caller in the building.

"You ask questions," Davis said. "You get to know the offensive coordinator, understand what he wants from you and just be a student of the game...Create a relationship and you go out and win as one."

A student of the game turned student of languages, Davis reached out and received tutoring to learn how to speak Zulu for The Ritual Killer. 

If Davis can do that, and take advice from the likes of Morgan Freeman to be successful, then there's certainly a chance Washington's current players will be able to speak Bieniemy's language and bring winning football back to D.C.

The Ritual Killer is the latest project Vernon has filmed since retiring from the NFL and he has filmed nearly 30 projects, including movies with the likes of John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson, Thomas Mann, and Rosa Salazar, among others.